NHL Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Forward Pickups Feb. 25 - Favorable Matchup For Cooley; Young Capitals Capitalize

On every game day this season, THN Fantasy will highlight players and goalies for fantasy managers to stream or roster for the rest of the season. The recommended players and goalies are rostered in less than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues and can be selected in standard fantasy leagues or for daily fantasy games.

Connor McMichael, C/LW, WSH vs. CGY (48% rostered)
Aliaksei Protas, C/LW, WSH vs. CGY (48% rostered)

Both McMichael and Protas are good options, even though they’re facing an excellent goaltender in Dustin Wolf. Both forwards registered points in both games over their weekend back-to-back with McMichael scoring a goal and an assist while Protas added a goal and three assists, and you can feel the Caps’ confidence is sky-high at the moment. McMichael tends to be the better bet because he shoots the puck more and plays PP1 with Alex Ovechkin, while Protas only plays with Ovechkin at even-strength.

Logan Cooley, C, UTA vs. CHI (45% rostered)

Utah’s offense is at full strength and Cooley looked good in his first game back from injury, scoring a goal against the Canucks on Sunday. He played just 13:44 as he was eased back into game action, but the reins should come off against a much lesser opponent in the Hawks. He’s playing PP1 and L1 with Clayton Keller.

Evgeni Malkin, C/LW, PIT at PHI (41% rostered)

Malkin scored three points in two games this past weekend and faces a Flyers team that’s certainly better but still a little shaky on defense and in net. He’s historically played well against the Flyers in his career (91 points in 75 games) and offers a lot of offensive upside even at his current age.

Matvei Michkov, RW, PHI vs. PIT (41% rostered)

When it comes to young players on hot streaks, strike while the iron’s hot. The Penguins allowed 13 goals in two games over the weekend and Michkov scored three points against the Oilers on Saturday. His ice time will fluctuate under John Tortorella, but he’s an offensive dynamo who can hopefully take advantage of the Pens’ woeful goaltending. He’s yet to score a point against the rival Pens through two games and that should change soon.

Marco Rossi, C, MIN vs. DET (41% rostered)

Rossi scored two points in the first game of their home-and-home series and here’s hoping he does the same. He’s the Wild’s top scoring option at center and fills multiple categories with scoring, faceoff wins, and a modest amount of hits and blocks. He’s up to 49 points in 57 games in the midst of a breakout season.

Pavel Buchnevich, C/LW/RW, STL vs. SEA (39% rostered)

The triple-position eligibility is nice, but what’s really nice has been Buchnevich’s play in February with seven points in six games and averaging over 20 minutes per game for the first time this season. The Kraken can be stingy, but the Blues have also had little trouble scoring goals lately. Buchnevich has been attached to top center Robert Thomas’ hip and play together on both even strength and on the power play.

Dmitri Voronkov, LW, CBJ vs. DAL (34% rostered)
Adam Fantilli, C, CBJ vs. DAL (31% rostered)
Kent Johnson, C/LW/RW, CBJ vs. DAL (22% rostered)
Boone Jenner, C/LW, CBJ vs. DAL (20% rostered)

Tough matchup but few teams have been able to stop the Jackets’ offense this season, which ranks ninth in goals per game (3.25). Voronkov pitched in two helpers in his previous game against the Hawks, and skates opposite top scorer Kirill Marchenko with Fantilli on their top line.

Johnson and Jenner are good options as well for points and goals/hits, respectively, and play together on L2 with Johnson getting an added bonus playing PP1.

Will Cuylle, LW/RW, NYR at NYI (29% rostered)

This is the type of high-stakes rivalry matchup where the game’s expected to be very physical, which suits Cuylle’s style. He’s quietly put together a solid season with 15 goals, 104 shots and 212 hits, which ranks third overall in the league. He’s playing L2 and PP2 with Alexis Lafreniere.

Troy Terry, C/RW, ANA at BUF (22% rostered)

If you’re thinking this could be a high-scoring game, Terry’s a great option playing with Ryan Strome and the high-volume shooting Frank Vatrano at both even strength and on the power play. Terry’s provided an assist in each of his past two games while averaging 19 minutes. His play has been trending up over the past two months, scoring 25 points in 29 games since Dec. 1.

Marco Kasper, C/LW, DET at MIN (8% rostered)

Kasper scored a goal and an assist against the Ducks and now has 15 points in his past 20 games. He’s found a nice spot on L1 with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond as a complementary player, though long term he’s likely their (very good) 2C. The downside is Kasper plays PP2 instead of PP1, but he’s been one of the best under-the-radar point producers over the past month.

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