Dawson Mercer, Casey Mittelstadt, Gustav Nyquist and the possible return of Gabriel Vilardi highlight Thursday's recommended fantasy hockey waiver wire pickups.
Dawson Mercer, C/RW, NJ at PHI (24% rostered)
That's more like it with consecutive multi-point games for Mercer. Playing with Jack Hughes and Tyler Toffoli has been a huge help, and half of Mercer's total points this season have come in the past two games. The Flyers can be stingy and tough, but they are no match for the Devils' elite scoring talent and won't be able to keep them off the board barring an excellent performance from Carter Hart.
Casey Mittelstadt, C, BUF at STL (19% rostered)
Mittelstadt scored three points against the Rangers, extending his points streak to five games while centering Jeff Skinner and Alex Tuch on the top line. He had formed a productive partnership with JJ Peterka on the second line, and no offense to Peterka, but Skinner and Tuch offer much more upside in fantasy. The Blues have allowed at least three goals in five of their past seven games.
Nov 20, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators left wing Filip Forsberg (9) celebrates his goal with Nashville Predators center Ryan O'Reilly (90) and Nashville Predators left wing Gustav Nyquist (14) against the Colorado Avalanche during the third period at Bridgestone Arena.Gustav Nyquist, LW, NSH vs. MIN (17% rostered)
There's still plenty of room on the Gus train. He played 23:11 (!) against the Pens and scored an assist, extending his points streak to nine games. This matchup might be tougher than expected after the Wild won 3-1 in John Hynes' debut, but no line has been hotter than Nyquist's with Ryan O'Reilly and the vastly underrated Filip Forsberg.
Charlie Coyle, C, BOS vs. SJ (40% rostered)
That's seven points in six games for Coyle, who overtakes Pavel Zacha as the Bruins' top scoring center. This is a favorable matchup with the Bruins winning all 12 of their previous matchups dating back to 2017.
Michael Bunting, LW, CAR vs. NYI (32% rostered)
The Isles defense is thin and their defensive breakdowns are constant, which is good news for a depth scorer with speed to burn like Bunting. He's scored five points in his past four games playing on the top line with Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis.
Gabriel Vilardi, C/RW, WPG vs. EDM (14% rostered)
Keep an eye out for Vilardi, who has not been activated off IR as of Wednesday night but practiced on PP1 with Nikolaj Ehlers, dropping Cole Perfetti and Alex Iafallo to PP2. Vilardi also skated L4, which indicates the Jets will likely try to ease him in as he returns from an MCL injury that nearly cost him the season. Prior to his injury, Vilardi looked very good on the top line and generated unsustainably elite possession numbers. Even factoring a regression, he should be an excellent source of offense.
J.T. Compher, LW/RW, DET vs. CHI (32% rostered)
Compher didn't hit the scoresheet Wednesday against the Rangers but played almost 22 minutes in Dylan Larkin's absence, who's expected to miss this game as well. The Blackhawks should be a much easier opponent than the Rangers, who held the normally dependable Compher to just three faceoff wins and two shots. He'll fare much better against Connor Bedard and what little depth the Hawks have down the middle.
