Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Picks

Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Picks – Week 11 (Dec 15–21, 2025)

Week 11 once again leans into the classic heavy-night pattern, but with a few twists:

Heavy nights: Tue / Thu / Sat (Sat is the biggest hammer)
True off-nights: Wed and Fri (lightest slates)
Soft nights: Mon is relatively light, Sun sits in the middle

Our goal is the same as always: stack teams that lean into Wed/Fri and the softer Mon/Sun windows, then use the heavy nights where your roster actually has room.

Quick Jumpstart (early-week attack)

From Mon–Wed (Dec 15–17), you can bank extra games before your league mates react.

Teams with early-week opportunities:

Monday only
DAL — OTT — TBL

Mon + Tue
ANA — NYR

Mon + Wed
FLA — LAK — NSH — STL — WPG

Tue + Wed
DET — UTM

Tip: Any team with Mon plus an off-night (Wed) early in the week (FLA/NSH/STL/WPG/LAK/UTM/DET) is gold. You’re getting lighter slates on both ends and can usually squeeze those games into crowded rosters.

High-Volume Schedules (sorted by off-night leverage)

The unicorn: one 5-game monster

There is exactly one 5-GP team this week:

New York Rangers — Mon/Tue/Thu/Sat/Sun

That’s elite raw volume, but note the shape:

Only one true off-night (Mon)
Four games crammed onto heavy or mid-heavy slates (Tue/Thu/Sat/Sun)

In deep leagues with flexible lineups, NYR depth pieces become very viable streamers. In shallower formats, be honest: if your Tue/Thu/Sat are already jammed, you might not actually get all five games into your starting lineup.

Premium off-night 4-GP stacks (Wed/Fri-heavy)

These are your bench-proof streamers – four games with real off-night leverage:

Winnipeg Jets — Mon/Wed/Fri/Sun
Florida Panthers — Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat
Utah Hockey Club — Tue/Wed/Fri/Sun

Why they’re special:

WPG gives you three off-nights (Mon/Wed/Fri) plus a Sunday closer – arguably the best schedule on the board.
FLA also brings three off-nights (Mon/Wed/Fri) and only one heavy night (Sat).
UTM hits both premium off-nights (Wed/Fri) and finishes on Sun, with just a single heavy (Tue).

If you’re already loaded on Tue/Thu/Sat, these are the teams you want to build your week around.

Strong hybrid 4-GP volume (mix of off-nights + heavies)

These teams mix off-night leverage with heavy-night exposure:

Dallas Stars — Mon/Thu/Fri/Sun
Nashville Predators — Mon/Wed/Sat/Sun
Anaheim Ducks — Mon/Tue/Fri/Sat
St. Louis Blues — Mon/Wed/Thu/Sat
Detroit Red Wings — Tue/Wed/Sat/Sun
Ottawa Senators — Mon/Thu/Sat/Sun

How to think about them:

DAL: Mon/Fri off-nights with a Sun closer; one Thu heavy. Great if you’re light Friday.
NSH/STL/DET: mix of Wed off-night and a Sat hammer, plus either Mon/Thu/Sun.
ANA/OTT: bring one or two off-nights but skew a bit more toward heavier slates.

If you missed out on WPG/FLA/UTM, this tier is your next stop for 4-GP streamers who still help on lighter days.

Heavy-night 4-GP (pure volume, less leverage)

These teams still give you four games, but almost everything runs through the packed slates:

Boston Bruins — Tue/Thu/Sat/Sun
Edmonton Oilers — Tue/Thu/Sat/Sun
Minnesota Wild — Tue/Thu/Sat/Sun
Montreal Canadiens — Tue/Thu/Sat/Sun
Pittsburgh Penguins — Tue/Thu/Sat/Sun
Toronto Maple Leafs — Tue/Thu/Sat/Sun
Washington Capitals — Tue/Thu/Sat/Sun

These schedules are great in shallow leagues where you can churn aggressively and still get these players into your lineup. In tighter formats, they’re risky: you might end up benching a four-game streamer simply because your heavy nights are already full.

Three-game teams worth a look

3-GP off-night helpers

New Jersey Devils — Wed/Fri/Sun
Carolina Hurricanes — Wed/Fri/Sat
Los Angeles Kings — Mon/Wed/Thu
Colorado Avalanche — Tue/Fri/Sun
Vegas Golden Knights — Wed/Sat/Sun

Headline shapes:

NJD is an off-night dream: Wed/Fri/Sun with zero Tue/Thu load.
CAR hits both Wed and Fri plus a Sat hammer.
LAK gives you Mon/Wed early plus a Thu heavy.
COL/VGK offer Fri + Sun support for late-week flexibility.

