Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Picks – Week 18 (2026)
January 31, 2026
Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Picks – Week 18 (Feb 2–Mar 1, 2026)
Week 18 is not a normal fantasy week.
This is the Olympic-break matchup, meaning a long scoring period with a hard stop in the middle. There are very few total slates, and the break creates two distinct mini-weeks that need to be managed differently.
This week is about:
- Planning ahead
- Banking games before the break
- Attacking post-break off-nights
If you treat this like a standard Monday–Sunday matchup, you’ll burn adds on bench games and miss the slates that actually decide categories.
Also of note your trade deadline will likely be in place towards the end of this week. Please check out our playoff preview blog to see who you should be trading for to give you the best leverage if you are lucky enough to be locked into a playoff spot.
The schedule reality (what actually matters)
There are only 9 NHL slates in the entire scoring period.
Pre-break
- Mon (Feb 2): 10 games
- Tue (Feb 3): 7 games (light)
- Wed (Feb 4): 10 games
- Thu (Feb 5): 7 games (light)
Olympic break
- Fri Feb 6 – Tue Feb 24 (no NHL games)
Post-break
- Wed (Feb 25): 8 games
- Thu (Feb 26): 12 games
- Fri (Feb 27): 4 games (maximum leverage)
- Sat (Feb 28): 13 games (mega-heavy)
- Sun (Mar 1): 6 games (light)
Translation:
The edge lives on Feb 3, Feb 5, Feb 27, and Mar 1, with Friday Feb 27 being the most important slate of the entire matchup.
The only thing we’re chasing: startable volume
Tier 0 — The week-winning schedule edge
These teams play 6 games and hit three light slates:
- Buffalo (BUF)
- Florida (FLA)
- New York Islanders (NYI)
- Pittsburgh (PIT)
- Washington (WSH)
This is where Week 18 is won if you need volume.
Tier 1 — Post-break leverage monsters
- Vegas (VGK)
- Minnesota (MIN)
- Winnipeg (WPG)
- Utah (UTM)
- Anaheim (ANA)
These teams line up extremely well with Feb 27 and Mar 1.
Player Pickups
Buffalo Sabres (BUF)
D Mattias Samuelsson — Samuelsson provides category coverage plus real production. He’s averaging over 0.5 points per game with nearly 1.5 shots, over 1.5 hits, and over two blocks per night, making him a strong multi-cat defense add.
D Bowen Byram — A steady blue-line add who helps across the board. Byram is averaging about 0.5 points per game with over a shot and over a block per night.
LW/RW Josh Doan — A clean scoring streamer with shot volume and some power-play usage. Doan is averaging around 0.7 points per game with over two shots per night.
LW Jason Zucker — Zucker remains a reliable offense-first add. He’s averaging around 0.8 points per game with over two shots per night and providing useful power-play points.
Florida Panthers (FLA)
C Anton Lundell — Lundell continues to provide steady offense with a usable floor. He’s averaging over 0.7 points per game, over two shots per night, and around one hit per game.
LW A.J. Greer — A banger-league specialist who can swing physical categories. Greer is averaging over 2.5 hits per game, about 1.3 PIM per night, and chipping in around 0.38 points per game.
Pittsburgh Penguins (PIT)
D Kris Letang — Letang remains a strong all-around defense add. He’s averaging over 0.5 points per game, over 1.5 shots per night, and brings a steady hits and blocks floor.
RW Justin Brazeau — While the scoring has slowed, Brazeau is still averaging over 0.6 points per game with nearly two shots and over one hit per night.
D Connor Clifton — A pure banger-league option. Clifton is averaging just shy of four hits per game with around 1.5 blocks, though he can move in and out of the lineup.
Washington Capitals (WSH)
RW Ryan Leonard — Leonard offers a strong blend of offense and peripherals. He’s averaging over 0.6 points per game, just shy of two shots, and nearly 1.5 hits per night, with some power-play time.
C/LW Connor McMichael — A clean scoring streamer with shot volume. McMichael is averaging just shy of two shots per game with over 0.5 points per game.
D Matt Roy — A category-rounding defenseman. Roy is averaging about 1.5 shots, 1.5 hits, and over two blocks per game.
D Martin Fehérváry — Another reliable multi-cat defense add. Fehérváry is averaging over one shot, over one hit, and over two blocks per night.
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.
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. Lauzon is averaging about one shot, over 3.5 hits, over 1.5 blocks, and around 1.3 PIM per game.
RW Keegan Kolesar — A pure banger option who can swing a category matchup. Kolesar is averaging nearly 3.5 hits per game.
Anaheim Ducks (ANA)
RW Bennett Sennecke — Sennecke continues to provide offense with usable peripherals. 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 available. Gudas is averaging about 3.5 hits and just under two blocks per game, with reliable PIM upside.
Minnesota Wild (MIN)
C/RW Ryan Hartman — Hartman is averaging about 0.5 points per game with over two shots per night and around one block per game.
LW/RW Vladimir Tarasenko — Tarasenko is over 0.5 points per game, has been hot as of late, and is giving you just shy of two shots per night.
RW Mats Zuccarello — A high-end offense add. Zuccarello is averaging about 0.9 points per game, just shy of two shots, and plays on the top power play.
C/LW/RW Yakov Trenin — A banger-league monster averaging just shy of five hits per game.
Winnipeg Jets (WPG)
D Logan Stanley — Stanley is useful in PIM leagues, averaging just shy of two PIM per night, with over a shot, about 1.5 hits, and over a block per game.
D Dylan DeMelo — A steady peripherals add, averaging just shy of a shot with about 1.5 hits and 1.5 blocks per game.
Utah Mammoth (UTM)
LW/RW J.J. Peterka — Peterka is averaging over 0.6 points per game with over two shots per night.
C/LW Jack McBain — A top-tier banger add, averaging about 3.5 hits, around 1.5 shots, and over one PIM per night.
D Sean Durzi — Durzi is averaging just shy of 0.5 points per game with about 1.7 shots and 1.8 blocks per night.
Closing Notes
- Olympic break: Feb 6–24
- Best schedule edge: BUF / FLA / NYI / PIT / WSH
- Best leverage slate: Fri Feb 27
- Avoid congestion: Sat Feb 28
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