NHL Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Players to Target - Saturday, Jan. 20

Gabriel Vilardi, C/RW, WPG at OTT (47% rostered)

A goal against the Isles gives Vilardi five points in his past seven games and this is a great matchup against one of the league's worst teams. Vilardi is expected to play PP1 and L1 with Kyle Connor, who scored a goal upon his return after missing nearly a month of action. 

Bryan Rust, RW, PIT at VEG (44% rostered)
Rickard Rakell, RW, PIT at VEG (43% rostered)

The Knights are missing key players though that hasn't stopped them from limiting their opponents to just a single goal in their past two games. Still, the Knights did allow the Pens to score three in their previous meeting on Nov. 19, and that was with Adin Hill in net. 

Rust and Rakell are both solid options. Rakell plays L1 with Sidney Crosby and Rust plays L2 with Evgeni Malkin, but it's Rust who gets PP1 with both Crosby and Malkin. 

Yegor Sharangovich, C/LW/RW, CGY vs. EDM (42% rostered)
Jonathan Huberdeau, C/LW, CGY vs. EDM (40% rostered)

Sharangovich gains RW eligibility, which has been both a long time coming and also provides maximum flexibility at the forward positions. Sharangovich has the hot hand with seven goals in his past five games while Huberdeau provides the assists. The Oilers are the hottest team in the league right now and won the past three meetings, and the drawback in this matchup is how good Stuart Skinner has been. 

Charlie Coyle, C, BOS vs. MTL (37% rostered)

Coyle's L1 and PP1 role makes this a great streaming play and perhaps a hold for the rest of the season. The Habs usually get destroyed in Boston, having gone 0-6-0 since 2020 with an average margin of defeat that's close to three goals. Since Dec. 27, Coyle has scored 13 points in 12 games. 

Logan Couture, C, SJ vs. ANA (36% rostered)

This is Couture's season debut after missing the first half of the season due to a lower-body injury. He's been practicing with the team since Dec. 19 and expected to skate L2 with Fabian Zetterlund and Alexander Barabanov on his wings, and see time on the power play. 

Whether or not the Sharks will ease Couture back into the lineup remains to be seen, but he's automatically assumed to have a top-six role on a team short on centers. If you're looking for depth at center, the ultra-consistent Couture, even coming back from a significant injury, could be worth a season-long hold with broad multi-category coverage. The Ducks are a good matchup because it means the Sharks at least have a chance to win. 

Jamie Drysdale, D, PHI vs. COL (33% rostered)
Sean Couturier, C, PHI vs. COL (31% rostered)

Drysdale is one of the better streaming options on 'D' playing on the top pair with Travis Sanheim and playing PP2. The Flyers are opting to play Sanheim and Drysdale on the same unit, but note that in their previous game they ended up playing more minutes than PP1 QB Egor Zamula. With the Flyers splitting the time fairly evenly on the power play, Sanheim and Drysdale are not just merely playing mop-up minutes. 

Couturier is a solid option for some points and faceoff wins. He remains their most trusted center. The Avs defense and PK ranks in the top half of the league, but note they've allowed at least three goals in four straight games. 

Casey Mittelstadt, C, BUF vs. TB (32% rostered)

The Lightning have four straight and six of their past eight, and Mittelstadt has scored four points in his past two games. Though Mittelstadt doesn't get the best deployment at even strength, he does play PP1, and no matter where Don Granato plays him, Mittelstadt has shown an ability to score points consistently. Considering how porous the Lightning can be, this isn't as bad a matchup on paper as it looks. 

Dakota Joshua, C/LW, VAN vs. TOR (28% rostered)

The Canucks' depth has the Leafs' beat, and there's no question about that. Joshua has the most fantasy value on the Canucks' third line, with his ability to score goals and provide hits for broad multi-category coverage.

Dylan Strome, C, WSH at STL (27% rostered)
Max Pacioretty, LW, WSH at STL (27% rostered)

Strome and Pacioretty provided two points apiece in their 5-2 win against the Blues in D.C., and received nearly as much ice time as L1 with Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov. The Caps are basically running two second lines, but given the way the season has gone for the Caps, Strome and Pacioretty offer more consistent offensive upside. 

Chandler Stephenson, C, VEG vs. PIT (21% rostered)
Nicolas Roy, C/RW, VEG vs. PIT (2% rostered)

Roy and Stephenson have picked up the scoring with both Jack Eichel and William Karlsson injured. Stephenson is the one to target with L1 and PP1 deployment, but his line with Mark Stone played very poorly in their last game. He's available in most leagues; if not, Roy is a sneaky under-the-radar play.