NHL Waiver Wire: Pickups of the Week

After a three-day break, the NHL offers a packed weekend with a combined 28 games. That should keep you busy with your fantasy lineups.

Two thousand twenty four may almost be over, but that doesn't mean it's time to sit back and relax. Sneak away from social events to check up on the latest hockey news. And enhance your holiday season by adding some of the players listed below:

(Rostered rates as of Dec. 27)

Forwards

Elias Lindholm, BOS (Yahoo: 36%): Plenty of expectations were placed on Lindholm after he signed a huge contract with Boston in the summer, as the organization had been lacking a true No. 1 center. He immediately delivered by posting two goals and three assists from his first three games, but the next two months were marked by the same inconsistency the Bruins were suffering through. And with the team recovering the last five matchups, so has Lindholm, with five points, 15 shots, five hits and 49 faceoff wins. Top pivot, top power play, 18 minutes a night. Get him before others figure it out.

Anton Lundell, FLA (Yahoo: 31%): The Panthers have been blessed with forward depth in recent years that culminated in consecutive Cup Final appearances and their first title. The talent is mainly concentrated within the first two lines, though their third trio centered by Lundell often gets overlooked alongside Eetu Luostarinen's grit and Mackie Samoskevich's untapped skill. They may not be producing at a high offensive level, but Lundell has provided across-the-board output with four assists, nine shots, 12 PIM, 13 hits and five blocks across five contests on a 16:45 average while participating on both special-teams units. 

Blake Coleman, CGY (Yahoo: 27%): Betcha didn't realize Coleman set career-highs last season with 30 goals and 54 points. I know I forgot. The veteran may be slightly behind that pace, yet he's maintained decent numbers across multiple categories on similarly strong ice time. Coleman is also riding a five-game scoring streak in which he's added 14 shots, eight hits and four blocks. A versatile player who skates in all situations and accumulates plenty of fantasy stats? Count me in.

Dawson Mercer, NJ (Yahoo: 10%): Despite increased involvement, Mercer's points dropped off last year from 56 to 33. The minutes continue to climb, though the numbers haven't followed. Maybe being in the lower half of the roster at even-strength has hurt his production. But if Monday's outing is any indication, Mercer's upside could significantly increase, as he got a chance on Jersey's lethal lead man-advantage where he tallied a PPG and PPA. You may want to see if this prime placement sticks before picking him up.

Tyler Bertuzzi, CHI (Yahoo: 8%): Riding shotgun with Connor Bedard seems to be a solid strategy, though the issue for a lot of his linemates is staying there. Bertuzzi has been helped out by the phenom the last couple weeks with five goals, two assists, 18 shots and 13 hits logging 17:08 per game – including 2:48 on the top power play where he's managed six PPPs overall. Being beside Bedard would pretty much guarantee him fantasy success, but top-six and first PP should be enough.

Mason McTavish, ANH (Yahoo: 7%): McTavish's first two NHL campaigns went well, yet the offense has decreased with another minor injury and some poor puck luck. He's only produced six points since coming back near the end of November, but he's also registered 25 shots, 15 hits and 82 faceoff wins while his 8.0 shooting percentage should improve based on previous double-digit marks. McTavish may be starting to get back on track as he had the Ducks' only goal on Monday and a helper in the previous outing. Give him a shot – he's due for a break.

Scott Laughton, PHI (Yahoo: 5%): Laughton tends to go off on some short-term bursts, and he's currently on one of those heaters. The six-game surge began with a four-goal effort on nine shots and has been bookended by four assists, nine shots and eight hits from the last four. Laughton may often find himself in the lower half of the depth chart and rarely appears while up a man, but he's excelling now. Just be prepared for the inevitable drop-off.

Kaapo Kakko, SEA (Yahoo: 4%): The Rangers have been busy sending players to the West Coast, with Kakko their latest transaction. He's never met the lofty expectations that comes with being a second overall selection, so a change of scenery is bound to help. And so is jumping right onto Seattle's first line and man-advantage with Matty Beniers that could ultimately kick-start Kakko into becoming a consistent contributor. The Kraken top-nine is fairly fluid and talented, so anywhere within that group should provide him a safe fantasy floor.

Defensemen

Rasmus Sandin, WAS (Yahoo: 16%): This column always concludes with a list of players from previous editions, and Sandin has shown up there the last few weeks. The thing is, I only recently realized I've never talked about him this season, so let's correct that. Sandin hasn't really done much offensively since Nov. 18 with only four points, though he notched a PPA Monday alongside 16 shots, 21 hits and 14 blocks during that stretch. Alex Ovechkin's impending return may eventually push Sandin off the second power play (based on Jakob Chychrun moving off the first unit), but he'll still supply stats while being locked into a top even-strength pairing with John Carlson.

