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Fantasy Hockey: Waiver Wire Replacements for Aaron Ekblad

Brock Seguin
Brock Seguin(@Brock_Seguin)
Fantasy Hockey: Waiver Wire Replacements for Aaron Ekblad

The Florida Panthers announced on Wednesday that Aaron Ekblad is going on LTIR with a lower-body injury.

They did not provide details on how long we should expect Ekblad to be out, but the move to LTIR means he will miss at least ten games or 24 days. Since Ekblad was drafted as the No.5 fantasy defenseman at an ADP of 34.4 (late third round), this leaves a massive hole on Fantasy rosters. Below are five names that you should consider adding to help try and replace the value lost with the Ekblad injury.

Justin Schultz (SEA – D) – 18% Rostered

Schultz signed a two-year, $6.0M deal with the Kraken in the offseason and quickly became their PP1 quarterback. Through four games, Schultz has picked up one goal, two assists and eight shots on goal while playing 18:58 ATOI.

Schultz has always been a quality point-producer when given the minutes and PP usage. In four years with the Penguins, he averaged 40 points (8G / 32A) per 82 games, including 16 PPP. Unfortunately, he was relegated to the second PP unit during his time in Washington, and his production was cut in half.

In addition to Schultz, the Kraken’s top power-play unit has some new faces with Matty Beniers and Oliver Bjorkstrand. They have already helped improve the Kraken PP, which was 29th (14.6%) in the NHL last season. They’ve scored six goals in 18 PP attempts (33.3%) so far, and Schultz has factored in on two of those goals (2 PPA).

Brandon Montour (FLA – D) – 18% Rostered

Like Ekblad, Montour is also injured right now. However, he remains on the active roster, and the Panthers already said they don’t expect him to be out long-term. The fact that he wasn’t added to IR suggests he could be back on Friday (vs. TBL) or Sunday (vs. NYI). Before getting hurt, Montour was on the top power-play unit with Ekblad. Now that they’re both out, the Panthers are expected to go with five forwards on that unit. That suggests that Montour will regain his PP1 usage when healthy, and they’re not going to use Gustav Forsling in that spot.

The Panthers’ new coaching staff seems to really like Montour, as we’ve seen his ATOI go from 17:54 last season to 23:20 in the first two games. With Ekblad out, Montour could reasonably see even more usage at 5v5 in addition to his PP1 standing. Montour should help offset the loss of Ekblad in Florida and on your fantasy team.

Calen Addison (MIN – D) – 16% Rostered

Addison was a player that I really liked during the Fantasy Draft process because he was skating on the Wild’s top PP unit in the preseason. He has remained in that role and has had an excellent start to the season, collecting four assists and five shots in three games.

Addison posted huge totals in the WHL and AHL, so he’s primed for the PP1 usage. The Wild’s PP is clicking at 42.9 percent so far, so he’s not going anywhere. Playing on the top unit with Kirill Kaprizov is an easy way to become fantasy relevant.

Filip Hronek (DET – D) – 8% Rostered

I don’t like Hronek as much as the three names above him, but he’s a solid fallback option if they aren’t available. Hronek has posted reliable fantasy numbers in the past and has tallied two assists and seven shots through three games this season. It was tough for him to gain traction last year because the Red Wings loaded up their top PP with Moritz Seider and left Hronek with the scraps on PP2. Detroit is a much deeper team this year and has balanced its units. Now Hronek is on a unit with Dylan Larkin, David Perron and Dominik Kubalik. As long as he’s playing between 21 and 23 ATOI, Hronek seems like a safe bet for 35-to-40 points per season.

Matt Grzelcyk (BOS – D) – 3% Rostered

Grzelcyk continues progressing in his return from shoulder surgery in June and is expected to be back in the lineup very soon. With Charlie McAvoy still out, Grzelcyk could take over for Hampus Lindholm on the Bruins’ top power-play unit. He’s never been a terrific producer in that role, but it’s undoubtedly a power-play unit that could lead to big numbers until McAvoy is back. Again, Grzelcyk is still out, so maybe stream that spot until he’s back, but he’s worth considering when he’s healthy.

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