Fantasy hockey sleeper picks
Disclaimer: Any reliance you place on the information below is strictly at your own risk. Economic (and emotional) losses suffered while managing your fantasy hockey team are therefore yours to bear (please don’t sue me).
Has your fantasy hockey team gotten off to a poor start? Are your friends continuously mocking your draft choices? Are you eager to fiddle with your lineup for no reason whatsoever? In this inaugural “Torts Illustrated” column, we’ll explore some sleeper waiver wire adds that may help your team get back on track.
Note: All statistics are dated as of October 18, 2023 and therefore will not reflect players’ totals at the time of publishing.
Teuvo Teravainen (LW/RW):
Rostered in 61 percent of Yahoo Fantasy Leagues
| GP | G | A | P | +/- | P/GP | PPG | PPP | SHG | SHP | S | TOI/GP |
| 4 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1.25 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 17.02 |
Yeah, yeah, I get it. Teravainen is probably already on someone’s roster in your league. But in the 39 percent of leagues where Teravainen is sitting on the waiver wire, it would be wise to consider him as a viable streaming option. It’s no secret that Teravainen had a not-so-great 2022-23 fantasy season, scoring at the lowest rate (0.54 points per game) since his first season with the Canes. However, this season has seen him embark on a red-hot journey, tallying four goals and one assist in Carolina’s first four games. Teravainen also solidified a role on their PP1 and PK1 units for the foreseeable future (at least until teammate Andrei Svechnikov returns).
Teravainen is not, and will not become, a superstar for your fantasy team. But he’ll be reliable scoring depth, should you need it.
Tomas Hertl (C)
Rostered in 44 percent of Yahoo Fantasy Leagues
| GP | G | A | P | +/- | P/GP | PPG | PPP | SHG | SHP | S | TOI/GP |
| 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | -2 | 1.00 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 20.45 |
The San Jose Sharks are in for a rough season, a real tough one this year. (Hello, Macklin Celebrini?) But even terrible hockey teams need top line players. With Logan Couture injured for the foreseeable future, the Sharks will lean heavily on Hertl. The 29-year-old Czech centre leads Sharks skaters with 20.45 TOI/G and is the only real source of offense on the team. While the Sharks may not light up the scoreboard often throughout the year, when they do, you can bet that Hertl will play a significant role.
Evan Rodrigues (C/LW)
Rostered in 39 percent of Yahoo Fantasy Leagues
| GP | G | A | P | +/- | P/GP | PPG | PPP | SHG | SHP | S | TOI/GP |
| 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | +3 | 1.67 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 18.32 |
Rodrigues made his way to the Sunshine State this season and has landed on the Panthers’ top line with Sasha Barkov and Sam Reinhart. Notably, he has also secured a position on the Panthers’ dangerous PP1 unit. In just three games, he’s totaled an impressive stat line: two goals, three assists, thirteen shots on goal, and three hits.
Whether he can keep up this pace is another question, but I think it’s pretty obvious that a skilled player on a dangerous offense may be a great pickup.
Kasperi Kapanen
Rostered in 1 percent of Yahoo Fantasy Leagues
| GP | G | A | P | +/- | P/GP | PPG | PPP | SHG | SHP | S | TOI/GP |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17.22 |
You might be wondering, “Kapanen? What is this, 2018?”
Well, a lot has changed since that season—which marked the last time Kapanen scored 20 goals and 40 points. In the interim, his then-coach Mike Babcock was fired, banished to USports, re-hired by the Blue Jackets, and re-fired. Pete Davidson has dated every eligible bachelorette in Hollywood. Kids aren’t eating Tide pods anymore, thankfully.
Of course, some things really haven’t changed at all. Connor McDavid is still superhuman. I’m still a delusional Leafs fan. Increased opportunity is often a wise move in fantasy hockey.
Kapanen may not have had a blazing start to the season, but he may have a place in super deep leagues. Yes, I know zero points in two games is not what any fantasy manager hopes for. Nevertheless, Kapanen now finds himself in the Blues’ top-six and has a role on the team’s power play and penalty kill units. He is averaging over 17 minutes of ice time per game, ranking fifth among Blues forwards.
Undoubtedly, there are likely dozens of players on the waiver wire who should take precedence over Kapanen on your list But, if your waiver wire is particularly thin (or you simply want to relive some nostalgic memories of #24 flying down in the blue and white), Kapanen’s your guy.
