NHL Waiver Wire: Picks of the Week

2018 is almost over. Let's finish it off with a fantasy flourish.

A three-day NHL break begins Monday, but Wednesday allows us the pleasure of watching the most exciting annual hockey tournament: the IIHF World Junior Championships. The host Canadians enter as defending champs and favorites to repeat, but they'll get plenty of competition from a strong US side that could feature both Hughes brothers, the always-tough Finns and Swedes, and the talent-laden Czech and Russian clubs.

In the meantime, let's continue our look at a few professional players who deserve more consideration:

(Ownership rates/stats as of Dec. 20)


Forwards

James van Riemsdyk, PHI (Yahoo: 51%, ESPN: 71%, CBS: 70%): Van Riemsdyk's Philly comeback was halted by an early-October injury which forced him out of the next 16 games. And even when JVR returned, he only found the scoresheet in one of his first eight appearances. However, in his last six, the big winger has notched five points while averaging close to three minutes on the power play. Fellow RotoWire scribe Janet Eagleson recently confessed to swiping van Riemsdyk from under our noses in the Y! Friends and Family League, so let that be your lesson and pick him up ASAP.

Anthony Beauvillier, NYI (Yahoo: 6%, ESPN: 2%, CBS: 20%): While Josh Ho-Sang (22 points in 26 AHL matches) is earning press for his promotion back to the NHL, there's another promising Islander youngster who's already producing. Beauvillier recorded 21 goals last year and is currently more than halfway towards breaking that mark. The 28th pick from 2015 is tied for second on the team with 11 tallies, including four over his last five while skating with Mathew Barzal and Josh Bailey.

Colin White, OTT (Yahoo: 6%, ESPN: 1%, CBS: 19%): Bonus marks if you noticed White makes it eight of 11 weeks where this column has included an Ottawa forward. That's not a coincidence, as the Boston-born pivot has quietly piled up 23 points to start his first full season with the Sens. And thanks to an injury to Matt Duchene, White finds himself between Mark Stone and Brady Tkachuk at even strength and alongside Thomas Chabot on the top power play – where he's potted five of his nine goals.

J.T. Compher, COL (Yahoo: 9%, ESPN: 1%, CBS: 21%): Compher may be most remembered for dominating college hockey in 2015-16 at Michigan when he combined with Kyle Connor and Tyler Motte for 190 points in only 38 games. A head injury in October dropped him for the next 16 games, but two shorthanded goals on the same penalty kill in his comeback outing served notice. Compher took advantage of Alex Kerfoot's absence by centering the Avs' second unit and has recently enjoyed participating on a man-advantage that boasts the league's top two scorers.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi, MON (Yahoo: 6%, ESPN: 1%, CBS: 31%): Some questioned Montreal when it selected the lanky Finn third overall last June, but his initial NHL sample has a lot of those doubters changing their opinions. Kotkaniemi hasn't been provided with a lot of ice time – just 13:57 per contest on average – but he's made the most out of those minutes by totaling 17 points, including five over his last eight. At 18, Kotkaniemi has already been entrusted to run the Habs' second power play and should continue to progress in his overall development.

Nikolay Goldobin, VAN (Yahoo: 6%, ESPN: 3%, CBS: 20%): Following a 10-game scoring drought, the former Sharks prospect went off for six assists through the next five to start a run of 12 points in 12 games. The Russian may be relegated to Vancouver's third unit at 5-on-5, but he has enhanced his fantasy worth with seven power-play helpers playing with Elias Pettersson on the top unit.

Alex Iafallo, LA (Yahoo: 2%, ESPN: 0%, CBS: 5%): The Kings' troubles have been discussed all season, but some promise still exists among their talent. Take Iafallo, who went undrafted but pushed on and ended up posting 51 points as a senior at the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 2016-17. This caught L.A.'s attention, which inked the then-23-year-old to an entry-level contract. Iafallo looked decent as a rookie with 25 in 75, but he's taken a major step up – which may be hard to imagine on a cellar dweller – by registering 17 in 35 thanks to a full-time apprenticeship with Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown.

