Working the Wire: Early Season Targets

We’re a week and a half into the NHL season and lines and rosters are finally starting to take shape. We always say you can lose a league on draft day, but you can’t win one. A sharp and watchful eye on your league’s waiver wire is required to have success all season long. With that being said, here are our top waiver wire targets right now.

*All owned percentages are via Yahoo! Fantasy Leagues*

Brock’s Targets

Henri Jokiharju (44% Owned) — CHI — D

Jokiharju was the No.29 overall pick in 2017 and has had a great start to his NHL career. Like many other young Finnish defensemen, Jokiharju has excellent mobility and is a gifted offensive blueliner. The 19-year-old was tied for third among WHL defensemen in points last season, picking up 71 points (12G / 59A) in 63 games. 

Since making the Blackhawks, Jokiharju has picked five assists (all at even-strength) while averaging 20:25 TOI/GM while playing on the top-pair with Duncan Keith. It is a small sample size, but he has a ridiculous 63.7 CorsiFor% and +19.4 relative Corsi so far. To boost Jokiharju’s already growing fantasy value, was head coach Joel Quenneville moving him to their top power-play with Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Alex DeBrincat and Nick Schmaltz. 

Rookie defensemen have had a difficult time posting 40-plus points over the last decade, but Jokiharju has as good of a chance as any thanks to his heavy usage. 

Elias Lindholm (43% Owned) — CGY — C/RW

Lindholm was the No.5 overall pick in 2013 but never lived up to his draft stock in Carolina. It seems like he’s been around for a long time, but will be just 24-years-old in December and has had a great start to his Flames career. 

Lindholm’s Hurricanes numbers were hampered by a brutal 6.7 on-ice shooting percentage. You rarely see a number that low for an extended period of time, so Lindholm’s numbers should improve drastically while playing with Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau. Lindholm should have a firm grasp on that first-line right wing spot because he is taking a lot of faceoffs to ease the workload on Monahan’s surgically repaired wrist. In their first 40 5v5 minutes together, Lindholm, Monahan and Gaudreau have averaged a solid 27 scoring scoring chances for per 60 and we could see that climb as they get more comfortable playing together. 

You shouldn’t have to worry about Lindholm losing his spot on the top line thanks to the fact he has taken more faceoffs than Monahan and is currently winning 63.6 percent of them—third in the NHL among players who have taken at least 50 draws so far this season. 

Jordan Staal (41% Owned) — CAR — C 

Over the last five seasons in Carolina, Staal has been mediocre at best. Staal averaged just 15 goals and 25 assists (40 points) per season and ranks tied for 127th in the NHL in assists (127) tied for 132nd in goals (76) and 139 in points (203). The lack of offensive production left Staal off of draft boards this fall, but his owned percentage is climbing quickly. 

Staal has scored three goals on 14 shots with two assists (five points) in his first four games. In a small sample size, the Hurricanes’ second-line (Warren Foegele-Staal-Justin Williams) has absolutely dominated. In 46:13 5v5 TOI together, the trio is averaging 95 CF/60, 35 CA/60, 43 SCF/60, 16 SCA/60, 21 HDCF/60 and 8 HDCA/60. That level of production is not sustainable but those numbers are off the charts. If they can maintain semi-reasonable rates, Staal could be in for a big season. 

Dylan’s Targets

Josh Bailey (31% Owned) – NYI – RW

After putting up over 50 assists and 70 points last season, Bailey was universally touted as a bust candidate this year. The narrative made sense; Bailey played nearly 800 minutes at 5v5 last year with former Islander John Tavares. Newly-appointed first-line centre Mathew Barzal played almost the entirety of last season with Jordan Eberle. It was assumed Eberle and Barzal would move up to the first line together, causing Bailey to fall down the lineup. Through the Islanders’ first three games, however, it’s been Bailey and Anthony Beauvillier skating with Barzal. Bailey is averaging over 17 minutes a night and seems locked into a spot alongside Barzal. Skating with the young phenom should keep Bailey fantasy relevant as an excellent source of assists.

Bailey’s breakout a year ago was aided by a remarkable 31 points with the man advantage. Tavares’ departure was also expected to take a major toll on the Isles’ powerplay, but that hasn’t been the case early on. The Isles’ have converted on three of 11 powerplay opportunities so far this season. There is no doubt that Tavares leaving limits the upside of Bailey, but 60 points is more than doable if he maintains this usage. He should accumulate a wealth of assists at one of the thinnest positions in fantasy hockey.

Nick Schmaltz (25% Owned) – CHI – C/LW

Schmaltz scored 21 goals and added 31 assists as a 21-year-old last season. The former No. 20 overall-pick looks poised to assume a major role in the Blackhawks’ offense this season. He’s averaging over 20 minutes a night and is featured on their top powerplay unit. The incoming regression to his 17.8 SH% from last season should be somewhat mitigated by an increase in shot volume. He is a young player who seems to have made major strides this off-season and is set to play another full year alongside Patrick Kane. Schmaltz played over 740 minutes at 5v5 with Kane last season and the two have been tied together at the hip again early on. Kane had a relatively-down season last year. He put up 76 points and had an on-ice SH% of 8.1, his lowest since the 2008-09 season.

All things considered, Schmaltz seems poised for a breakout season. He is seeing all the necessary ice time with all the right people. Assuming him and Kane see some regression in their on-ice SH%, Schmaltz should have no problem topping 60 points. Keep in mind that his production is assist-heavy, as he tends to defer shots to Kane more often than not. He offers dual-position eligibility in Yahoo! and is available in 75% of leagues.

Alexander Edler (24% Owned) – VAN – D

Edler is always a serviceable fantasy defenseman when he’s playing, but the 32-year-old Swede has notoriously struggled with injures. If you need some short-term help on your fantasy blueline, Edler makes for a solid pick up. His usage is sky-high right now, averaging over 25 minutes a game. He is heavily-featured in all scenarios for the Canucks. He is an underrated shooter in terms of shot volume, launching 172 shots on goal last year in just 70 games. The Canucks’ powerplay has looked strong early on and Edler should continue to reap the benefits. He has four assists in four games this season. He won’t produce like that all year, but he’s a reliable goal-scorer from the back-end and should maintain a half a point-per-game pace down the stretch. The upside is limited but his heavy usage makes him a reasonable spot start on any given night. If you are using standard scoring, keep in mind that playing for Vancouver should plague his plus/minus all year long.