Fantasy Waiver Wire: Defensemen Adds by Team Need
If your blue line is dragging down your fantasy roster, this is a good week to shop the waiver wire. Several offensive defensemen are skating big minutes and seeing prime power-play usage, but remain widely available in many leagues. Instead of a generic ranking, we’ll sort these options by what your team actually needs: scoring, power-play exposure, peripherals, or short-week streaming help, with an eye on schedule edges.
What’s New & Why It Matters
The common thread this week is opportunity. John Klingberg is settling into a top-four role with the Toronto Maple Leafs, including time on the first power-play unit. That kind of deployment on an elite offense can quickly swing assists and power-play point races. In Columbus, Adam Boqvist continues to be used as an offensive specialist, with the potential to grab or solidify power-play duties as the season unfolds. Out west, Vince Dunn remains locked into a top-pair, PP1 role for the Seattle Kraken, giving him one of the safest fantasy workloads among available defensemen.
Meanwhile, Tyson Barrie and Tony DeAngelo are hovering in that familiar territory where their fantasy value hinges almost entirely on whether they’re running a top power play. Both can become instant category shifters if their coaches lean into their offensive strengths. With most teams playing multiple games in the upcoming scoring period, these roles and schedule pockets create clear edges for fantasy managers willing to churn the bottom of their defense corps.
Fantasy Implications
Points-Only
If you’re in a points-only setup, you care most about raw production and power-play access. Klingberg is the headliner here. As the primary puck-mover on Toronto’s top unit, he doesn’t need heavy five-on-five usage to be valuable; a few clean zone entries and seam passes to elite finishers can translate into multi-point nights. As long as he holds that PP1 quarterback job, he’s a high-priority add for any team chasing assists.
Dunn offers a more balanced profile. He’s entrenched as a top-pair defender and first-unit power-play option for Seattle, which means strong ice time and a reliable floor. He may not have the same explosive ceiling as Klingberg on a loaded Toronto unit, but his combination of role security and offensive instincts makes him a strong rest-of-season play in points formats.
Boqvist is more of a swing. His offensive toolkit is clear, but his usage can fluctuate. In points-only leagues, he’s best suited for managers willing to tolerate some inconsistency in exchange for upside if he locks in steady power-play work. Barrie and DeAngelo, by contrast, are ideal as short-term points-only plugs when they’re confirmed on PP1; when that changes, their value can evaporate quickly.
Categories / Bangers
In multi-category leagues, you still want those assists and power-play points, but peripherals and volume matter. Dunn stands out because his heavy minutes on Seattle’s top pair naturally lead to more shots and blocks than a pure specialist. He’s the safest all-around category contributor of this group and should be prioritized if you want a steady contributor who won’t leave you empty in secondary stats.
Klingberg is more of a specialist. His value is concentrated in assists, power-play points, and to a lesser extent shots. He won’t help much in hits or blocks, so he fits best on rosters already strong in banger categories but needing a boost in man-advantage production.
Boqvist offers a middle ground: enough offensive upside to matter, with some chance at modest peripherals thanks to his role as an offensive defenseman rather than a sheltered PP-only option. In deeper category leagues, he’s a worthwhile add if you can stomach some volatility. Barrie and DeAngelo are classic streamers in categories: activate them when they’re on PP1 and have a favorable game volume, then move on if their deployment or schedule turns.
Dynasty / Keeper
Dynasty and keeper managers should view these names through a longer lens. Boqvist is the most intriguing long-term piece. His offensive instincts and potential power-play involvement for Columbus give him a path to becoming a consistent fantasy asset if he continues to develop and solidify his role. He’s worth stashing in deeper keeper formats, especially if your league rewards power-play production.
Dunn is already in his prime as a top-pair, PP1 defender for Seattle. In dynasty, he’s more of a win-now and medium-term hold than a speculative stash, but that stability has real value if you’re contending. Klingberg’s appeal in dynasty is more short-window; he’s a strong add for teams chasing a title this season, but his long-term outlook is less certain, so avoid overpaying in future-focused trades.
DeAngelo and Barrie remain situational assets in long-term formats. Their fantasy relevance will continue to ebb and flow with their power-play roles. In dynasty, they’re better treated as streaming or short-term trade chips than foundational pieces. When in doubt, use tools like the NHL Trade Analyzer to gauge whether flipping one of these defensemen for a more stable keeper makes sense for your roster timeline.
Who to Add / Stream / Watch
- John Klingberg – Add (scoring & PP exposure): Top-four and PP1 on Toronto gives him elite assist and power-play point upside, especially in points and categories leagues.
- Vince Dunn – Add (all-around categories): Locked into top-pair and PP1 for Seattle, providing steady offense plus useful minutes-based peripherals.
- Adam Boqvist – Add/Watch (upside play): Offensive defenseman in Columbus with room to grow into a larger power-play role; better for managers chasing upside than pure stability.
- Tyson Barrie – Short-term stream (PP specialist): Deploy when he’s confirmed on a top power-play unit and his team has a busy stretch, then move on when that role fades.
- Tony DeAngelo – Watchlist/stream (situational PP help): Monitor his usage; if he climbs into a primary power-play role, he becomes an immediate add for man-advantage scoring.
Fantasy Takeaways
- If you need pure scoring and assists, prioritize Klingberg as long as he’s running Toronto’s first power play.
- For balanced category help with strong minutes, Dunn is the safest rest-of-season defense add.
- Boqvist is a high-upside, higher-risk option best suited to deeper or dynasty formats.
- Barrie and DeAngelo should be treated as schedule- and role-dependent streamers tied to PP1 usage.
- Match your waiver moves to your category needs and upcoming game volume rather than chasing names alone.
Source: ESPN.com. See the original for full details.