Crashing the Net – Week 7 Waiver Wire
In this week’s Crashing the Net, we’ll be discussing fantasy additions that should help your team with the busy week ahead. Whether it’s dealing with injuries or a slumping player, we’ve got you covered at every position. Hopefully you were able to add some players from last week’s Crashing the Net, as we hit on players such as Brian Gionta, Andy McDonald, and Dan Cleary.
David Jones – RW, Colorado Avalanche (8% Yahoo! / 33% CBS)
Injuries and more injuries have hit the Avalanche early this season and when TJ Galiardi broke his wrist earlier this month, David Jones stepped up to the first line. After playing in just 23 games last season, Jones can hopefully stay healthy and continue to provide production. His career-high in goals is ten, which he set last year and while Jones won’t produce this numbers consistently this year, he should finish with 40-50 points. Even if Galiardi does return, you can figure Jones will still be on a line with Matt Duchene and Milan Hejduk and that’s still good enough to produce solid points.
Roman Hamrlik – D, Montreal Canadiens (16% Yahoo! / 31% CBS)
With fellow teammate Andrei Markov being out (again) on the blueline, Hamrlik figures to see an extended look on the power play going forward, which is a good enough reason to add him. Even though Roman hasn’t recorded a point in his past three games, playing on a power play unit with the likes of Tomas Plekanec and Michael Cammalleri – it’s just a matter of time before the points start rolling in.
Ondrej Pavelec – G, Atlanta Thrashers (25% Yahoo! / 39% CBS)
Throw out the wins and losses for Pavelec and you’ve got yourself a great starting goalie if your in a deep league. For leagues that have two starting goalie spots, Pavelec is an attractive option and figures to pick up a bulk of the starts for the Thrashers going forward now that he’s fully healthy. Over his last five games, Ondrej is 2-3-0 with a goals-against average of just over 1.50. For the season, Pavelec has a 1.93 GAA and a .939 SV% over 11 games.
Brett Clark – D, Tampa Bay Lightning (4% Yahoo! / 20% CBS)
A reliable healthy option for those in deeper leagues should look no further than Clark. He’s established himself as a the quarterback on for the Bolts on the power play, which ranks third in the NHL at 24.4%. Clark has collected two goals in his past three games and currently sits at six points, which is good enough for sixth best on the Lightning. Oh yeah, he plays with Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis.
Brad Boyes – RW/C, St. Louis Blues (19% Yahoo! / 68% CBS)
I touched on Andy McDonald last week, but Boyes deserves the same attention. Boyes, who is currently on the first line with McDonald and David Backes, has collected 12 points this season and currently has five goals, placing him second on the team with three others. Along with playing on the top line, Boyes has points in five straight games and has scored a goal four of his last five games.
Nazem Kadri – C/LW, Toronto Maple Leafs (6% Yahoo! / 26% CBS)
Kadri hasn’t found his first NHL goal, but he’s registered three points in his last three games. Another benefit for this youngster is the fact that he’s seeing close to 20 minutes of ice time per game while playing with Tyler Bozak and Phil Kessel. Now Bozak hasn’t performed to his fantasy owner’s expectations this season, but playing alongside of Kessel should benefit the youngster. He’s also found power play time for a team struggling to win games and currently sits at 3:27 of PP time per game. He’s a worth a look especially if you play in a keeper league.
Others to Monitor
Justin Abdelkader – LW, Detroit Red Wings
I doub’t Abdelkader’s situation changes, but his production in limited playing time is being noticed. He’s collected three goals and seven total points in his ten games this season. But like I said, his playing situation is limited due to the fact that he plays just around ten minutes per game.
Johan Hedberg – G, New Jersey Devils
The Devils are saying that netminder Martin Brodeur needs “ten days of rest” for his elbow, but we’ve all seen this scenario before with Marty. Not saying that this is the same situation, but until Brodeur is completely 100%, Hedberg will see a bulk of the playing time. Hedberg should be looked at in the deepest of leagues only as an injury replacement.
Mikhail Grabovski – C, Toronto Maple Leafs
After scoring in four of last five games, Grabovski might be the most added in your league, but that doesn’t mean you should drop a slumping star for him. The 26-year old is streaky and didn’t record his first goal until the twelfth game of the season this year. Let someone else waste their waiver wire dealing with his hot/cold streaks.
Devan Dubnyk – G, Edmonton Oilers
If you’ve signed him, you must be really desperate or simply don’t care about goaltending statistics. With Nikolai Khabibbulin out with a groin injury; Dubnyk will get a majority of the starts with Martin Gerber seeing time here and there. It isn’t that Dubnyk isn’t playing well, it’s the fact that he’ll need to be flawless while facing close to 40 shots a night given that he plays for the Oilers. And in case you were wondering, (which I hope you were not) – Gerber isn’t an option for your fantasy team.
You can follow @dailyfaceoff on Twitter for hockey news and notes. You can also follow Reggie on Twitter at @fakehockey. Be sure to check out the Starting Goalies section for your fantasy starters tonight and the Team Lineups page.