Volume and Vibes - Week 17 Waiver Wire Pickups

Analyzing the best streaming options, schedule advantages, and advanced metrics in Week 17 of the Fantasy Hockey season.

By Jeff Stacks · January 24, 2026 · Updated October 13, 2026

Before I begin, I want to ask my readers a question: Do you want to play hard? Or do you want to play smart?

If your answer was both, you’d be correct. That’s usually the best way to win. But if you’re sick of having to set an alarm to get a player before your fellow Fantasy Hockey Managers do, try the Fantasy Roundup Automated Waiver Tool.

It allows you to add every player mentioned in this article on a schedule, so you can forget about having to set an alarm when you want to make a claim.

All you have to do is sign in to your Fantasy Roundup account — or sign up if you haven’t already — and sync your league. There’s a button here to login and see which player is available. There will also be a button before every player’s write-up to select them in the Fantasy Roundup Automated Waiver Tool and get to those players before everyone else.

Now you’re all logged in, I want to jump right into the action in Week 17.

In Week 17 I’ll be primarily focusing on the Los Angeles Kings and the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Kings have a ton of volume, so my picks from their team will likely benefit with more games played. The Blue Jackets have more upside and preferable schedule, having three off-nights.

Before we go deeper into these picks, lets take a look at my picks from Week 16.

WEEK 16 ROUNDUP

I’ll just start with Adam Klapka, because how could I not? Klapka’n those cheeks all week, the gigantic winger from the Calgary Flames gave us exactly what we asked for in his hit volume, but also fired off a goal and an assist to make all his streaming managers happy. Adding his late game misconduct giving Tom Wilson a few love taps from the bench, I would say he certainly paid-off. With his favourable early playoff schedule, managers in banger leagues should definitely keep an eye on Adam Klapka for Weeks 21 and 22 for maximum carnage.

Jake DeBrusk and Philipp Grubauer were decent stream options. Grubauer had an awful outing against the Utah Mammoth on January 17, 2026, but returned to form on January 21, 2026 with a 24 save Win where he posted a 1.01 GAA and a 0.960 SV%. His game against the Anaheim Ducks on January 23, 2026 was more mid, but at least he hit an average SV% of 0.900. I would drop and pick him up again moving forward if Seattle has a good light night schedule, but their volume doesn’t project particularly well in the playoffs.

DeBrusk provided managers with two assists, five shots and five hits. Solid production, but he’s not someone I would look to covet on my roster with multitudes of similar players that have much better playoff schedules in Weeks 21-24.

I guess I have to touch on the other two picks. Zeev Buium and Matias Maccelli were incredibly disappointing. Buium was bumped from PP2 following the Canucks trading away Kiefer Sherwood to the San Jose Sharks, but he managed to pull off a goal in the Canucks’ loss against the New Jersey Devils on January 23, 2026. Maccelli kept his deployment, but caught a bad stretch of team hockey with the Maple Leafs having a record of 1-3 while being outscored 17-11 in that span. Maybe he can turn it around, but these two are now on my “DO NOT ROSTER” list unless they can prove otherwise.

I will take the L in Week 16. You can’t be right all the time, and I certainly was not that. I do like my overall 5-2 record since writing for Fantasy Roundup. Unfortunately, Week 17 isn’t looking great for streaming options either, but I will try and make better selections than I did in Week 16.

WEEK 17 PREVIEW

As we head into Week 17, this shapes up as a pretty mediocre streaming week with some light night advantages and plenty of volume. The standout is the Los Angeles Kings with five games on tap paired with two light nights, but don't sleep on the Columbus Blue Jackets. They have four games and three light nights, making them ideal for squeezing in extra starts without benching your primary roster players.

The other three decent options are the New York Islanders, the New York Rangers, the Philadelphia Flyers and finally, the Boston Bruins. Each has four games and two light nights, with the Metropolitan Division teams being preferable later in the week, and Boston being more of a spot-play. These teams offer good balance with some crossover games that could create some matchup advantages.

SECTION INTRODUCTION

Included at the end of this article is a legend which has definitions for several advanced statistics I’ll be using to evaluate players, and any other fantasy hockey-specific terms or jargon I may use.

Most Yahoo leagues allow four player adds per week. The players you can pick up with these adds are generally called “streamers”. In this article I’ll be outlining my five favourite streamer players for Week 17. One forward, one defenceman, one goalie, one “banger”, and one deeper league target.

The first section is headlined “SUPER SCHEDULES”, where I’m going to list all the NHL teams with a preferable schedule.

In the second section called “WAIVER WHIPLASH”, I’ll list my favourite Forward, Defenceman, and Goalie under 40% rostered in the standard Yahoo Head-to-Head (HTH) format.

The third section I’ve labeled “BANGER BEASTS”. This will highlight my favourite player overall for those managers in banger formats, which have additional stats: Blocks (BLK), and Penalties in Minutes (PIM), combined with Hits (HIT) mentioned previously.

