Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Picks

Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Picks – Week 13 (Dec 29–Jan 4, 2025)

Week 13 is the Heavy Return after the Christmas break — and it plays much different than Week 12.

This is a normal volume week where the edge is back to:

Off-night leverage
Startable games (not bench games)
Smart stacking into the light slates

The schedule reality (what actually matters)

Here’s the exact slate map for Week 13:

Mon (Dec 29): 11 games (heavy)
Tue (Dec 30): 5 games (light)
Wed (Dec 31): 10 games (heavy)
Thu (Jan 1): 8 games (medium-heavy)
Fri (Jan 2): 4 games (very light)
Sat (Jan 3): 13 games (heaviest)
Sun (Jan 4): 5 games (light)

Translation:
If you’re streaming “random 4-game players” without checking fit, you’ll bench games on Mon/Wed/Sat.

This week is about getting usable games into your lineup, not just chasing a number.

Quick Jumpstart (attack the light slates)

The three off-night targets: Tue / Fri / Sun

These are the days you can stream into your lineup with minimal blocking:

Tue (5 games): CAR, CHI, FLA, MTL, NJD, NYI, PHI, PIT, TOR, VAN
Fri (4 games): ANA, FLA, MIN, NYR, SEA, STL, VAN, VGK
Sun (5 games): CAR, CBJ, CHI, COL, DAL, FLA, MTL, NJD, PIT, VGK

If a team shows up on 2+ of those light days, that’s a priority stream target.

The only thing we’re chasing: startable volume

Tier 0 — The Week 13 cheat code (5 games)

Only ONE team plays five times this week:

Carolina Hurricanes (CAR) — Mon/Tue/Thu/Sat/Sun

If you can add any meaningful Carolina skater, that’s the cleanest weekly advantage you can buy on the wire.

Tier 1 — Best 4-game teams (volume + light-day access)

These teams give you 4 games plus at least one light-slate day (Tue/Fri/Sun), which makes them easier to fully start:

Chicago Blackhawks (CHI) — includes Tue + Sun
Florida Panthers (FLA) — includes Tue + Fri + Sun (best schedule shape among 4-game teams)
Montreal Canadiens (MTL) — includes Tue + Sun
New Jersey Devils (NJD) — includes Tue + Sun
Pittsburgh Penguins (PIT) — includes Tue + Sun
Minnesota Wild (MIN) — includes Fri
Vancouver Canucks (VAN) — includes Tue + Fri

Every team plays 3+ times (so don’t force bad fits)

There are no 1-game or 2-game teams this week. Everyone is at 3 games or more.

That means you can be picky:

Don’t add a 3-game streamer who only plays on heavy nights if your roster is jammed.
Instead, target 3-game teams that hit Tue/Fri/Sun, because those games actually get started.

How to build your Week 13 stream plan (simple framework)

Start with CAR if available
- 5 games is a rare weekly edge. Don’t overthink it.
Prioritize teams that hit multiple light slates
- Tue/Fri/Sun is the core.
- FLA is the cleanest 4-game “fits everywhere” schedule.
Use Fri (4 games) as your biggest leverage point
- Friday is the lightest day of the week. Plan around it early.
Treat Sat (13 games) as a trap day
- Most lineups are full Saturday. Streaming purely for Saturday is usually wasted.

Player Picks

Carolina Hurricanes (5 GP – Mon/Tue/Thu/Sat/Sun)

C/RW Logan Stankoven — A strong add if you’re hunting offense with a stable shot floor. He’s been firing the puck consistently, and with the Seth Jarvis injury potentially opening up extra ice time, Stankoven’s path to points looks cleaner than most streamers.

D K'andre Miller — A classic category-floor defenseman. He gives you a dependable blend of shots, hits, and blocks, and over five games that kind of steady peripheral volume can quietly swing a matchup.

D Sean Walker — Similar appeal to Miller: you’re streaming him for the multi-cat baseline. If your matchup is tight in HIT/BLK (and you just need a safe floor), Walker is the type of add that wins without needing goals.

RW Jackson Blake — The upside swing in this group. He brings good shot volume, and the fact that he’s been seeing power-play usage with the Jarvis injury bumps his ceiling for a 5-game week. If you need a goal/PPP push, Blake is the controlled risk worth taking.

