Weekend Waivers: Shallow to Deep Pickups

Each week we have been releasing our Waiver Wire pickups of the week through the Fantasy Minute. Unfortunately our host Ashley Russell is unavailable this week, so I am going to give you a more detailed list of add drops. In the Fantasy Minute, we normally stick to players who have a Yahoo! owned percentage of under 50, but since we are not limited to a one-minute segment here, I will give you a wide array of waiver pickups from the shallowest to the deepest leagues.

***

Marian Gaborik – Los Angeles Kings – LW/RW – 83% OWNED

Gaborik’s start to the year was hampered by injury, and he only posted eight points (4G / 4A) in his first 18 games, but since then he has eight goals and four assists (12 points) in his last 10 games. Of those eight goals, five of which have come on the power-play. He is playing over 17 minutes a night on the Kings’ top-line and top power-play unit, so production should not drop-off from this electric winger.

T.J Oshie – St. Louis Blues – C/RW – 81% OWNED

Like Gaborik, Oshie’s start to the year was nothing to write home about. He had just five goals and seven assists (12 points) in his first 26 games, but he has been on absolute fire as of late. In Oshie’s last seven games, he has six goals and seven assists (13 points), outproducing his first 26 games by one point. The entire Blues team is clicking right now and Oshie will continue to see consistent top-6 minutes as well as top-PP time.

Mark Streit – Philadelphia Flyers – D – 81% OWNED

Heading into this season, Streit had averaged 50.14 points per 82 games in the first seven years of his NHL career. But each year, he seems to constantly be overlooked. I’ve always liked Streit consistent production, but he is even outplaying my expectation. I had him projected for 44 points, but he is on-ace for 54 right now… A heck of a season from a 37-year-old. He is tied for seventh among blue liners with 27 points, but is available in 19% of leagues. He hasn’t missed a game in four and a half years, so he can be relied on to be in the lineup, but you have to be prepared for a mediocre plus/minus

Roman Josi – Nashville Predators – D – 70% OWNED

The 24-year-old Josi had his coming out party last year and is building off of it in 2014-15. Like his fellow countryman Streit, he is tied for seventh in points from a D man with 27 (7G / 20A) and is just one point behind his D-partner Shea Weber, despite being drafted seven rounds later (on average). He doesn’t move from Weber’s side, which means he plays huge top-pair minutes as well as on the top-PP. Given the Predators are more offensive than ever, expect this trend to continue.

Dan Boyle – New York Rangers – D – 60% OWNED

After starting his Rangers career with a broken hand, it took the veteran blue liner some time to get acclimated to his new home in the Big Apple. After a slow start that saw him score just two goals (no assists) in his first 15 games, he has collected two goals and five assists (seven points) in his last seven games. Of those seven points, one goal and four assists came on the power-play. He currently mans the Rangers top-unit and will stay there if this production continues. He is getting up there in age, but in re-draft leagues he is a great waiver-wire addition.

Johnny Gaudreau – Calgary Flames – LW – 56% OWNED

Johnny Hockey had a so-so start to the season as he bounced around lines, but he has now found himself permanently cemented in the Flames top-6 with consistent playing time with the extra man as well. He is small, but possesses great hands and is as shifty as they come which has helped him adapt his game to the NHL. He has 10 goals and six assists (16 points) in his last 17 games and sits second in rookie goal scoring with 13 on the year.

Anton Stralman – Tampa Bay Lightning – D – 45% OWNED

Stralman had never really been in the fantasy conversation with only one season above 20 points coming into this year. But, he has discovered a nice offensive game in Tampa Bay. He won’t do anything crazy, but he has two goals, 16 assists (18 points) and a plus-16 rating on the year. He is a consistent force and has been so solid, he anchors the Lightning’s second PP-unit over Jason Garrison and his rocket of a slapper.

Derick Brassard – New York Rangers – C – 41% OWNED

Brassard was one of the players in the NHL who was hit by the mumps virus, but since returning he has played very well. He has three goals and five assists (eight points) in his last seven games and sits second on the Rangers in scoring with 33 points (11G / 22A) in 36 games. The near point-per-game totals has him on pace to shatter his previous career high (47) in points with 72. Playing on the Rangers top-line next to Rick Nash, who is on-pace for a 50-goal year, should help the points to keep flowing in.

Mathieu Perreault – Winnipeg Jets – C – 13% OWNED

October and November were not kind to Perreault. He had only two goals and four assists in the first 24 games of the season, but since the calendar flipped to December and January, he has tallied eight goals and seven assists (15 points) in his last 16 games. He is available in a ton of leagues and provides nice depth at centre.

Mike Fisher – Nashville Predators – C – 10% OWNED

Fisher is another centre who would provide nice depth to your fantasy squad. Fisher missed the first 21 games of the season after he severed his achilles tendon in the summer. Since returning, he already ranks ninth on the team in scoring with 13 points (6G / 7A) in 19 games. Over his first three and a half years with Nashville he has averaged 26 points over 40 games, and with the year he is currently having with the new-look Predators it is easy to expect 25-35 points in the remaining 42 games for Fisher.

Mike Hoffman – Ottawa Senators – C/LW – 9% OWNED

Hoffman has a lot of speed and an excellent shot which has led the Senators to trust him on the point on their power-play this season. The 25-year-old’s 13 goals leads Ottawa and is tied-for-second among rookies. He is averaging 13:58 TOI on the year, but plays big minutes on some nights. If he can carve out bigger minutes his impact will be even greater.

Melker Karlsson – San Jose Sharks – C – 1% OWNED

Karlsson’s time on the Sharks top-line might be short-lived with Joe Thornton on the brink of returning, but he might have carved out a permanent role on the team. He has goals in four straight games and has a total of nine points (5G / 4A) and plus-4 rating in 13 games since being recalled. He is worth a look in really deep leagues, but he could be sent down as fast as he was moved to the top-line. Also keep in mind that the 50% shooting percentage he has displayed in the last four games is impossible to maintain. That said, Melker Karlsson… I would pick him up for the name alone.