Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire: Playoff Push Adds by Team Need

With the fantasy playoffs looming, the waiver wire isn’t about grabbing the biggest name—it’s about filling specific holes on your roster and squeezing value out of every game. The players below are all widely available in many leagues and can help in different ways, from power-play boosts to cross-category coverage and short-week streaming.

What’s New & Why It Matters

The common thread with this week’s top targets is opportunity. Jordan Spence has locked down the top power-play quarterback role for the Ottawa Senators, turning that deployment into real production. Up front, Artturi Lehkonen is back in a scoring role for the Colorado Avalanche, while Mikael Granlund and Alexander Wennberg are quietly piling up points in top-six and PP1 usage for their clubs. On the wing, Lawson Crouse offers rare category coverage for Utah, and in net, Jordan Binnington has stabilized the crease for the St. Louis Blues with strong post-Olympic form.

As the schedule tightens, these roles matter more than ever. Top-unit power-play time, heavy even-strength minutes, and reliable starts can swing a playoff matchup. Think in terms of needs: do you require pure scoring, man-advantage exposure, gritty peripherals, or just bodies on light nights to maximize games played?

Fantasy Implications

Points-Only

If you’re chasing raw offense, prioritize forwards in strong offensive environments and PP1 roles. Lehkonen stands out here: a top-six winger on Colorado who has rediscovered his scoring touch alongside elite linemates is exactly the kind of late-season add who can swing a matchup with multi-point nights. His floor is elevated by consistent deployment, and his ceiling rises whenever Colorado’s top unit gets rolling.

Granlund and Wennberg are more subtle but just as useful in points-only formats. Granlund’s combination of top-six minutes and first-unit power-play time in Anaheim gives him steady assist and secondary scoring potential. Wennberg, meanwhile, is flirting with a career-best season in San Jose, driven by power-play usage and a prominent offensive role. Both are ideal if you need stable, low-drama production rather than boom-or-bust swings.

On the back end, Spence is a classic points-only gem. Any defenseman running a top power play—especially one who is already converting that role into recent production—deserves strong consideration. Even if Ottawa’s overall offense is streaky, the volume of touches Spence gets on the man advantage gives him a high assist ceiling and access to secondary points on every Senators goal with the extra man.

Categories / Bangers

In multi-cat leagues, you’re not just chasing points—you’re balancing hits, shots, blocks, and special-teams production. Crouse is tailor-made for this environment. Skating in a scoring role for Utah, he can chip in goals while also contributing the physical stats that are often hardest to find on waivers. If your playoff matchup looks tight in hits or shots, Crouse can move the needle while not being a zero on the scoresheet.

Granlund’s value is enhanced in categories formats thanks to his multi-position eligibility and across-the-board contributions. Being able to slot him at multiple forward spots makes it easier to maximize games played on busy nights, and his mix of assists, power-play points, and decent shot volume fits well on balanced rosters.

Spence is especially valuable if your league counts power-play points, shots from the blue line, or blocks. A top power-play defenseman who is also trusted at even strength can quietly rack up PPP and peripheral stats while giving you a stable floor in blocks.

In goal, Binnington is a priority add for managers needing wins, saves, and ratios. His strong stretch after the Olympics suggests he’s in form at the right time, and St. Louis leaning on him in their own playoff chase should translate into consistent starts. That volume, paired with improved play, is exactly what you want in head-to-head playoffs where a hot goalie can decide a week.

Dynasty / Keeper

Most of these names are more impactful for the current playoff push than for long-term building, but there are still dynasty angles to consider. Spence is the clearest long-term asset: a young defenseman already trusted with the top power-play job in Ottawa is someone you can justify stashing beyond this season, especially in leagues that reward offensive defensemen.

Lehkonen’s value in keepers depends on your format. He’s not a pure star, but his consistent top-six usage on a high-powered Colorado team gives him steady keeper appeal in deeper leagues, particularly if your format rewards playoff reliability and multi-year role stability.

Granlund and Wennberg are more short- to medium-term pieces. Their current roles—top-six and PP1—are valuable, but both are more likely to be streaming or depth keepers than core building blocks. In dynasty, they’re the type of veterans you cycle through as needed rather than long-term anchors.

Who to Add / Stream / Watch

Jordan Spence (Add – PP exposure, D): Top power-play quarterback in Ottawa with recent production makes him a priority for managers chasing PPP from the blue line.
Artturi Lehkonen (Add – Scoring, F): Back in Colorado’s top six and producing alongside elite linemates, ideal for points-only and scoring-starved rosters.
Mikael Granlund (Add – Versatile categories, F): Top-six and PP1 usage in Anaheim plus multi-position eligibility gives him strong all-around category and schedule flexibility.
Alexander Wennberg (Add – PP points, F): Driving offense and nearing a career-high in points in San Jose, with PP1 time boosting his assist and PPP upside.
Lawson Crouse (Add/Short-term stream – Peripherals, F): Cross-category contributor for Utah who brings hits, shots, and enough scoring to swing banger matchups.
Jordan Binnington (Add – Goalie depth, G): Post-Olympic surge and workhorse role for St. Louis make him a strong late-season add for wins and volume.

Fantasy Takeaways

If you need scoring, target Lehkonen, Granlund, and Wennberg—each is locked into a top-six role with power-play exposure and recent production.
For power-play help, Spence and Wennberg stand out as accessible PP1 options who can quickly boost your PPP totals.
Managers chasing peripherals should prioritize Crouse and Spence, who combine counting stats with enough offense to avoid dragging you down elsewhere.
If your biggest weakness is in goal, Binnington’s strong post-Olympic form and heavy workload make him a high-impact late-season add.
Use multi-position players like Granlund to exploit schedule edges, maximizing games played on lighter nights during the fantasy playoffs.

Source: Rotowire. See the original for full details.