Weekend Waiver Wire

Welcome fantasy managers to another edition of the Weekend Waiver Wire. It is time once again to take a look at what goaltenders may be available as a streaming option this weekend to help you take down your fantasy matchups. It’s a full slate, so let’s get to it!

Cam Talbot - Detroit Red Wings (28% owned on Yahoo / 52% owned on Fantrax)

John Gibson - Detroit Red Wings (20% owned on Yahoo / 44% owned on Fantrax)

Detroit will have their hands full as they face two Atlantic division foes in the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday and the Boston Bruins on Saturday. The preferred matchup for fantasy managers would be against the Bruins who are currently ranked 22nd defensively at 3.21 goals against per game played. I would lean towards Talbot getting the nod against Tampa Bay while Gibson would draw the Bruins which in my eyes is the safer bet between the two. All that being said I would look elsewhere before committing to either netminder with both Talbot and Gibson owning sub .900 save percentages.

Jake Allen - New Jersey Devils (31% owned on Yahoo / 48% owned on Fantrax)

Jake Allen has provided the New Jersey Devils with some excellent goaltending to date this year, however, I would be inclined to fade him this week with a potential matchup against a red-hot Buffalo offense that has been on fire. Combine that with a tilt on Saturday against a defensively sound Flyers team and once could see the Devils being on the wrong side of it without the services of Jack Hughes.

Justus Annunen - Nashville Predators (1% owned on Yahoo / 14% owned on Fantrax)

The Nashville Predators are in the midst of yet another trying season as the team languishes at the bottom of the league standings. Very little has gone right for this franchise over the last year and a half, don’t expect much to change with upcoming games against the Chicago Blackhawks and Winnipeg Jets. Annunen himself is winless on the year with a 0-3-1 record accompanied by a horrendous 3.87 goals against and .835 save percentage. It goes without say that fantasy managers should steer clear of the Predators and their goaltending for the foreseeable future.

Dylan Garand - New York Rangers (0% owned on Yahoo / 9% owned on Fantrax)

The injury to Jonathan Quick has forced the New York Rangers into calling upon the services of AHL starter Dylan Garand. Unless the Rangers decide to play Igor Shesterkin in back-to-back games it seems likely that Garand would draw the Boston Bruins on Friday with the aforementioned Shesterkin taking on the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. He’ll be one of the most readily available goaltenders on the wire and in all honesty I would leave him there. Aside from the fact that the Bruins have exceeded expectations so far this year, New York has had their troubles on the offensive end with the team currently ranked 30th in goals per game played at 2.56. Quite simply there are better options to be had.

Arturs Silovs - Pittsburgh Penguins (26% owned on Yahoo / 58% owned on Fantrax)

Tristan Jarry - Pittsburgh Penguins (31% owned on Yahoo / 49% owned on Fantrax)

The Penguins tandem might just be your best option as we make our way towards the back half of the week as Pittsburgh will hit the road to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday while welcoming in the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. Both Columbus and Toronto have been spinning their wheels a bit this year as each finds themselves on the outside looking in when it comes to playoff positions. Combine that with the Penguins strong defensive play this season and Jarry / Silovs starts to look like a solid addition to any fantasy manager's roster.

Sam Ersson - Philadelphia Flyers (3% owned on Yahoo / 27% owned on Fantrax)

Dan Vladar - Philadelphia Flyers (39% owned on Yahoo / 53% owned on Fantrax)

A couple of tougher matchups on deck for the Philadelphia Flyers as they hit the road for a back-to-back against the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils. Dan Vladar has been the main man in the crease this year for the Flyers and with good reason as the native of Czechia is sporting a 9-4-1 record with a solid 2.39 goals against and .913 save percentage. The assumption is that Vladar would take on the Devils on Saturday while Ersson would match up against the Islanders on Friday night. This is not a bad spot for either netminder and would not be against this calculated gamble heading into said contests.

