Sometimes there’s no time for chit chat in Fantasy hockey and this is one of times. Why? Honestly, the holiday roster freeze comes later this week and we want to apprise you of the best waiver wire picks before you either forget them or just don’t realize that moves by general managers (real world) cannot be made. It can be a bit of an agonizing time for Fantasy owners too as some decisions are made with those bottom six players as the injured are also on the mend in some cases.

The usual edition of The Wire Troll has not been sacked but condensed in a quicker form this week. All that means is that the explanations are shorter but we have three picks to help you out of your Fantasy pickles.

Tyler Toffoli, RW/C, Los Angeles Kings: How is Toffoli so low as far as ownership rates? Call it a case of some Fantasy hockey owners selling high. However, he still has some value and if you look past his average time on ice, there is still a little more value to be had. That 13:06 ATOI is a big downer and so are those blocks, hits, and even power play points to an extent. However, 15 points in 19 games is a bit hard to ignore, plus he’s shown a penchant for potting big goals (see video below). Also, Toffoli averages over two shots a game in very limited time. If you need a third or fourth centre or right winger, he is at the very least worth taking a shot on this week. After that, his 15 per cent ownership rate may go up again.

Tyler Johnson, C, Tampa Bay Lightning: Some experts are not high on Johnson, but we are. This is because Tampa Bay seems to just find these guys in its farm system (which has been one of the best over the last five years) that can be plugged into top six time. Also, if you toss in a robust ATOI of 17:36, you have the makings of a solid Fantasy player that averages a point every other game. Johnson also averages over two shots a game and averages almost four attempts per contest. He does not hit much but blocks a few shots along with seeing some occasional power play time. That is not so bad to take, right? Right!

Patric Hornqvist, RW, Nashville Predators: Again, this is a gamble but players who average three shots or more on goal per game just are worth it. On a bad offense, Hornqvist is also one of the few legitimate power play and power forward threats which bodes well for the Fantasy owner. He is also only owned in about 10 per cent of leagues. Hornqvist’s only real issues are health and Coach Barry Trotz’s constant power play juggling. If you need a guy that will play some decent minutes, have special teams potential and pop in the occasional goal, then Hornqvist is your guy.

Just as a heads up, the 2013 RotoRob Hockey Awards are coming out next weekend or so, therefore there may not be an edition of The Wire Troll next Sunday. In our Awards, there will be special sections that honour the waiver miss and hit of the year and we hope everyone enjoys it. Good luck this week with your Fantasy leagues along with the Christmas shopping and decorations.

Now it’s your turn. Let us know in the comments below who your favourite waiver wire pick of the week is.

This interesting fact is that the wire this season is a lot less loaded because of all these injuries (46 in the last week alone). Decisions are having to be reached on players that would normally never even get a sniff of a Fantasy roster but yet here we are. What can you do? Is there any hope? Those are excellent questions. more

Does anyone hear us? Gelinas has 10 points in 17 games for the Devils and has probably gained some notoriety among Fantasy owners because times are tough on the waiver wire. When you have a hard shot, you have to get it to the net. Gelinas excels at getting the puck towards the goal and that shot gets results. His play on the other side of the ice has also been welcome. Gelinas is also in the 15-to-20 per cent owned bracket, but that will not last long. more

Stone is one of those players that has a nice shot, but his passing is an iffy proposition at times. The defenseman has a goal almost every other game and does get about two shots a game on the net. That may not mean much, but at the very least he is relatively effective. Stone is another one of those guys owned in 15-to-25 per cent of leagues that is a slightly risky short-term buy. more

So how do we come up with a way to do this? Simple. We take a position and try to rank the three best players that are owned in less than 30 per cent of all Fantasy leagues. That low season ownership almost always translates to low daily start rates. Obviously dollar amounts are dependent on which platform you use, but hey, we are going to take a stab with this. more