“Brock Boeser: The Must-Have Fantasy Hockey Player in the Wake of Bo Horvat’s Departure”

With Bo Horvat shipped out of Vancouver, Brock Boeser will look to make up for some of the Canucks’ lost offensive production and is a must-have in your fantasy hockey league. (Getty Images)

Working on the waiver wire is critical to any fantasy hockey championship season. Finding players to add to your roster each week and add points to your total is the best way to control the outcome of your matchup. In this article, I detail players in each position and at different roster levels each week, so you can fill out your fantasy roster with the best available players in your league. Let’s dive in:

Forward

Listed in 41-50% of leagues: Brock Boeser, RW – VAN (listed 43%)

Boeser came into the All-Star break on a high with a two-assist game against Columbus on Jan. 27. Since then, the Canucks have announced that Ilya Mikheyev will miss the rest of the season due to injuries and captaincy Bo Horvat was traded. To me, that signals that while Brock Boeser is in Vancouver, he should be an absolute ban on top power play and top 6 minutes. This week, the Canucks have a four-game, three-rest night schedule that is very appealing to any manager trying to maximize their games played. One final tidbit on Boeser: Since new Canucks coach Rick Tocchet took over Jan. 23, Boeser has averaged over 18 minutes of ice time. Given the events of the last few weeks in Vancouver, I’m back at Boeser in a big way.

Honorable Mentions: Logan Couture, C – SJS (45%) & Andrei Kuzmenko, LW/RW – VAN (50%)

Listed in 31-40% of leagues: Andre Burakovsky, LW/RW – SEA (40% on list)

There are two teams playing four games this week while avoiding Saturday’s mammoth 14-game list. Those two teams are Anaheim and Seattle, making Burakowski a prime target in leagues where he’s available. Burakovsky has calmed down after an extremely hot start but remains one of the best offensive options in a Seattle team that’s learned to score in heaps lately. Burakovsky has maintained his spot in the top powerplay unit for most of the season, making him a very safe option to pick up at least a few points this week. I’m very interested in starting one of the top options on the Kraken, and Burakovsky represents the highest tier of potential streamers to me, along with the next player on this list.

The story goes on

Honorable Mentions: Andrew Mangiapane, LW/RW – CGY (33%) & Boone Jenner, C – CBJ (33%)

Listed in 21-30% of leagues: Jared McCann, C/LW – SEA (30% on list)

McCann is the other player I would place in the Burakovsky line of forwards commonly available from the Kraken. McCann went into the All-Star break hot with four points in his last three games and 11 shots on goal. His ice time also increased over those three games, averaging almost 19 minutes per game at this stretch. If I had any assurance that McCann would maintain this level of usage throughout the week, I would put him in a separate category among the streaming options for the week. As it stands, if you make that choice this week, I’d still pick McCann straight for this matchup against Burakovsky. A little bonus for Seattle players, they’re also playing three games next week, making it more than just a week-long stream.

Honorable Mentions: Pavel Zacha, C/LW/RW – BOS (27%) & Filip Chytil, C/RW – NYR (29%)

Listed in 0-20% of leagues: Adam Henrique, C/LW – ANA (17% on list)

Henrique could be one of the few players in the league not ready for a break last week as he just finished a seven-game points streak in which he recorded six goals and nine points. Although that streak was broken in the last game before half-time, Henrique still managed five shots, the fifth straight game in which he had at least three shots on target. It’s fair to say that Henrique is heating up a lot, and if there’s one lucrative spot to have in the offensive wasteland that’s currently the Ducks’ forward corps, it’s with the shotgun Trevor Zegras And Troy Terry on the top line. Henrique is proving perfectly suited there and in the top powerplay unit, making him a prime streaming option for this week when the Ducks have that coveted four game/four night off schedule.

Honorable Mentions: Nick Schmaltz, C/RW – ARI (18%) & Mason McTavish, C/LW – ANA (16%)

defender

Listed in 26-50% of leagues: Erik Gustafsson – WSH (42%)

Gustafsson recently went through a losing streak in which he managed just two assists in nine games. But in the last game before the All-Star break, Gustafsson equalized that performance with two assists in a 4-3 win over Columbus. Gustafsson also had five shots in that game, the second time in four games he’d managed the feat. John Carlson appears weeks away from his return, meaning Gustafsson’s position of power in Washington is still secure for the immediate future. The Capitals don’t play their first game of the week until Saturday, so try to find another player from one of the half-dozen teams playing three games in the first five days of the week, and then get Gustafsson in yours for Washington Squad Saturday/Sunday in a row to complete your week.

Honorable Mentions: Radko Gudas – FLA (45%) & Sean Durzi – LAK (34%)

Listed in 0-25% of leagues: Alexander Romanov – NYI (18% on list)

Romanov is strictly a banger category game as the hard-hitting defender is currently stuck in a pointless seven-game streak. But Romanov is a top-notch game for anyone looking to beat those key hit and block categories this week for two main reasons. The first is that Romanov is a very consistent and high-performing producer in these categories, averaging 2.5 hits and 1.9 blocks per game throughout the season. The second is that prime schedule: The Islanders are one of nine teams playing four games this week, so you can get plenty of volume out of a Romanov stream this week. As long as you’re not counting on him to pick up a few points, Romanov can absolutely help you win those peripheral categories this week.

Honorable Mentions: Cam Fowler – ANA (17%) & Calen Addison – MIN (10%)

goalkeeper

Listed in 26-50% of leagues: Anton Forsberg – OTT (49% on list)

Ottawa has just a single game from the All-Star break this week, but keep an eye out for Forsberg. The only Ottawa word related to the goalie counterpart Cam Talbot So far, he may not be ready to return from injury, allowing Forsberg to continue his recent streak of games. Forsberg has struggled with consistency this year but won three straight starts before the break, including a Montreal shutout on Jan. 28. If he can keep Ottawa in the Victory Column, there’s every chance they’ll hand him the keys for the rest of the season. Keep in mind that Forsberg was getting red hot around this point last year and its fantasy managers were able to take that feat to many championships.

Honorable Mentions: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen – BUF (40%) & Phoenix Copley – LAK (48%)

Listed in 0-25% of leagues: Jake Allen – MTL (21% on list)

There aren’t many great goalkeeping options in this area this week, but Allen is probably the safest bet to create volume going forward. Sam Montembeault had a nice run in goal for Montreal, but with Allen back and healthy, he’s got two of his last three starts. It’s difficult to predict many wins in Allen’s future given Montreal’s status as a beacon of hope in Connor Bedard’s sweepstakes, but he’ll almost certainly see a ton of rubber at every start. Allen can be a viable option if your league counts saves as a category or assigns a high point weight to volume stats. The caveat here is that Montreal doesn’t play until Saturday, so hold your addition until then and use that roster slot elsewhere in the meantime.

Honorable Mentions: James Reimer – SJS (20%) & Joonas Korpisalo – CBJ (10%)

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Nate Groot Nibbelink is the creator of Apples & Gino’s Fantasy Hockey and the originator of the #ZeroG blueprint strategy. You can find him discussing obscure fantasy hockey strategy topics in the Apple’s & Gino’s Discord Server or on Twitter @applesginos.

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Source: ca.sports.yahoo.com