The rest of the 3-GP crowd

BUF — Thu/Sat/Sun
CGY — Tue/Thu/Sat
CHI — Tue/Thu/Sat
CBJ — Tue/Thu/Sat
NYI — Tue/Fri/Sat
PHI — Tue/Thu/Sat
SEA — Tue/Thu/Sat
SJS — Tue/Thu/Sat
TBL — Mon/Thu/Sat
VAN — Tue/Fri/Sat

They’re useful when you just need heavy-night bodies, but they’re not your first choice if Tue/Thu/Sat are already congested.

Two-game warning

Good news: no team plays only 2 GP this week.

How to build your Week 11 stream plan

Start by evaluating New York’s 5-GP slate
- If your lineup has enough room on Tue/Thu/Sat, even NYR depth pieces can become week-winning streamers.
- In tighter leagues, make sure you’re not adding five-game “volume” that you’ll just end up benching.
Build around Winnipeg, Florida, and Utah
- WPG and FLA bring three off-nights each with strong closing games.
- UTM hits the premium Wed/Fri slots and finishes on Sunday.
Layer in hybrid 4-GP teams
- Use DAL/NSH/ANA/STL/DET/OTT to round out your volume, especially where you’re thin on Mon/Wed/Fri/Sun.
Use 3-GP off-night helpers as your next wave
- When premium four-game options are gone, pivot to NJD/CAR/LAK/COL/VGK for Wed/Fri/Mon/Sun padding.
Match to your format
- Banger leagues: chase hits/blocks/PIM from your off-night cores.
- Points leagues: focus on PP usage and top-six deployment on WPG/FLA/UTM/DAL/NSH and NYR’s skill players.

Player Picks

With one 5-game monster and several off-night-heavy 4-GP schedules, your edge this week comes from squeezing every bit of value out of depth pieces on these teams.

New York Rangers (5 GP – Mon/Tue/Thu/Sat/Sun)

LW/RW Will Cuylle — Averaging over 3 hits per game with 2+ shots and a sneaky block floor, Cuylle is the prototypical 5-game banger. On a schedule this dense, his peripherals can swing your matchup almost by themselves.

LW/RW Alexis Lafrenière — Brings a solid shot and hit floor, and if he finds a scoring groove for even part of this five-game run, he can pile up points in a hurry. Great upside play if you’re chasing offense with some peripherals attached.

D Vladislav Gavrikov — Offers an okay shots + blocks baseline and steady minutes. Not flashy, but over five games, that steady floor adds up, especially in deeper multi-cat formats.

D Braden Schneider — Averaging 2+ hits and around 1.5 blocks per game, Schneider is a classic low-event defenseman who becomes very relevant when volume ramps up. Perfect for topping up your physical categories across a packed week.

Winnipeg Jets (4 GP – Mon/Wed/Fri/Sun)

D Neal Pionk — If he’s available, Pionk is a priority add. He’s averaging around 2 shots and 2 hits per game, giving you a well-rounded multi-cat profile with upside for points on a strong off-night-heavy schedule.

D Logan Stanley — Brings a strong hit and block floor and is always a threat to chip in penalty minutes. Ideal if you’re specifically targeting banger stats and need volume on Mon/Wed/Fri.

D Dylan DeMelo — Quiet but effective, averaging about 1.5 hits and nearly 2 blocks per game. He won’t win you goals, but he’s a superb specialist for shoring up your defensive peripherals.

C Adam Lowry — Averages roughly 1 shot, 1 block, and 2.5 hits per game while contributing some depth scoring. Great glue piece in deeper leagues where you need a bit of everything on off-nights.

Florida Panthers (4 GP – Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat)

D Aaron Ekblad — Offers a balanced floor of shots, hits, and blocks, plus the potential for PP production. On a three-off-night schedule, he’s one of the better “do-it-all” blue-liners if he’s been dropped due to injury or a cold stretch.

C Anton Lundell — Bringing a strong shot floor, some hits and blocks, and producing at roughly 0.75 points per game this season. Excellent mid-tier add for points leagues and standard cats alike.

LW AJ Greer — Sneaky streamer who’s been putting up surprising point totals while delivering good hit volume and PIM. A nice depth banger with enough offense that he won’t leave you dry in scoring categories.

