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Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire: Practice patience with Pavel Buchnevich

evan berofsky
·9-min read
St. Louis Blues leftwing Pavel Buchnevich (89)
Add Pavel Buchnevich and stash him on your fantasy hockey bench. (Photo by Keith Gillett/IconSportswire)

NHL players are dropping like flies. Your fantasy hockey lineups are getting depleted. But there's no need to panic.

We've got you covered with a bunch of mainly-available selections who can fill in and produce right away (or, at least, soon enough).

(Rostered rates as of Nov. 22)

Forwards

Buchnevich is only gone in half of Yahoo! leagues. That may seem shocking for a forward who's averaged nearly 70 points over the last three seasons until you realize he's only at 12 a quarter of the way through the 2024-25 campaign while the Blues rank 29th in goals per game. Buchnevich's responsibilities remain substantial, though he's a little light on shots compared to career numbers. Robert Thomas came back from an extended absence Tuesday and combined with the ex-Ranger on a power-play goal. If that duo stays intact and can pick up their usual scoring haul, this could be the last time you'll be able to get Buchnevich for free.

The Stars' first line woke up Wednesday, combining for three goals and four assists. The team ranks top-10 in offense, though they've been carried by their second trio as Matt Duchene leads the way with 21 points, Mason Marchment sits second at 18 and Seguin isn't far behind at 15. The former second-overall selection isn't the player he was during his early Dallas days when he regularly posted between 70-80 points, yet he's reliable for at least 50 while averaging at least two pucks on net a night. His two power-play goals to begin the year aren't bad either.

After over 11 months without a competitive game, it appears Laine is close to returning, as he participated in a full practice Wednesday. His Habs debut may not come for a few more weeks, but you may want to stash him now. There's always a chance Laine will be sidelined again, though his upside — especially in a loaded top-six and elite man-advantage — would be high.

A 29-year-old undrafted player coming in with 58 career points across six seasons and three locations may not sound like the most intriguing fantasy prospect. The Canucks make for Sherwood's fourth franchise, and the stats have been flowing with 10 points, 38 shots and a league-leading 115 hits. Most of his contributions have come in the lower half of the lineup, which led to a promotion once Brock Boeser got hurt. Sherwood has enjoyed the move up, as he's registered two goals and an assist over the last three contests alongside 10 shots and 20 hits on a three-minute increase. He may slide down the depth chart after Boeser reappears, though there's currently too much volume to ignore.

Eklund did well in his first full campaign, as he recorded 45 points (with a matching minus-45 rating), highlighted by 16 power-play points on an 18:40 average. The Sharks have managed only 2.45 goals per game overall, yet they've upped their count with 39 over their last 14 games. During that stretch, Eklund has totaled three goals and eight assists while averaging 19:59 of ice time. There's not much else in other areas, but all of that significant scoring should suffice.

There was a sizable bump in McMann's fairytale when he didn't find the scoresheet in 11 consecutive contests between Oct. 22 and Nov. 12. The story seems to be back on course after potting three goals and 14 shots over his last three appearances while sharing the ice with Mitch Marner and John Tavares. With all of Toronto's injuries up front, there's a decent chance McMann will retain prime placement and maintain his success for the next little while.

As has been the case since their inception, the Kraken like to spread the talent around the lineup. While that strategy isn't ideal in fantasy, it's allowed many of their players to become recommendations due to lower coverage rates. Schwartz has suffered through a few spells of substantial inactivity during his 13-year career, yet he has been fairly dependable when available, averaging 0.65 points per game. He's been known to team up with Chandler Stephenson, most notably when they combined for five assists on Wednesday. Schwartz is also logging 17:12 of ice time per matchup while tallying 12 points — with three while up a man.

Speaking of power-play performers, Killorn used to be the net-front presence on one of the all-time greatest groups. That late-2010s/early-2020s Tampa side was something special, though the current Anaheim contingent could eventually be successful. After all, there's plenty of potential with the likes of Leo Carlsson, Trevor Zegras and Cutter Gauthier, along with a slew of up-and-coming offensive defenders. The Ducks haven't been great putting pucks in opponents' nets, but Killorn is at least riding a four-game scoring run (two power-play assists) where he's also added eight shots and seven hits. Not bad for someone available in 96% of Yahoo! formats.

