Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Picks

Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Picks – Week 17 (Jan 26–Feb 1, 2026)

Week 17 is not a volume-chasing week.

It’s a slate where bad adds quietly lose matchups because the schedule is extremely top-heavy:

Thursday: 15 games
Saturday: 14 games

If you stream into those nights without checking startability, you’ll waste moves on bench games.

This week is about:

Off-night leverage
Startable games (not bench games)
Avoiding Thu/Sat traps

The schedule reality (what actually matters)

Here’s the slate map for Week 17:

Mon (Jan 26): 5 games (light)
Tue (Jan 27): 10 games (heavy)
Wed (Jan 28): 3 games (very light)
Thu (Jan 29): 15 games (mega-heavy)
Fri (Jan 30): 1 game (maximum leverage)
Sat (Jan 31): 14 games (mega-heavy)
Sun (Feb 1): 3 games (very light)

Translation:
Streaming into Thu and Sat is a mistake unless your roster is extremely shallow. The edge lives on Mon / Wed / Fri / Sun.

Quick Jumpstart (attack the light slates)

Monday (5 games)

ANA, BOS, CBJ, EDM, LAK, NYI, NYR, PHI, TBL, UTM

Wednesday (3 games)

CBJ, COL, NYI, NYR, OTT, PHI

Friday (1 game)

CBJ @ CHI (the only game on the slate)

Sunday (3 games)

ANA, BOS, CAR, LAK, TBL, VGK

The only thing we’re chasing: startable volume

Tier 0 — The week-winning schedule edge

Columbus (CBJ) — 4 games

Plays Mon / Wed / Fri (all off-nights) plus Sat
Friday is the only game on the entire slate

This is the cleanest streaming profile of the week. If you need guaranteed starts, CBJ is the answer.

Tier 0.5 — The lone 5-game team

Los Angeles (LAK) — 5 games

Mon / Tue / Thu / Sat / Sun
Two bench-risk nights (Thu/Sat), but five total games still matter
Also hits Mon + Sun for clean starts

LAK is pure volume — just be aware of congestion.

Tier 1 — Strong off-night access (hit multiple light slates)

These teams provide multiple clean starts without relying on Thu/Sat:

Boston (BOS) — 4 GP (Mon + Sun)
Anaheim (ANA) — 3 GP (Mon + Sun)
Tampa Bay (TBL) — 3 GP (Mon + Sun)
New York Islanders (NYI) — 4 GP (Mon + Wed)
New York Rangers (NYR) — 4 GP (Mon + Wed)
Philadelphia (PHI) — 4 GP (Mon + Wed)

Tier 2 — One off-night, still streamable

Colorado (COL) — Wed
Chicago (CHI) — Fri (1-game slate)
Vegas (VGK) — Sun
Carolina (CAR) — Sun

These work best when targeting a specific off-night.

The true schedule fades

These teams have 2 games and limited startability:

Calgary (CGY) — 2 GP (Thu / Sat)
Pittsburgh (PIT) — 2 GP (Thu / Sat)
Ottawa (OTT) — 2 GP (Wed / Sat)

Only use if the player is elite in your format.

Player Pickups

Columbus Blue Jackets (CBJ)

C Adam Fantilli — Fantilli brings a strong category base for Week 17. He’s averaging about 0.5 points per game, nearly three shots per night, and around 1.5 hits.

C/LW Boone Jenner — A classic multi-cat piece with real scoring attached. Jenner is averaging over two shots, two hits, and one block per game, while producing around 0.7 points per game.

LW Dmitri Voronkov — Useful in banger formats with enough offense to matter. Voronkov is at about 0.5 points per game, nearly two shots, over 1.5 hits, and around one penalty minute per game.

D Ivan Provorov — Provorov provides steady peripherals from the blue line, averaging about two shots per game and nearly two blocks.

RW Mathieu Olivier — Pure banger-league specialist. Olivier is averaging over 3.5 hits per game and brings strong penalty minute upside.

Los Angeles Kings (LAK)

D Brandt Clarke — Clarke is coming into his own, bringing useful offense plus real shot and block volume. He’s averaging close to 0.5 points per game, just under two shots, and nearly two blocks per game.

LW/RW Alex Laferriere — A true category blend for a winger. Laferriere is averaging close to 0.5 points per game with nearly 2.5 shots and over 2.5 hits per night.

