Best NHL Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Picks for Week 21

By Ryan Gagne

Modified Mar 04, 2024 20:24 GMT

The NHL fantasy hockey season is winding down, as most leagues are just a week or two away from the playoffs. The top and bottom teams have secured their positions by now, but the middle teams are still sorting themselves out.

Whether you need a player or two to help you win in the coming weeks, here are three skaters who could be under-the-radar NHL fantasy waiver wire pick-ups and give you the slight edge you are looking for.

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Best NHL Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Picks for Week 21

#3. Neal Pionk - Winnipeg Jets (Rostered in 52% of leagues)

Past 10 games: four assists, four points, minus-three, 21 shots, 27 hits

Neal Pionk plays on the second defensive pairing with Brenden Dillion. After 60 games, he's got only four goals and 18 assists for 22 points. Despite not having the killer instinct on offense, he ranks 11th on the Winnipeg Jets in scoring.

Neal Pionk, Winnipeg Jets

Acquiring Pionk will not improve your NHL fantasy lineup and win you matchups overnight. However, he will help you take the shots and hits categories. He ranks second on the team with 162 hits (2.7 a game) and seventh in shots with 114 (1.9 a game).

These numbers don't seem like a lot, but the Jets have four games this week, meaning he could finish with 11 hits and seven shots, which could make or break the category for NHL fantasy managers.

#2. Shane Pinto - Ottawa Senators (Rostered in 26% of leagues)

Past 10 games: three goals, five assists, eight points, 33 shots, nine hits

Shane Pinto missed 41 games this season due to a lengthy suspension for gambling. Upon his return on Jan. 21, he's producing at a 0.88 points per game pace on a struggling Ottawa Senators team near the bottom of the conference standings.

He's collected half his season totals in the last 10 outings, with a point in four of the past five. Considering he's anchoring the top line, flanked by Mathieu Joseph and Vladimir Tarasenko, NHL fantasy managers may hesitate to grab him because there could be a shakeup in Ottawa this week.

If Pinto loses Tarasenko in a trade, he'll have a new linemate that could slow down his production as they adjust to one another. However, maybe a change and a feeling of relief after the NHL trade deadline will help the Senators move forward as a group.

#1. Tyson Foerster - Philadelphia Flyers (Rostered in 19% of leagues)

Past 10 games: nine goals, one assist, 10 points, plus-five, 28 shots, 12 hits

Thanks to nine goals, Tyson Foerster is one of the hottest scorers in the NHL over the previous 10 games. As a first-line winger on the Philadelphia Flyers, the team has two favorable matchups this week, against Washington and Ottawa, allowing Foerster to keep the momentum going.

Tyson Foerster, Philadelphia Flyers

He's only produced 0.49 points per game throughout the season, but he doubled that in the past month to 1.00. Since the Flyers are on the cusp of securing a playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division, Foerstar could keep up the pace and be rewarded with more ice time than the 17:05 he averages a night.

Unfortunately, NHL fantasy managers haven't taken a liking to him since he remains rostered in only 19% of Yahoo leagues. However, he's hot and worth the addition because he can help a team win a matchup this week or next.