Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Picks – Week 22 (2026)

Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Picks – Week 22 (Mar 23–Mar 29, 2026)

Welcome to Playoff Week 2.

At this point in the fantasy playoffs, the strategy becomes even simpler.

You are chasing games that actually make your lineup.

Four-game schedules are valuable, but only when those games land on nights where your roster has space.

Playoff Rule #2 — Startable games win matchups

In the playoffs, a 3-game player who starts all three can easily outproduce a 4-game player who sits on the bench twice.

This week the schedule distribution makes this especially important.

The schedule reality (what actually matters)

There are 56 NHL games in Week 22.

Off-nights (maximum leverage)

These are the slates where streaming has the most value:

Mon (Mar 23): 1 game
Wed (Mar 25): 2 games
Fri (Mar 27): 2 games

These nights are extremely light, meaning almost any streamer playing here will fit into fantasy lineups.

Heavy nights (bench-clog risk)

Tue (Mar 24): 15 games
Thu (Mar 26): 13 games
Sat (Mar 28): 15 games

Sunday sits in the middle:

Sun (Mar 29): 6 games

The real leverage once again comes from Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

The only thing we’re chasing: startable volume

Tier 0 — The week-winning schedule edge

New York Rangers (NYR) — 4 games, elite off-night distribution

NYR schedule

Mon vs OTT
Wed @ TOR
Fri vs CHI
Sun vs FLA

Rangers Player Targets

Alexis Lafrenière (LW/RW)
Lafrenière is averaging just shy of 0.7 points per game this season with 2 shots per night and over a hit per game. He is also seeing an elevated role since the Panarin trade, including time on the top power play, giving him strong upside this week.

Will Cuylle (LW/RW)
Cuylle is a must-own this week in banger leagues, averaging just under 0.5 points per game with almost 2 shots, just shy of 3.5 hits, and almost a block per night.

Vladislav Gavrikov (D)
Gavrikov is averaging over 0.4 points per game with almost a shot and a half and 1.3 blocks per game, making him a solid blue-line option for managers needing category support.

Braden Schneider (D)
Schneider continues to provide strong peripheral value, averaging over a shot, just over 2 hits, and over 1.5 blocks per game.

Tier 1 — Strong four-game teams

Boston Bruins (BOS)

BOS schedule

Tue vs TOR
Wed @ BUF
Sat vs MIN
Sun @ CBJ

Boston Player Targets

Pavel Zacha (LW/RW)
Zacha is averaging just shy of 0.8 points per game this season with over 1.5 shots per night, giving him solid offensive streaming value.

Nikita Zadorov (D)
Zadorov is leading the league in penalty minutes with just shy of 2 PIM per game. He is also averaging over a shot, almost 2.5 hits, and 1.3 blocks per night. His banger categories have cooled a bit lately, but the category profile is still extremely useful.

Elias Lindholm (C)
Lindholm is averaging 0.7 points per game with over 1.6 shots and almost a block per night, making him a strong all-around forward option.

Mark Kastelic (C/RW)
Kastelic is a strong deep-league banger option, averaging almost 3 hits per game with just shy of 2 PIM per night.

Tanner Jeannot (LW/RW)
Jeannot remains a useful banger-league streamer, averaging almost 1 PIM per game with over 3 hits per night.

Chicago Blackhawks (CHI)

CHI schedule

Tue @ NYI
Thu @ PHI
Fri @ NYR
Sun @ NJD

Chicago Player Targets

Tyler Bertuzzi (LW/RW)
Bertuzzi is averaging over 0.7 points per game with over 0.3 power-play points per game and over 2 shots per night, making him one of the stronger offensive streamers from Chicago.

Frank Nazar (C)
Nazar is averaging 0.65 points per game with over 2 shots per night, giving him strong upside in leagues that reward offensive volume.

Artyom Levshunov (D)
Levshunov is averaging just shy of 0.4 points per game while contributing over a shot, over a hit, and over a block per game. He can help round out multiple categories from the back end.

Ottawa Senators (OTT)

OTT schedule

Mon @ NYR
Tue @ DET
Thu vs PIT
Sat @ TBL

Ottawa Player Targets

Thomas Chabot (D)
If Chabot is still available in your league, he is a must-add with Jake Sanderson out. He is averaging over 0.5 points per game with almost 2 shots, just shy of 2 blocks per night, and is currently manning the top power play during Sanderson’s absence.

Shane Pinto (C)
Pinto is averaging over 0.6 points per game with over 2 shots, almost 1.5 hits per night, and has also chipped in with a couple of shorthanded points lately.

Artem Zub (D)
Zub is averaging over 0.3 points per game with over a shot, just shy of a hit, and almost 1.5 blocks per night, making him a solid depth defense streamer.

Tyler Kleven (D)
Kleven is averaging over a shot, 1.8 hits, and 1.4 blocks per game, giving him useful banger-league value.

Philadelphia Flyers (PHI)

PHI schedule

Tue vs CBJ
Thu vs CHI
Sat @ DET
Sun vs DAL

Philadelphia Player Targets

Owen Tippett (LW/RW)
Tippett is averaging 0.6 points per game with over 2.5 shots and 2 hits per night, making him one of the better multi-category options available in many leagues.

Matvei Michkov (LW/RW)
Michkov is averaging over 0.5 points per game with just shy of 2 shots per night, giving him strong offensive upside.

Travis Sanheim (D)
Sanheim is averaging over 0.4 points per game with over a shot and just shy of 2 blocks per night, making him a quality all-around defense stream.

Cam York (D)
York is also averaging over 0.4 points per game with over a shot and just shy of 2 blocks per night, offering balanced category coverage from the blue line.

Nick Seeler (D)
Seeler is a strong peripheral option, averaging over a shot, over 1.5 hits, and 1.8 blocks per night.

Garnet Hathaway (RW)
Hathaway is a banger-league specialist, averaging over a penalty minute per game and 3.7 hits per night.

Nashville Predators (NSH)

NSH schedule

Tue vs SJS
Thu vs NJD
Sat vs MTL
Sun @ TBL

Nashville Player Targets

Jonathan Marchessault (RW)
Marchessault is having a down year at just over 0.4 points per game, but he is still providing 2.3 shots and 1.3 hits per night, which keeps him relevant as a deeper-category streamer.

Luke Evangelista (RW)
Evangelista is averaging over 0.7 points per game with over 2 shots per night, giving him strong offensive streaming appeal this week.

Erik Haula (C/LW)
Haula is averaging almost 0.5 points per game with over 1.5 shots and over a hit per night, making him a sneaky multi-category option in deeper formats.

Playoff Preview Reminder

If your playoffs have started, make sure you also read the full playoff breakdown here:

https://www.4thlinefantasy.com/blog/fantasy-hockey-playoff-preview-2026

New Merch

Check out our 4th Line Fantasy merch — mugs, hoodies, and tees built for late-night lineup decisions.

Support & Partners

If you’re enjoying the content and tools, consider buying us a coffee — thank you!

FANATICS PICK

Shop Fanatics →

Get your licensed gear at Fanatics

Officially licensed gear