The final section is entitled “DEEPER DARLINGS”, where I’ll identify an underrated player rostered under 10%, for managers in leagues with 12 teams or more (also called deep leagues).

Advanced stats are provided courtesy of Natural Stattrick and Money Puck.

Light nights have less than eight NHL games. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday are our light nights for Week 17.

Light nights will be highlighted in green. Heavy nights will be highlighted in red.

The Rangers, Islanders and Flyers offer some solid later week options for extra efficiency. All have four games with two light nights aligning toward the end of the week, where the Kings, Blue Jackets and Bruins have more front-loaded schedules.

Start the week strong with a Kings streamer, then pivot by dropping a lower-owned roster spot for a skater from the Islanders, Rangers, or Flyers to capture those later light nights. Boston is a possibility for Monday and Sunday, but their players will be harder to find spots for on Tuesday and Thursday. It may be difficult to land PP1-lock players on these teams, so keep watch on lines, powerplay deployment and injury notifications.

Stay flexible with your streaming slots and track ownership trends to grab these adds. This approach should help you maximize categories and production throughout the week without major roster headaches.

WAIVER WHIPLASH

Charlie Coyle

The Forward target I’m looking at in Week 17 is Charlie Coyle of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The most recent member of the 1000-Games Club, Coyle is currently deployed on the third line at even strength, but also holding down a spot on the first powerplay unit under new Head Coach Rick Bowness. With the Blue Jackets’ four games and three light night schedule, Coyle offers multi-category upside.

Over his last five games Coyle notched three goals, one assist and two powerplay points, for 10 goals and 20 assists on his season total. Coyle of late has been driving very strong underlying offense. His individual numbers are elite, being 1st in ixG, 18th in iSCF and 39th in iCF. Combine that with his low OISH and PDO, I expect Coyle to provide good point production if he keeps his PP1 spot.

Conversely, his even-strength linemates leave much to be desired. While Mathieu Olivier is a great pick for banger leagues in Week 17, he isn’t keen on actually playing hockey. Cole Sillinger has better point production upside than Olivier, but there’s a reason he’s on the third line on one of the worst teams in the league.

If his deployment holds and the Jackets' special teams click, Coyle could be a smart add to capitalize on Columbus' favorable slate starting Monday.

Damon Severson

The Defenceman I chose for Week 17 is the Columbus Blue Jackets' Damon Severson, who is very low-owned at just 3% rostered on the Yahoo platform. While he may not be a household name for points production, Severson is quietly posting good even-strength underlying numbers while paired with arguably the best defenseman in the NHL this season, Zach Werenski. Together, Werenski and Severson have formed one of the league's most effective top pairings, despite the Blue Jackets' struggles to win this season.

In his last five games, Severson has driven strong possession and chance creation. He's produced good On-Ice metrics, ranking 36th in xGF%, 36th in SF%, 48th in SCF%, and 50th in CF%. This shows Columbus controls play and generates quality chances when he's on the ice – especially with Werenski. With his PDO and OISH% look relatively neutral, you can at least bank on his numbers being sustainable. Recent production has been alright with two assists in his last five, but the real appeal lies in his shot generation and peripheral production, particularly in blocking shots.

His role alongside Werenski and Columbus' favorable Week 17 schedule makes Severson a very underrated pickup that should give you steady peripherals and the occasional point burst. I'm not claiming Severson is a top-tier fantasy stud, but he's a player worth monitoring for an add this week.

The NHL goalie is quite possibly the most unpredictable position in all of sports. While there are some studs in the NHL, all goalies are fallible. Goalies are voodoo, as they say. Considering this, I am not here to recommend a goalie for any particular reason other than they could have a good schedule, they could be on a good team, or I just like the way they play and think they have potential to produce good numbers. Take anything I say about goalies with a grain of salt, but know I have done research into them and I am recommending in good faith.

Anton Forsberg

Anton Forsberg of the Los Angeles Kings has quietly become one of the better volume goalie streaming options for Week 17, notably after the Kings' goalie core seemed to shift in Week 16.

Following Darcy Kuemper's injury on January 20, 2026 against the New York Rangers, there was concern he would be out long-term. In this scenario, Forsberg would have been given the crease for a significant stretch, but Kuemper was surprisingly announced as available and cleared to play in the January 24, 2026 game against the St. Louis Blues.

This limits Forsberg's guaranteed starts, but with two back-to-back games built into the Kings' Week 17 schedule, he remains very likely to get at least two starts. He could possibly be up for three starts if the Kings decide to manage Kuemper's workload, or if he shows any lingering effects after losing feeling in his arm following a collision with Rangers' Forward Jonny Brodzinski.