Utah Hockey Club (4 GP – Tue/Wed/Fri/Sun)

LW/RW Lawson Crouse — Classic banger winger with a decent shot volume and heavy hits. When you combine his physical output with this many off-nights, he becomes a premium category play.

C/LW Jack McBain — Averaging 3+ hits per game and picking up his share of penalty minutes, McBain is a pure grit specialist who can stabilize your physical cats for the week.

D Ian Cole — Among the league leaders in blocks this season. If you’re lagging in that category, his four-game off-night schedule makes him a priority target.

D Sean Durzi — Back from injury with a solid shot and block floor and some offensive upside. Great if you need a bit more scoring punch from the back end without sacrificing peripherals.

Dallas Stars (4 GP – Mon/Thu/Fri/Sun)

C/LW Jamie Benn — Since returning from injury, Benn has been scoring at a strong clip while offering a decent shot and hit volume. Nice blend of old-school grit and top-six upside on a very usable schedule.

D Esa Lindell — Provides elite block numbers, making him one of the better pure shot-blocking options available on many wires. Four games with a Fri/Sun window can single-handedly flip that category.

D Alexander Petrovic — Offering solid shots, hits, and blocks with reliable penalty-minute upside. In deeper leagues that count PIM, he’s a nice under-the-radar add who fills up the gritty stat columns.

Nashville Predators (4 GP – Mon/Wed/Sat/Sun)

C/LW/RW Steven Stamkos — Has underwhelmed since arriving in Nashville, but he still carries PP usage and a respectable shot volume. If he’s floating on your wire, he’s exactly the kind of “buy the dip” play who can pop over a four-game week.

RW Jonathan Marchessault — Averaging 2+ shots and about 1.5 hits per game, Marchessault brings a reliable shot floor with goal-scoring upside. Excellent mid-tier winger if your league slept on his new situation.

C Michael McCarron — Averaging about 2.8 hits per game and more than capable of dropping the mitts. Pure banger option for when you need to swing the physical categories rather than chase scoring.

Anaheim Ducks (4 GP – Mon/Tue/Fri/Sat)

LW Chris Kreider — Averaging over 0.5 goals per game, driving over 2.3 shots, and piling up power-play points. If he’s somehow available, he’s a slam-dunk add for goal-heavy and points leagues alike.

D Radko Gudas — As usual, he’s pumping out elite hits and blocks. Perfect plug-and-play banger D with a four-game slate that lets those peripherals really pile up.

C/LW/RW Mikael Granlund — Back from injury and producing strong point totals with decent shot volume. Great for managers who need playmaking and secondary scoring.

C/LW Frank Vatrano — Offers good shot and hit volume, making him a nice cross-category winger. He’s the type of streamer who can give you both volume and a few goals over a four-game week.

LW Ross Johnston — Averaging roughly 2.7 hits and close to 2 PIM per game this season. Fantastic deep-league add if you need pure sandpaper and some penalty-minute juice.

St. Louis Blues (4 GP – Mon/Wed/Thu/Sat)

D Colton Parayko — Around 1 shot per game but with elite block numbers, Parayko is a premier shot-blocking specialist. With four games, he can single-handedly carry that category while chipping in the odd point.

LW/RW Jake Neighbours — Has been finding the back of the net this year while offering a decent shot floor and solid hits. A great mid-to-deep league add if you’re looking for goal-scoring upside with some physicality.

Detroit Red Wings (4 GP – Tue/Wed/Sat/Sun)

RW Patrick Kane — If you’re hunting shots and power-play points, Kane remains an excellent option. Even if he’s lost a step, the skill and PP usage are still there, and a four-game slate gives him plenty of chances to rack up assists and PPP.

D Ben Chiarot — Bringing great hit and block totals with real PIM potential, Chiarot is a classic banger defenseman who becomes very valuable over four games.

D Simon Edvinsson — Offering a decent floor in shots and hits and averaging over 2 blocks per game. He’s a strong multi-cat blue-liner with room for more offense as his role grows.

Ottawa Senators (4 GP – Mon/Thu/Sat/Sun)

C Dylan Cozens — Playing well this season, averaging 2+ shots and 3 hits per game while contributing power-play points. Excellent target if you need a physical center who can also chip in real offense.

D Artem Zub — Quiet but effective, with an okay floor of shots, hits, and blocks. He won’t carry your scoring, but as a depth D on a four-game week, he’s a safe stabilizer for your peripheral categories.

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