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Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire: Quinton Byfield leads pickups

evan berofsky
·9 min read
Quinton Byfield #55 of the Los Angeles Kings
Jump on the Quinton Byfield fantasy hockey train. (Photo by Nicole Vasquez /NHLI for Getty Images)

Happy New Year! It's a time when we look back to see what's been achieved and what to improve. Even if you've been doing well in fantasy, there's usually something that can be done better. And should your season already be over, make a fresh start by planning ahead.

Either way, you'll need a few recruits. Here are some suggestions to fit anywhere on your rosters:

(Rostered rates as of Jan. 3)

Forwards

I've been tempted to include Byfield in previous editions, but eventually decided not to based on his inadequate output. He's tough to overlook now though, having gone off for nine points in eight games supplemented by 20 shots and a plus-10 on a 20:03 average. Byfield's power-play contributions could be higher (only two PPPs overall), though the Kings continue to underachieve while up a man at 16.1%. He may not be a top-tier center, though he's productive enough, receives plenty of ice time, and is eligible at all three forward spots in Yahoo! leagues.

O'Reilly marks the first Nashville player I've discussed this season (Justus Annunen doesn't count because he was on the Avs when featured in October), which isn't really surprising as the team has consistently ranked last in goals. He struggled before getting hurt in early December, yet remains a fixture on the first man-advantage. Since returning, O'Reilly has notched four goals, four assists, 23 shots and 75 faceoff wins. And while he's not skating even-strength with Filip Forsberg, the recent point totals and the Preds starting to recover offensively — is sufficient to get him on more rosters.

After missing most of 2023-24, Arvidsson only tallied five points from his first 16 contests before being sidelined for a month. He was immediately reunited with Leon Draisaitl after coming back and has gone on to supply two goals, two assists and 16 shots over six outings. Arvidsson's earlier slump was also marked by an abnormally low 5.3 shooting percentage, which has obviously improved. As long as he can stick with Draisaitl and continue firing pucks on net, the scoring will come.

Howden was hardly considered in fantasy through his first six NHL years, yet he's almost come out of nowhere thanks to more minutes and a fairly fortunate run. He may operate as Vegas' No. 3 center with no power-play responsibilities, though he's logging a career-high of 15:19 and is already up to 15 goals on an unsustainable 23.8 shooting percentage that climbs to 33.3 (!) during a nine-game stretch where he's racked up eight points, 15 shots and 23 hits. As the Golden Knights continue to be a top attacking side with a balanced forward contingent, you may want to give Howden a chance.

This season has been disappointing for Pinto with him having only 10 points and a lone PPP. Upon returning after being sidelined for eight contests, he proceeded to go scoreless across the next 14 while still recording 21 shots, 19 hits, 11 blocks and 98 FW. Thankfully, Pinto has gotten back on track by potting five goals while adding two assists in the last nine. He's also moved up the depth chart to center Brady Tkachuk on the lead five-on-five trio. If that partnership holds, Pinto could be up for some solid offensive stats on top of his existing multicategory haul.

Since leaving Tampa, Palat's points have significantly decreased. The 23 from two years ago is excusable, as he was absent for more than two months, though the subsequent 31 in 71 can't be defended on similar ice time and special-teams role. And things didn't get better for Palat this campaign with six over the opening 25 outings, but a switch alongside Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt finally clicked in the form of a 13-game span that covered five goals, five assists, 19 shots, 22 hits and 12 blocks. He was forced out Wednesday after taking a stick to the mouth, though he shouldn't miss any further action.

Fabbri is usually good for at least one significant injury per season, and he was already out for four weeks following knee surgery. He's back to displaying his offensive skills, having totaled eight points through nine appearances with 22 shots. The odds of Fabbri getting hurt again are probably higher than most NHLers, but the potential output makes him a worthy flyer.

While Jake Evans is earning publicity for his recent play, let's not forget about Heineman. They both participate on the fourth line, with Evans averaging four more minutes, yet the two list similar production since Dec. 12. During that period, Heineman has managed three goals, five assists, 21 hits and a plus-7 on 11:49 per matchup. Imagine what the 23-year-old could do with a larger workload.

Defensemen

It may surprise some that Gudas has never averaged more than 20 minutes during any of his 13 NHL seasons, considering his leadership and on-ice presence. It's definitely not shocking to realize he won't earn a lot offensively, though he's generally proven solid in the physical departments. The Ducks' captain has maintained this in the last eight games by producing 23 hits and 18 blocks while chipping in a goal, five assists and 14 shots. With a guaranteed gig on the Anaheim blueline and a decent fantasy baseline, Gudas can bolster any lineup.

Shayne Gostisbehere may be gone for a couple of weeks — and possibly longer — to open up a place on Carolina's top power play. Brent Burns seemed like the natural fit to cover, yet it was Smith who filled that position with a PPA Tuesday. Since impressing as a rookie, he's mainly been in the minors and accumulated 77 points across 115 AHL appearances. Burns may be set to take over the lead group, though the Canes are also using Smith based on his man-advantage specialty. He's an adequate short-term option who could earn a full-time role with the parent club should he provide sufficient stats.