Boston Bruins (BOS)

D Nikita Zadorov — A must-roster in banger formats. Zadorov is averaging over two PIM per game, over 2.5 hits, and about 1.5 blocks.

C/LW Pavel Zacha — Not a big peripherals contributor, but he’s producing and remains a power-play threat. Zacha is averaging around 0.7 points per game with over 1.5 shots.

C Elias Lindholm — A legitimate scoring add if available. Lindholm is averaging over 0.8 points per game and is a major power-play threat.

C/RW Mark Kastelic — Deep-league banger option who can swing hits and PIM. Kastelic is averaging over 2.5 hits and over two PIM per game.

New York Islanders (NYI)

LW/RW Emil Heineman — One of the better hit-and-shot profiles on the wire. Heineman is averaging over two shots, over three hits per game, and has added some points along the way.

LW Anthony Duclair — A short-term scoring play if you need offense. Duclair has been scoring of late, though he’s not going to move the needle much in peripherals.

New York Rangers (NYR)

LW/RW Will Cuylle — A must-own in banger leagues when available. Cuylle is averaging close to 0.5 points per game, just under two shots, and around 3.5 hits per night.

LW/RW Alexis Lafrenière — Lafrenière is producing and keeps a usable category floor. He’s averaging over 0.5 points per game, nearly two shots, and about 1.3 hits. If roster changes open up more power-play time, the upside jumps.

D Vladislav Gavrikov — A strong blocks-based defense add, especially while he’s seeing elevated power-play usage. Gavrikov is averaging about 1.5 shots and over 1.5 blocks per game.

Philadelphia Flyers (PHI)

LW/RW Matvei Michkov — The shot volume makes him usable even when the points are quiet. Michkov is averaging about 0.5 points per game with over two shots per night.

D Travis Sanheim — Category-friendly defense option. Sanheim is averaging nearly two blocks per game and close to 0.5 points per game.

LW/RW Owen Tippett — A strong shot-driver with a growing multi-cat profile. Tippett is averaging about 2.5 shots, nearly two hits per game, and has been scoring well of late.

RW Garnet Hathaway — Hits and PIM specialist. Hathaway is averaging nearly four hits per game and over one penalty minute per night.

Anaheim Ducks (ANA)

RW Bennett Sennecke — Sennecke continues to provide real offense with usable shots and a touch of grit. He’s averaging over two shots, about one hit per game, and around 0.75 points per night.

C/LW/RW Mikael Granlund — Valuable multi-position flexibility with steady production. Granlund is averaging over 0.5 points per game with over two shots.

D Radko Gudas — One of the best pure banger adds on the wire. Gudas is averaging about 3.5 hits and just under two blocks per game, with reliable PIM upside.

Tampa Bay Lightning (TBL)

C Anthony Cirelli — A stable scoring option with decent shot volume. Cirelli is averaging around 0.7 points per game and just under two shots per night.

D Erik Černák — Excellent glue-piece defenseman in banger leagues. Černák is averaging about two hits, two blocks, and nearly 1.5 PIM per game.

Chicago Blackhawks (CHI)

C Frank Nazar — Useful scoring streamer with solid shot volume. Nazar is averaging about two shots per game and over 0.6 points per game.

C/LW Colton Dach — Category specialist for banger formats. Dach is averaging about 3.5 hits per night and nearly one penalty minute per game.

Vegas Golden Knights (VGK)

LW Ivan Barbashev — Strong short-term fit because he plays with high-end talent. Barbashev is averaging over 0.6 points per game with about 1.5 shots and 1.5 hits per night.

D Jeremy Lauzon — High-impact banger defense profile when available. Lauzon is averaging about one shot, over 3.5 hits, over 1.5 blocks, and around 1.3 PIM per game.

RW Keegan Kolesar — Another pure banger option who can swing a category matchup. Kolesar is averaging nearly 3.5 hits per game.

How to build your Week 17 stream plan

Anchor around Columbus
Avoid Thu/Sat congestion
Target Mon/Wed/Fri/Sun
Leave flexibility for the weekend

Closing Notes

Off-nights: Mon (5), Wed (3), Fri (1), Sun (3)
Best stream edge: Columbus (CBJ)
Only 5-game team: Los Angeles (LAK)
True fades: CGY / PIT / OTT

Want the fastest edge?
Use the Rankings and Optimizer tools to preview off-night fit before adding.

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