NHL Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Defensemen Pickups Dec. 27 - Luke Hughes Putting It Together

On every game day this season, THN Fantasy will highlight players and goalies for fantasy managers to stream or roster for the rest of the season. The recommended players and goalies can be used in standard fantasy leagues or for daily fantasy games

Jake McCabe, TOR @ DET (12% rostered)

McCabe is not known for his offense, but he has a helper in consecutive contests, and he's earned four assists over his last seven outings. Be careful not to overrate, as McCabe has just nine assists in 30 contests after having a career-high eight goals and 28 points last season. What McCabe provides is physicality, dishing out 61 hits and blocking 59 shots after posting 219 and 129 in those categories last season.

Luke Hughes, NJ vs. CAR (46% rostered)

Hughes posted nine goals and 38 assists in 82 games as a rookie last season. He missed the start of the season due to a shoulder injury but has been making up for lost time. Hughes notched a pair of multi-point efforts over his last three games and is up to two goals and 13 apples in 28 contests this season, benefitting from the improved blue line in New Jersey. The one negative is his decline in ice time, as he is down two minutes a game since Dougie Hamilton is manning the point on the first power play unit.

Jeremy Lauzon, NSH @ STL (20% rostered)

Lauzon returned after missing 10 games with a lower-body injury to pick up from here left off. His main value is in his physicality, which is why he is rostered in most leagues. Lauzon has notched 14 hits his last three contests, giving the blueliner 117 hits after his output rose the last there seasons from 224 to 250 to 388 last season. The 27-year-old blueliner has one year left on the four-year, $8 million deal he signed in 2022.

Olli Maatta, UTAH @ COL (2% rostered)

Maatta is not known for his scoring, though he has five assists over his last 12 outings. He benefits from skating alongside Mikhail Sergachev, who is the main offensive weapon on the Utah blueliner. Maatta is with the fifth team in his career and will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

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