Filip Chytil, NYR (Yahoo: 2%, ESPN: 2%, CBS: 18%): After a solid session in the minors, Chytil entered the current campaign with plenty of hope and offensive potential. Being moved around the lineup has probably contributed to the Czech's inconsistency – nothing in nine games early on, five straight with a goal two weeks later – although he's now sharing the ice with Mika Zibanejad and Mats Zuccarello. Regardless of any past or subsequent slump, it's a good sign to see Chytil's duty significantly increase over his last 16 contests.

Defensemen

Colton Parayko, STL (Yahoo: 58%, ESPN: 49%, CBS: 65%): Three straight seasons of at least 33 points, 165 shots and 117 blocks to start a career should qualify one as a premier D-man, but beginning the following year with six in 23 is guaranteed to knock him down a tier or two. However, since Alex Pietrangelo was sidelined, Parayko's man-advantage role has improved and he has gone on to fire home four goals in his last nine matches. Even with the Blues disappointing on the ice, the 6-foot-6 rearguard should meet the requirements for joining your roster.

Justin Faulk, CAR (Yahoo: 53%, ESPN: 18%, CBS: 51%): There once was a time when Faulk's ownership rate hovered in the 90-percent range, though a drop to 10 points through 32 games explains the similar decrease in interest. This has included a recent 12-game scoreless streak, but assists in back-to-back contests hint at a possible turnaround. Faulk remains Carolina's No. 1 blueliner and is counted upon in all situations, so fantasy owners should be more confident of upcoming success.

Jake Muzzin, LA (Yahoo: 53%, ESPN: 77%, CBS: 56%): Like Faulk, Muzzin used to be an automatic fantasy start. But with L.A.'s struggles and coaching change, more lineup experimentation has occurred. The 29-year old would like to forget the first 26 games ever happened, as he only managed five points. However, the last nine have turned out more favorable for Muzzin with two goals and six assists – including his first power-play helper of the season Saturday and a two-point, 30:35 entry in an overtime loss to the Sabres last Tuesday.

Olli Maatta, PIT (Yahoo: 4%, ESPN: 1%, CBS: 21%): Maatta has never wowed anyone with his attacking skills as a member of the Penguins, though he produced a lot at the junior level. The six-year pro will never notch points like Kris Letang, but he's proving to be a suitable secondary scorer without Justin Schultz. Maatta's 10 assists may not seem like much, but that combined with 59 blocks and 57 hits, a steady power-play gig, and Pittsburgh's mighty offense make him an ideal third or fourth defenseman on your squad.

Goaltenders

Roberto Luongo, FLA (Yahoo: 59%, ESPN: 4%, CBS: 60%): Luongo's recent years have been marked by injury, but he's still been able to post some excellent stats. His health has once again become a concern, but he's successfully bounced back on each occasion. The 39-year old started December by shutting out the Bruins and has logged consecutive stellar outings with victories at home against the Leafs and at the Sabres. With Florida seemingly climbing out of its funk, Bobby Lu should benefit with plenty of wins along the way.

Carter Hart, PHI (Yahoo: 30%, ESPN: 3%, CBS: 44%): The goaltender who pulled off sub-2.00 GAAs in each of his final two WHL campaigns made his long-awaited NHL debut Tuesday. And for those who watched, Hart didn't disappoint by confidently turning back 20 of 22 shots. Given the kind of nightmare the Flyers have had to endure in net this season, it's only right to give the kid a couple more starts to see if he can eventually fulfill his destiny and assume the top job.


Players to consider from past columns: Tyler Johnson, Alex Galchenyuk, Nick Schmaltz, Nico Hischier, Jonathan Drouin, Max Domi, Gustav Nyquist, Dustin Brown, Mika Zibanejad, David Perron, David Krejci, Ondrej Palat, Brady Tkachuk, Travis Konecny, Kevin Fiala, Sam Reinhart, Brock Nelson, Alex Tuch, Mathieu Perreault, Dylan Strome, Kevin Labanc, Anthony Cirelli, Ryan Dzingel, Andrew Shaw, Kevin Hayes, Carl Soderberg, Darnell Nurse, Alexander Edler, Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell, Dennis Cholowski, Jared Spurgeon, Samuel Girard, Shea Theodore, Neal Pionk, Brandon Montour, Colin Miller, Damon Severson, Hampus Lindholm, Mikko Koskinen, Adin Hill, Craig Anderson, Jimmy Howard, David Rittich