Florida Panthers (4 GP – includes Tue/Fri/Sun leverage)

D Aaron Ekblad — A clean defense add when you want stability. Ekblad provides a respectable shots + blocks floor, and Florida’s schedule shape (showing up on multiple light slates) makes it easier to actually start him all week.

C Anton Lundell — Elevated role, and it shows in the profile: over two shots per game with more than a hit per game gives you a useful floor even when the points don’t pop. Great add when you want “quiet value” across categories.

LW A.J. Greer — If you’re chasing PIM and hits, Greer is the specialist. He’s been averaging over 2.5 hits, and in many leagues that combo (HIT + PIM) is the fastest way to swing a matchup with one roster spot.

Chicago Blackhawks (4 GP – includes Tue + Sun)

LW/RW Tyler Bertuzzi — Trending up offensively and bringing legitimate special teams value: he’s been scoring lately and is averaging 0.39 power-play points per game on the season. If you need PPP juice, Bertuzzi fits.

C/LW Colton Dach — A pure banger-league add. He’s hovering around 3.5 hits per game with real PIM potential. If your matchup is trending toward a physical categories fight, Dach is the kind of volume that adds up fast over four games.

Montreal Canadiens (4 GP – includes Tue + Sun)

D Mike Matheson — Heavy minutes (around 25 minutes a night) and a very usable floor: over a shot per game and roughly 2.3 blocks per game. If you’re chasing BLK from the back end without taking a zero in offense, Matheson is one of the cleaner adds.

LW/RW Zachary Bolduc — A flexible winger add who can slide up the lineup at times. The selling point is the shot floor with decent hits layered in — a nice profile when you want something that won’t disappear if he doesn’t score.

D Arber Xhekaj — A hits/PIM weapon from the blue line: over 2 hits per game and can pile on penalty minutes quickly. Buyer beware: the healthy-scratch risk is real, so he’s best used when you can absorb volatility.

New Jersey Devils (4 GP – includes Tue + Sun)

C/RW Dawson Mercer — A steady “can score” add with a workable shot baseline (around 2 shots per game). If you’re streaming for points without sacrificing shot volume entirely, Mercer is a safe middle ground.

D Brendan Dillon — Category glue with real weight: about 2.5 hits and 1.5 blocks per game, plus occasional PIM. If your matchup is trending physical, Dillon is one of the easiest ways to add volume.

D Brett Pesce — The blocks specialist. Averaging 2.77 blocks per game, Pesce can legitimately win you the BLK category over a full week if your opponent isn’t protecting it.

Pittsburgh Penguins (4 GP – includes Tue + Sun)

D Kris Letang — Still one of the better “everything” defense streamers when available: a respectable floor in shots, hits, and blocks, plus the chance to see power-play time. A strong add when you want upside without sacrificing peripherals.

C/LW/RW Rickard Rakell — Likely rostered, but if he’s sitting on your wire, he’s a must-add. He plays with Crosby at 5v5, sees power-play usage, and brings a rare combo of real scoring ceiling + strong peripherals.

Vancouver Canucks (4 GP – includes Tue + Fri)

LW/RW Kiefer Sherwood — A true category engine: huge hit volume with real shot rates, and he’s even been finding the back of the net this year. If you want one add that can move multiple categories at once, Sherwood is it.

D Zeev Buium — Not a peripheral-heavy profile, but the appeal is simple: power-play opportunity. If your matchup is specifically about chasing PPP upside, Boom is the “spark” add — just don’t expect HIT/BLK help.

D Filip Hronek — Heavy minutes and a steady across-the-board floor. He’s not usually a category winner by himself, but if you need a reliable defense add who won’t tank peripherals, Hronek is a clean fit.

W Evander Kane — The shot-and-hits profile managers look for in category leagues. He shoots a ton, brings strong hit volume, and finds the penalty box often enough to matter. If your matchup needs brute-force stats, Kane is the swing.

Closing Notes (Quick Hits You Can Action)

CAR is the only 5-game team — that’s priority #1 if the wire allows it.
FLA has the best 4-game schedule shape (Tue/Fri/Sun access).
Build around Tue/Fri/Sun so your streamer games don’t rot on the bench.
Be careful streaming for Saturday (13 games) — most rosters are already full.

Want the fastest edge? Use our Rankings and Optimizer tools to preview how your roster fits the off-nights, and how to find the best lineup moving forward.

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