Forsberg has been excellent when given the opportunity this season. In his last three games, Forsberg has a good record of 2-1, a 2.05 GAA and a very good SV% of 0.954. In his 19 appearances, he ranks 14th in GAA>X, 15th in GSAx/60, 16th in SV%>X, 23rd in GSAx and 23rd in WAR. These are very strong numbers for a backup, and they show he has been pretty good at stopping pucks relative to league expectations.

The Kings remain one of the better defensive teams in the league, ranking 9th in xGA over their last 10 games. That structure has allowed both Kuemper and Forsberg to post decent advanced numbers, but this unfortunately hasn't helped Los Angeles score on their opponents.

With Los Angeles playing five games, two light nights and a pair of back-to-backs in next week, Forsberg becomes a good streaming option for volume leagues to chase wins and save volume. He's likely not going to post elite counting stats like a true starter, but his total games should help mitigate any extreme variance in his performances.

If you're looking for a goalie who should give you at least two starts on the busiest team in Week 17, Forsberg is a smart, low-ownership target to grab early. You may want to look at picking him up before the week begins on the off-chance he starts on January 24, 2026 against the Blues.

BANGER BEASTS

Garnet Hathaway

Garnet Hathaway of the Philadelphia Flyers stands out as the prime Banger Beast target for Week 17. When hit hunting in fantasy hockey, Hathaway delivers an elite level of physicality with a high consistency.

The veteran enforcer brings a gritty energy that always produces massive hits. His point production is terrible, but he brings a punishing 3.82 hits per game, and also loves to fight boasting four fighting majors this season. His hit volume makes him one of the most reliable smashers available in banger leagues.

With the Flyers slated for a solid four-game Week 17 schedule, Hathaway should provide around 15 hits if he stays in the lineup and logs his usual ATOI of 10:18 per game. This is exactly the kind of output that can swing close matchups in hits and PIM leagues. He's not going to light up the scoresheet playing bottom-six minutes, but his steadiness in crashing the net and throwing the body is unmatched among similar banger selections.

Snag Hathaway off waivers for a flood of hits and some bonus penalty minutes. I wouldn't hold him much longer past Week 17, but he should get a strong look in the playoffs with the Flyers having a great playoff schedule between Weeks 21 and 24.

DEEPER DARLINGS

Bobby Brink

Week 17's Deeper Darlings pick came down to a few intriguing choices. These included the Los Angeles Kings' Andrei Kuzmenko and the New York Islanders' Anthony Duclair, but Bobby Brink of the Philadelphia Flyers edged them out thanks to his recent hot streak, deployment and elite On-Ice underlying metrics.

The young winger has quietly been building momentum since returning from a brief absence due to injury earlier this month. His last three games showcase the offensive upside that makes him worth an add. His 2 goals, 1 PPP and 6 shots while playing on the Flyers' first powerplay unit made him my favourite deeper league pickup for this week.

Digging into his last five games' advanced stats, Brink's on-ice numbers are fantastic. Ranking among Forwards at a ridiculous 3rd in xGF%, 37th in SF%, and 58th in CF%, this indicates he and his line mates are driving play at even strength and on the powerplay far better than his raw stats might suggest. His individual contributions are more mediocre, but with his OISH% sitting quite low at 12.50% I expect him to continue to produce points as long as he maintains his spot on PP1.

Brink's deployment gives deeper league managers a real shot at secondary scoring with the Flyers facing a four game, two light night Week 17 slate. Bobby has the runway to keep producing if he stays in the lineup and continues benefiting from strong underlying possession numbers.

Don't bank on him exploding into must-start territory, but Brink offers legitimate upside as my Deeper Darling this week. He is especially good at shot generation, and assuming he keeps the current PP1 exposure I expect positive production.

Grab him as a speculative add in Week 17 but monitor his role closely, as he is easily droppable should he get bumped from the Flyers' top powerplay unit.

NEXT WEEK PREVIEW

As mentioned at the beginning, all these players listed can be scheduled with the Fantasy Roundup Automated Waiver Tool when you sign in to your account and sync your league. Do your sleep a favor; work smarter, not harder, and get that edge over your league mates.

To build on the Streaming Planner, the Fantasy Roundup dev team has converted that tool into an all-encompassing Hockey Dashboard. The Dashboard allows you to view your team, make adjustments to your roster positions, view your matchup, make adds and drops natively, without ever having to go to the Yahoo platform. There’s now also a Mobile version of the site.

Up next on our docket, we’re working on adding a trade analyzer to the Hockey Dashboard. Frankly, it is the most robust trade analyzer I’ve ever used. Running a few mock trades, and the Fantasy Roundup Trade Analyzer will provide the trade recommendation, but also break down why a trade could be positive or negative to your team, explaining sustainability, strength of schedule, line assignments, powerplay deployment and more.

Big reminder to go to the comment section and tell me how your picks did this week. We would love to hear feedback from our readers and how we can make ourselves better.

Good luck, and stay stacking!