The PP quarterback spot was also recently vacated in Vancouver, as Quinn Hughes is week-to-week with an undisclosed problem. He joins Filip Hronek, who probably won't be back for another month. Without their top two D-men, the Canucks desperately need someone to step up. While Tyler Myers has done more with additional involvement, Brannstrom was given the opportunity to lead the point on the first unit. And the 2017 first-rounder has responded by seamlessly fitting in alongside J.T. Miller and company. His output — and place on the team — may be tied to Hughes' absence, but you can't ignore his immediate upside.

(NOTE: Brannstrom was a healthy scratch on Thursday, so check Friday's projected lineup before adding him.)

Chisholm turned in an adequate effort last season after being claimed from Winnipeg, as he registered three goals, five assists, five PPPs, 29 shots and 36 blocks through 29 games. The minutes have increased in Year Two, though the production hasn't followed suit. Chisholm found the scoresheet during each of the three outings heading into Thursday, including a PPG Tuesday. And he may get a further boost with Jared Spurgeon possibly injured for a while.

Goaltenders

The Rangers have been in free fall the last five-plus weeks by only winning four of 19 games. Over that stretch, Igor Shesterkin posted a 3.40 GAA and .901 save percentage, and he's now on IR with an upper-body issue that will keep him out indefinitely. Louis Domingue was promoted to fill the vacancy, though the 32-year-old journeyman struggled in the AHL and hasn't earned a semi-regular NHL role since making 16 appearances during 2019-20 as a fill-in for the Devils. Quick performed well over his first year on Broadway, yet has mainly operated this season in more favorable matchups and mop-up duty. Expect him to handle most of the starts while Shesterkin is sidelined, which began Thursday as Quick made 32 saves to beat the Bruins.

Tristan Jarry was discussed a month ago as someone who could possibly help in fantasy even though the Penguins ranked last in GAA. While his 3.26/.881 line since is far from ideal, he's gone 4-3-1 while starting eight of nine. Nedeljkovic has gotten the nod for the last two and looked decent enough by beating the Isles and not getting enough offensive support in Detroit. And if we go back to Nov. 30, he's stopped 137 of 150 shots while claiming three victories. The club hasn't improved their standing when it comes to giving up goals, though Nedeljkovic at least deserves more work behind an attack that's found the back of the net 54 times across 14 contests.

Players to consider from past columns: Macklin Celebrini, Pavel Buchnevich, Bryan Rust, Logan Stankoven, Gabriel Vilardi, Dylan Guenther, Rickard Rakell, Jonathan Huberdeau, Connor McMichael, Teuvo Teravainen, Dylan Strome, Pavel Zacha, Josh Norris, Logan Cooley, Cole Perfetti, JJ Peterka, Matthew Knies, Matty Beniers, Anthony Duclair, Nino Niederreiter, Troy Terry, Sean Monahan, Nazem Kadri, Jamie Benn, Elias Lindholm, William Eklund, Nick Schmaltz, Trevor Moore, Jake Neighbours, Dylan Cozens, Connor Zary, Ross Colton, Leo Carlsson, Casey Mittelstadt, Blake Coleman, Kyle Palmieri, Yegor Chinakhov, Michael Bunting, Brayden Schenn, Anthony Cirelli, Dawson Mercer, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Dmitri Voronkov, Anton Lundell, Pavel Dorofeyev, Yegor Sharangovich, Will Cuylle, Dylan Holloway, Matthew Coronato, Reilly Smith, Jake DeBrusk, Kirill Marchenko, William Karlsson, Marco Rossi, Chandler Stephenson, Jaden Schwartz, Conor Garland, Tyler Toffoli, Mason Marchment, Morgan Geekie, Mason McTavish, Jack Roslovic, Kent Johnson, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Patrik Laine, Bobby McMann, Kaapo Kakko, Alex Killorn, Eeli Tolvanen, Jack Quinn, Anders Lee, Tyler Bertuzzi, Alex Laferriere, Maxim Tsyplakov, Fabian Zetterlund, Vladimir Tarasenko, Eric Robinson, Scott Laughton, Aaron Ekblad, Neal Pionk, Luke Hughes, Justin Faulk, Brandt Clarke, Olen Zellweger, Lane Hutson, Bowen Byram, Jordan Spence, Travis Sanheim, Cam Fowler, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Owen Power, Jared Spurgeon, Ryan Pulock, Ryker Evans, Samuel Girard, Dmitry Orlov, Darren Raddysh, Tyler Myers, Matt Grzelcyk, Jackson LaCombe, Dante Fabbro, Alex Vlasic, Damon Severson, Ilya Samsonov, Mackenzie Blackwood, Lukas Dostal, Kevin Lankinen, Scott Wedgewood, Justus Annunen, Jake Allen, Tristan Jarry, John Gibson, Sam Montembeault, Karel Vejmelka, Dan Vladar, Calvin Pickard, Joel Hofer, Elvis Merzlikins, Joonas Korpisalo, Arvid Soderblom