Montreal Canadiens v Toronto Maple Leafs — Best NHL Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire picks for Week 15 ft. Sam Montembeault

Best NHL Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire picks for Week 15 ft. Sam Montembeault

Modified Jan 18, 2024 16:36 GMT

As NHL fantasy hockey managers scramble to fill roster spots due to injuries or players not producing, we look through the waiver wire to determine which skaters may be worth adding to your lineups.

Whether these recommendations are a short-term solution or potentially season-altering, these are the best four options to improve your fantasy hockey lineup. This comes two weeks before teams rotate through their time off schedules surrounding the NHL All-Star Game, so is a great time to hit form.

Best NHL Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Picks for Week 15

#1. Sam Montembeault - Montreal Canadiens

(Rostered in 30% of leagues)

Most NHL fans know that the Montreal Canadiens employ three goalies, Sam Montembeault, Jake Allen, and Cayden Primeau. They continue to give them all starts, with Primeau the only netminder with less than 10 starts.

Ultimately, the team will need to break up this three-headed monster at some point, with Allen most likely the odd man out since Primeau is the future and Montembeault is the current star.

Surprisingly, he's still only rostered in about 30% of Yahoo NHL fantasy hockey leagues despite being the Canadiens' best netminder with a 10-6-4 record while producing a 2.85 goals-against average and .910 save percentage.

Although he is not their everyday starter, he's 3-1-1 in his last five starts with 13 goals against and a .930 save percentage while facing an average of 30 shots a game. Considering the abundance of NHL goalies injured, Montembeault is an excellent addition to any fantasy hockey lineup.

#2. Phillip Danault - Los Angeles Kings

(Rostered in 25% of leagues)

Phillip Danault is on a six-game point streak and has eight points in eight games since the start of 2024. Additionally, he's collected two power-play goals and 14 shots while skating over 18 minutes a game.

As the second-line center for the Los Angeles Kings, he's flanked by Kevin Fiala and Trevor Moore, who have combined for 30 goals already this season, meaning Danault is in a prime position to keep getting assists.

#3. Yegor Sharangovich - Calgary Flames

(Rostered in 41% of leagues)

Yegor Sharangovich is flying under the radar in the NHL because he plays on the Calgary Flames, who don't get much exposure on national TV in the United States. However, over the past two weeks, he's third in the league with seven goals, only trailing Elias Pettersson and Sam Reinhart in the category.

The Flames continue to chase down a playoff spot and owe a bit of gratitude to Sharangovich, who is producing at a point-per-game average since Dec. 1. He has collected 21 points in the past 21 games while firing 57 shots and averaging over 19 minutes of ice time. Additionally, he's a threat to score in every situation, making him a hidden gem in fantasy hockey.

#4. Adam Lowry - Winnipeg Jets

(Rostered in 17% of leagues)

Adam Lowry is not an offensive left winger with just 23 points in 43 games, but one of the most attractive statistics is he's plus-14 and ranked 10th on the Winnipeg Jets with 63 shots. Over the past eight games, with the Jets going 7-1-0, Lowry has collected six points and has 16 shots, which means he's been averaging two shots a game.

Statistically, those numbers don't jump out to most NHL fantasy managers, but sometimes, a matchup comes down to a single point in one category or another. Acquiring someone like Lowry to replace another unproductive skater in the bottom half of the lineup could be the difference between winning and losing.