Joel Hofer - St-Louis Blues (7% owned on Yahoo / 28% owned on Fantrax)

This might be another goaltender to fade this week as the St-Louis Blues backup is in the midst of a rather trying year as the 25-year old has struggled to a 2-5-2 record with a brutal 3.82 goals against and .868 save percentage. A back-to-back against the Ottawa Senators and Utah Mammoth will be a tall order with both opponents scoring over three goals a game while the Blues defense is giving up more than three and a half goals on a nightly basis. As my fellow writer here at the Goalie Post Garrett Finlay would say, Sit ’Em!

Jonas Johansson - Tampa Bay Lightning (2% owned on Yahoo / 10% owned on Fantrax)

The Tampa Bay Lightning hit the road for a back-to-back against the Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers this Friday and Saturday. Tampa has left their early season swoon behind them as the team is currently on a five game winning streak while holding down the top spot in the Atlantic. Johansson’s peripheral numbers are certainly not where fantasy managers would want them but if your format is weighted towards wins Johansson is more than worth a look as a solid add to most rosters.

Vitek Vanecek - Utah Mammoth (1% owned on Yahoo / 11% owned on Fantrax)

The Mammoth will more than likely hand Karel Vejmelka the start against the Dallas Stars on Friday which would leave Vanecek with a matchup versus the lowly St-Louis Blues. The Mammoth backup is currently sporting a 2-3-1 record with a 2.85 goals against and .873 save percentage having gone winless in his last three games. That being said, with a Blues squad that is giving up 3.58 goals against per game (ranked 28th overall) I’m not against adding the Utah netminder. Could be a sneaky play.

Carl Lindbom - Vegas Golden Knights (1% owned on Yahoo / 12% owned on Fantrax)

The Vegas Golden Knight are without a doubt one of the NHL’s top teams but I’m not sold on the team's current backup Carl Lindbom. The young 22-year old is winless to start the year owning a 0-4-2 record accompanied by an inflated 3.16 goals against and .872 save percentage. A Back-to-back against the Montreal Canadiens on Friday and the San Jose Sharks on Saturday isn’t exactly a walk in the park as Montreal ranks third offensively at 3.45 goals per game played while the Sharks, although young and unpredictable, can do some serious damage when on their game. My advice would be to steer clear of Lindbom in this situation if for nothing else due to his performance so far this year.

Joonas Korpisalo - Los Angeles Kings (3% owned on Yahoo / 13% owned on Fantrax)

The numbers aren't flattering for the Bruins backup netminder this year as Korpisalo has put together a rather pedestrian 4-5-0 record along with a 3.43 goals against and .878 save percentage. Boston has punched above their weight to start the year and currently hold down third place in the Atlantic division. Korpisalo will be in tough with a start against either the New York Rangers on Friday or the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, my money would be on Korpisalo getting the first half of said back-to-back against the Rangers. It’s not an ideal situation with the Rangers playing quite well on the road this year to the tune of a 10-4-1 record away from the friendly confines of Madison Square gardens. Proceed with caution.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen - Buffalo Sabres (28% owned on Yahoo / 53% owned on Fantrax)

Alex Lyon - Buffalo Sabres (12% owned on Yahoo / 30% owned on Fantrax)

Quite frankly, I would avoid either of the Sabres netminders with Buffalo set to face the New Jersey Devils (winners of their last two) and the red-hot Minnesota Wild (winners of their last six). The Sabres have simply been too volatile to invest in the club's goaltending even if it's only for a spot start. There are much more suitable options to turn to this week.

Anton Forsberg - Los Angeles Kings (4% owned on Yahoo / 15% owned on Fantrax)

The Kings number one netminder Darcy Kuemper should draw the start in the front half of the clubs back-to-back against the Anaheim Ducks which would leave backup Anton Forsberg facing off against the struggling Vancouver Canucks. This is a pretty decent landing spot for Forsberg with Los Angeles playing quite well defensively as the league's fifth stingiest team owning a 2.61 goals against per game. Combine that with Vancouver’s struggles this season and you can see where this could be a sneaky good add to any roster.