Defensemen

Walman has been provided with elevated opportunities since joining the Sharks during the summer with 22:41 of ice time a night and a prominent place on the power play. He's so far turned that into two goals, 10 assists, 50 shots, 14 PIM, 27 blocks and 16 hits. Walman even notched back-to-back three-point efforts last month. With by far his highest career ice time and a place on both special-teams units, he's set to accumulate plenty of fantasy stats across the board — at least until some of their younger defensemen earn larger roles.

The only other time we've dared to do a double-entry this season coincidentally involved a pair of Los Angeles defenders — more specifically, Brandt Clarke and Jordan Spence. The duo discussed here will never compare to the other two in terms of offensive output, yet they're decent in other areas. Gavrikov and Anderson maintain similar stats as the Kings' top D pairing, though the former offers a track record of decent point hauls, while the latter is significantly more proficient at registering hits. As a result, choosing which one to add may depend on what category (or categories) you're looking to strengthen.

Pettersson set a personal best last year with 30 points, and he's currently on pace to break that with a goal and eight assists. He's also continued his usual contributions in shots, blocks, and hits while averaging major minutes lined up next to either Erik Karlsson or Kris Letang at even-strength. With the Pens sitting near the bottom of the standings, Pettersson's name has come up in trade talks, as many teams would love to have someone with multiple capabilities strengthen their blueline. He may also be able to help you by filling out your fantasy roster.

Hampus Lindholm is listed as week-to-week with a lower-body injury after leaving during the Nov. 12 matchup against St. Louis. In the four games since, Lohrei has averaged 19:53 of ice time while producing an assist in each of his first three appearances during that time — with the last one coming as a power-play assist — and slotted next to Charlie McAvoy at five-on-five. His shot total could be better, and the rest of the stats aren't noteworthy, but he's at least worth a short-term flyer based on that man-advantage spot and a regular gig alongside a top defender.

Goaltenders

There's no disputing Jacob Markstrom as New Jersey's No. 1 netminder, though there's enough room for Allen to receive some starts. Other than his first two outings, Allen has looked sharp in his other three appearances, stopping 82 of 85 shots — including a shutout at Edmonton. The Devils boast a pretty good defensive group with everyone now available, and that'll help limit pucks on net while providing a favorable chance for either goalie to win.

The hype for Fedotov was huge when he made his NHL debut in April after three solid years in the KHL, though the initial results weren't great, as he allowed 10 goals over 121 minutes. This season started off the same way, as he let in 14 goals across three appearances. Fedotov then didn't see any action for two weeks, but he's since reeled off three straight victories immediately followed by a solid start versus Carolina. With Samuel Ersson on injured reserve and Aleksei Kolosov struggling, Fedotov will continue getting the bulk of the work behind a back line that's performed slightly better of late.

Players to consider from past columns: Logan Stankoven, Gabriel Vilardi, Dylan Guenther, Rickard Rakell, Jonathan Huberdeau, Connor McMichael, Teuvo Teravainen, Dylan Strome, Josh Norris, Cole Perfetti, John-Jason Peterka, Matthew Knies, Matty Beniers, Nino Niederreiter, Troy Terry, Pavel Zacha, Trevor Moore, Jake Neighbours, Dylan Cozens, Connor Zary, Leo Carlsson, Casey Mittelstadt, Kyle Palmieri, Yegor Chinakhov, Brayden Schenn, Anthony Cirelli, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Pavel Dorofeyev, Yegor Sharangovich, Reilly Smith, Jake DeBrusk, Kirill Marchenko, William Karlsson, Marco Rossi, Chandler Stephenson, Nicolas Roy, Conor Garland, Mason Marchment, Jack Roslovic, Adam Fantilli, Alex Laferriere, Fabian Zetterlund, Jason Zucker, Neal Pionk, Justin Faulk, Brandt Clarke, Olen Zellweger, Lane Hutson, Bowen Byram, Rasmus Sandin, Jordan Spence, Travis Sanheim, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Owen Power, Ryan Pulock, Ryker Evans, Jake McCabe, Samuel Girard, Matt Grzelcyk, Kevin Lankinen, Lukas Dostal, Justus Annunen, John Gibson, Sam Montembeault, Casey DeSmith, Calvin Pickard, David Rittich