NHL Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Forwards Pickups Dec. 21 - Vilardi, Rust Among Top Targets; Duclair Returns

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.

Rickard Rakell, C/LW/RW, PIT at NJ (48% rostered)
Bryan Rust, RW, PIT at NJ (40% rostered)

We are oh-so-close to getting Rakell and Rust rostered in over half of Yahoo leagues. They've been on a tear and lead the Pens in scoring this month. Not sure why Rust is rostered in so many fewer leagues, but I think he's the better fantasy player but no denying Rakell provides a lot of flexibility with the rare triple-position eligibility.

Gabriel Vilardi, C/RW, WPG vs. MIN (48% rostered)

The Wild are playing the second game of a back-to-back while Vilardi has the hot hand with three goals and five assists in his past five games. Vilardi is a streaky player so be sure to take advantage. There's a chance Filip Gustavsson returns to start for the Wild, but if he doesn't, look for rookie Jesper Wallstedt to start, and he's looked shaky.

Kiefer Sherwood, LW/RW, VAN vs. OTT (43% rostered)

When the going gets tough, Sherwood's one of the Canucks' most reliable and hardest workers. He came away with an assist in a lackluster 3-1 loss to the Knights on Thursday. The Canucks will need his spark Saturday night and Sherwood does that very well as the league's hits leader. Though he tends to score in bursts, it's not a once-in-a-season thing, so it's certainly possible he provides a point or two for added value.

Sean Monahan, C, CLB at PHI (41% rostered)

Monahan has made several appearances in this space, went a little quiet but he's now back on top of things again coming off a three-point game against the Devils. The Flyers should be an easier matchup with weaker goaltending, especially if the struggling Samuel Ersson gets the start. The Flyers aren't particularly strong in the dot, paving the way for Monahan to pile up the faceoff wins along with his usual excellent shot volume.

Josh Norris, C, OTT at VAN (40% rostered)

The Sens are on a roll with five straight wins and while Norris has only one assist in his past four games, this is a potentially great matchup. The Canucks have been hit with some internal drama between J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson, and what better way to take advantage against a team that's having trouble scoring with chemistry issues with one of the Sens' most reliable centers? Norris offers good value in all categories, particularly in shots, hits and blocks.

Elias Lindholm, C/RW, BOS vs. BUF (34% rostered)

Not only is Lindholm on fire with four points in his past three games, this is too good of a matchup to pass up. Lindholm has been disappointing for the Bruins so far this season but he has a good chance to extend his streak. He's been firing the puck a lot more lately, too, with seven (!) shots against the Flames on Tuesday.

Pavel Dorofeyev, LW/RW, VEG vs. SEA (13% rostered)

Ivan Barbashev is day-to-day so we shall see if he misses time. If he does, look for Dorofeyev to step into his spot on L1 with Jack Eichel and Mark Stone, as he did Thursday against the Canucks. Not only does Dorofeyev's minutes increase - he skated 19:31 after averaging 14 minutes in the prior three games - he's getting exposure to the Knights' top players. Dorofeyev will get his shots no matter what, but being surrounded by better players with more minutes will surely increase his fantasy value.

Anthony Duclair, LW, NYI at TOR (7% rostered)

Duclair is officially a game-time decision, and if he does play, look for him to skate on L2 and PP2 with Brock Nelson. The Isles' top line of Duclair with Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal will not be re-united since Barzal has moved to center on L1 while Horvat centers L3. The Isles are starved for scoring and Duclair was off to a pretty good start with three points and eight shots in five games before his injury. The Leafs are tough to score against but Duclair should have some ROS value in a guaranteed top-six role.

Oliver Wahlstrom, RW, BOS vs. BUF (0% rostered)

Wahlstrom played just 8:51 in his Bruins debut but registered two shots. His stint with the Isles was supremely underwhelming, and while he does possess a pretty good shot on a team short on scoring wingers, I'm unconvinced he will make much of an impact. Regardless, Wahlstrom and the Bruins may still be in the honeymoon phase, which means Wahlstrom's role may increase over the short term. He's playing L3 and PP2 with Charlie Coyle against a Sabres team that's arguably the worst in the league.

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