Jakub Dobes - Montreal Canadiens (33% owned on Yahoo / 61% owned on Fantrax)

Sam Montembeault - Montreal Canadiens (0% owned on Yahoo / 72% owned on Fantrax)

Even though I am a staunch supporter of the Habs, I’m not sure I like Montreal’s chances this week. The team has not played very well over the past ten games with the team sporting a 3-4-3 record on top of dealing with some poor goaltending during that stretch. Add in the fact that the Habs will continue their road swing against two of the league's best in the Vegas Golden Knights and the dominant Colorado Avalanche. Montreal had a great start to the year but I think we are seeing a bit of a market correction as it pertains to the Habs, the organization still has some work to do defensively (ranked 27th at 3.50 goals against per game) in order to properly support their goaltenders.

Alex Nedeljkovic - San Jose Sharks (3% owned on Yahoo / 17% owned on Fantrax)

With the San Jose Sharks in the midst of a rebuild, there aren’t many opportunities to add / stream any of the team's goaltenders not named Askarov. However, with a matchup against the Vancouver Canucks to begin a back-to-back on Friday, I would expect the team's current backup Alex Nedeljkovic to garner some solid interest via the waiver wire. Nedeljkovic has put together a respectable 3-4-2 record with a 3.01 goals against and .901 save percentage for a club that is still in the early stages of a full on rebuild. The fact that the Canucks have given up the second most goals against in the leagues only helps Nedeljkovic’s outlook as a potential add.

Dennis Hildeby - Toronto Maple Leafs (1% owned on Yahoo / 16% owned on Fantrax)

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been a bit of a mess this year, which certainly does not bode well for their chances against a couple of formidable opponents in the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins. The Maple Leafs have not been very good on the road sporting a 2-6 record, meanwhile both the Capitals and Penguins are a combined 14-8-3 on home ice. A tough ask for Hildeby and his 3.37 goals against and .906 save percentage in addition to the fact that Toronto currently sits 29th overall defensively at 3.61 goals against per game. I would look for a more favorable option this week.

Jiri Patera - Vancouver Canucks (1% owned on Yahoo / 4% owned on Fantrax)

Nikita Tolopilo - Vancouver Canucks (0% owned on Yahoo / 3% owned on Fantrax)

Injuries to Thatcher Demko and Kevin Lankinen have put the Canucks in a bit of a pickle as the organization has had to dig deep as it relates to the teams goaltending. It doesn;t get any easier for Vancouver with a back-to-back against the San Jose Sharks on Friday and the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. The preferred matchup for fantasy managers would be the front end against the Sharks but with the situation the club is in, I’m not sure either netminder is worth adding this week. Unfortunately, this would be another tandem that I would fade.

Eric Comrie - Winnipeg Jets (34% owned on Yahoo / 42% owned on Fantrax)

Thomas Milic - Winnipeg Jets (1% owned on Yahoo / 10% owned on Fantrax)

I would fully expect to see Comrie draw the start against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday in the first half of the teams back-to-back leaving the second game to AHL standout Thomas Milic. The 22-year old is enjoying a fine season for Winnipeg’s AHL affiliate the Manitoba Moose fashioning a 5-2-2 record accompanied by a solid 2.14 goals against and .921 save percentage. The NHL is a whole different animal but the potential for a matchup against the lowly Nashville Predators is a rather decent spot for the rookie to find himself in. This is certainly a spot where fantasy managers would be fairly comfortable in adding the rookie netminder due in large part to the team that plays in front of him.

There you have it folks, some streaming options to consider for your fantasy squad heading into the weekend.

Be sure to download the Goalie Post app for daily updates and information!

Thanks for reading and feel free to follow me on X @mikeouellet9 or on BlueSky @mikeouellet9.bsky.social