Fantasy Hockey: Hot Waiver Wire Pickups-11/13/14

As the NHL season continues, teams continue to be streaky in both the right and wrong directions.  This past week the Penguins winning streak and the Stars losing streak both came to an end while the Blue Jackets continue their freefall.  As a fantasy hockey owner, it’s very helpful to follow the ebbs and flows of the team records, but more importantly you need to stay up to speed on the latest players trending in the right direction who make the best fantasy hockey waiver wire pickups to boost your team.

Here are our weekly fantasy hockey waiver wire pickups who are available in at least 50% of ESPN Fantasy Hockey leagues heading into the weekend:

Goaltenders

James Reimer-Toronto Maple Leafs: Reimer is in a battle for the starting goaltender position with Jonathan Bernier with the two evenly splitting the starts in Toronto’s last six games.  Reimer went 2-1 over that span including a nice win over the Blackhawks.  Reimer has the most upside of the widely available options since he’s getting the most playing time on a solid team.

Viktor Fasth-Edmonton Oilers: Fasth is putting pressure on Ben Scrivens for the starting job in Edmonton and has started the Oilers last three games picking up a pair of wins before struggling a bit against Nashville in his last game on Tuesday.  Fasth has quite a bit of upside if he continues getting the starting nod, but he Oilers team is still young and playing inconsistent hockey.

Michal Neuvirth-Buffalo Sabres: Although the Sabres Neuvirth seems to have grabbed the larger share of the timeshare in net for Buffalo, his value is limited due to the teams continuing struggles especially defensively.  He’s a starting goaltender which are are to find, but he has lost three of his last four starts.  On the bright side, he should get plenty of playing time going forward since Jhonas Enroth continues to struggle as well.  Enroth will reportedly start tonight, but if you have to choose between the two Neuvirth is the better fantasy option.

Last week: Cam Ward-Carolina Hurricanes, Jason LaBarbera-Anaheim Ducks, Michael Hutchinson-Winnipeg Jets.

Defensemen

Jake Muzzin-Los Angeles Kings: Muzzin is back in the top defensive pairing for LA and contributing at a nice clip now that he appears to be up to full speed after missing the start of the season due to injury.  He has a goal and four assists in his last three games while playing at least 23 minutes in each of his last four games.  He should continue to see heavy minutes and is the top defensive pickup from the fantasy hockey waiver wire for this week.

Aaron Ekblad-Florida Panthers: The Panthers #1 pick has already started to contribute on a regular basis and has turned in two consecutive games with a pair of assists.  He’s playing in the team’s top defensive pairing and on the top power play unit which should continue to give him opportunities to get involved on the offensive end.  He has six points including a game-winning goal in his last five games and is quickly emerging as a nice fantasy option from a team many owners overlook.

Alec Martinez-Los Angeles Kings: The Kings defenseman who made a name for himself in last year’s Stanley Cup Finals has reemerged as a solid fantasy option and has four assists in his last two games after passing out his fifth helper of the season last night against the Ducks. He has six points in his last six games and is playing increased minutes making him a solid pickup at this point in the season as he plays in the Kings’ second pairing alongside Matt Greene.

Paul Martin-Pittsburgh Penguins: Martin has been moved back into the Pens’ top defensive line next to Kris Letang and just as importantly is on the teams second power play unit.  He has a pair of assists in his last four games and is seeing huge minutes.  He doesn’t take many shots, but his playing time on one of the best teams in the league gives him a good opportunity for assists and a nice +/-.

Last week: Dennis Seidenberg-Boston Bruins, Zach Bogosian-Winnipeg Jets, Justin Braun-San Jose Sharks, Michael Del Zotto-Philadelphia Flyers, Alec Martinez-Los Angeles Kings

Forwards

Marcus Johansson-Washington Capitals: If you are looking for a impact forward, the name mostly likely to be on your fantasy hockey waiver wire worth your first look is Marcus Johansson who has been piling up points on the Caps’ second line.  He scored a pair of goals in his last game against Columbus giving him five goals and eight points in his six games this month.

Elias Lindholm-Carolina Hurricanes: Another player starting out the month strong, Lindholm has five goals and seven points in his six games in November.  He’s on the ‘Canes third line, but his emergence has been a key in Carolina turning things around after their early-season woes.  He should continue to get plenty of playing time and scoring opportunities going forward.

Chris Higgins-Vancouver Canucks: Higgins continues to be a solid wing for the Canucks second line and has four points in his last six games.  He is less of a scoring threat than the top two names on this list, but he gets substantial ice time and passes out assists while playing for a team that will give him a positive +/- on most nights.

Antoine Roussel-Dallas Stars: Roussel’s main value also comes from the assists he passes out mostly on the power play.  Roussel is on the Stars high-powered top power play unit and should be able to continue to produce as long as he maintains his spot on that unit.  Roussel has a three-game point streak going as he and the Stars take the ice tonight agains the Kings.

Devante Smith-Pelly-Anaheim Ducks: Even though his ownership is dropping and he’s no available in over 90% of leagues, I’m still high on the Ducks 22-year old forward who is still getting substantial play on the Ducks top line.  With the Ducks getting top-line center Ryan Getzlaf and second-line center Ryan Kesler back, Anaheim’s offense should find its footing and Smith-Pelly’s opportunity to produce should only grow. He assisted on the game-tying goal in last night’s Freeway Faceoff thriller giving him two points in his last three games.

Last week: Sean Monahan-Calgary Flames, Carl Soderberg-Boston Bruins, Antoine Vermette-Arizona Coyotes, Jori Lehtera-St. Louis Blues, Johnny Baudreau-Calgary Flames