Cam Fowler, STL (Yahoo: 6%): With a couple young Anaheim blueliners requiring increased ice time and the arrival of Jacob Trouba, Fowler was shipped to St. Louis two weeks ago. He missed some time with an upper-body injury before the trade and never really got his scoring going. Fowler has adjusted to his new surroundings and recently received a boost as the quarterback of the lead man-advantage, a role he's frequently handled throughout his 15-year career. That placement alone necessitates further coverage, even if it isn't long-term. With major minutes and a steady gig in all areas, Fowler could be the middle-roster defender you need.

Darren Raddysh, TB (Yahoo: 1%): Raddysh finally earned an extended look with the Bolts last season, during which he played all 82 games and registered six goals and 27 assists. A slow start and a number of healthy scratches would hurt his profile, yet he's turned it around the last 17 contests by racking up 10 points and 26 shots while reclaiming his spot on the backup PP. Raddysh may only be averaging 16:16 across this run, but he's well-positioned and deserves further fantasy attention.

Kevin Bahl, CGY (Yahoo: 1%): Even though Bahl completed a full campaign in Jersey, his attacking abilities were hardly used and became part of the deal that sent Jacob Markstrom the other way. He's already seen a four-minute jump since the move, and has been more involved in more scoring situations, which has already translated to a career-high in points (12) and semi-regular power-play duty (he potted a PPG on Dec. 3). Throw in some well-rounded contributions for shots, hits and blocks, and Bahl should at least be considered in deeper formats.

Goaltenders

Ilya Samsonov, VGK (Yahoo: 46%): The Golden Knights are once again topping the Pacific Division on the strength of a top-five offense and solid goaltending duo. Neither Adin Hill nor Samsonov has posted outstanding overall stats, though both have succeeded of late. Samsonov, in particular, is on a three-game winning streak during which he's allowed a combined five goals. Hill operates as Vegas's No. 1, but he's likely not available in your league. The club has alternated the two over the last four contests – all victories – so that may continue coming out of the break. And even if that doesn't happen, Samsonov remains a worthy addition.

Joel Hofer, STL (Yahoo: 8%): Hofer impressed during his first full NHL campaign, logging 30 outings while recording a 2.62 GAA and .914 save percentage. He endured a couple shaky starts early on this season but has looked better the last month with a 1.81/.928 line through six matchups. Jordan Binnington just pulled off a shutout against Detroit, yet struggled the previous three weeks. As long as Hofer keeps doing well, he should be in line to pick up more work the rest of the way.

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, William Eklund, Nick Schmaltz, Trevor Moore, Jake Neighbours, Dylan Cozens, Connor Zary, Ross Colton, Leo Carlsson, Casey Mittelstadt, Kyle Palmieri, Yegor Chinakhov, Michael Bunting, Brayden Schenn, Anthony Cirelli, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Dmitri Voronkov, Pavel Dorofeyev, Yegor Sharangovich, Will Cuylle, Dylan Holloway, Reilly Smith, Jake DeBrusk, Kirill Marchenko, William Karlsson, Marco Rossi, Chandler Stephenson, Jaden Schwartz, Conor Garland, Tyler Toffoli, Mason Marchment, Morgan Geekie, Jack Roslovic, Kent Johnson, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Patrik Laine, Bobby McMann, Alex Killorn, Eeli Tolvanen, Jack Quinn, Anders Lee, Ryan Donato, Alex Laferriere, Maxim Tsyplakov, Fabian Zetterlund, Vladimir Tarasenko, Eric Robinson, Aaron Ekblad, Neal Pionk, Luke Hughes, Justin Faulk, Brandt Clarke, Olen Zellweger, Lane Hutson, Bowen Byram, Jordan Spence, Travis Sanheim, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Owen Power, Jared Spurgeon, Ryan Pulock, Ryker Evans, Samuel Girard, Dmitry Orlov, Tyler Myers, Matt Grzelcyk, Jackson LaCombe, Dante Fabbro, Alex Vlasic, Damon Severson, Kevin Lankinen, Mackenzie Blackwood, Lukas Dostal, Scott Wedgewood, Justus Annunen, Jake Allen, Tristan Jarry, John Gibson, Sam Montembeault, Karel Vejmelka, Dan Vladar, Calvin Pickard, David Rittich, Elvis Merzlikins, Joonas Korpisalo, Arvid Soderblom