Waiver-Wire Gems to Fuel Your Fantasy Hockey Playoffs Push This Season

With a month left in the season, it's time to make your biggest push of the year. Everyone around you will be trying the same thing in pursuit of a championship. Usually, I advocate for patience, but this is the time of the year where patience goes out the window. 

Your one route to improving your roster is the waiver wire. Rotate out injured players, make moves for hot scorers, and most importantly, don't hesitate. You're looking for every advantage you can get. 

To help your cause, take a look at some underappreciated players who could help make a difference. Again, the goal is to catch a hot streak before it's over. If you've been waiting for a player to find a groove and they haven't yet, they're not going to. Don't let them weigh you down in the playoffs. 

Waiver-Wire Targets Poised for Late-Season Breakouts

The Blue Jackets are one of those teams making a late push, and it's coming from a balanced offense. Charlie Coyle has done his share with 21 points over his last 16 games, though he goes into this week with no points over his last two outings. Still, he'll be needed if Columbus is going to keep up the surge, and he's playing on the top power-play unit. Coyle also adds decent totals in hits and blocked shots to bolster those areas. 

I was interested to see who would step up for the Capitals in the post-John Carlson era, and it looks like it's Rasmus Sandin's turn. Sandin has six points over nine contests since the Olympic break, which is certainly a good sign. He's still limited to the second power-play unit since Jakob Chychrun is on the first. Sandin doesn't have the overall scoring potential to match Carlson, but Sandin's physical play is much stronger, making him a reliable option for category coverage down the stretch. However, keep an eye on how Cole Hutson's arrival changes the balance of power-play minutes -- Sandin could end up getting the short stick again in that situation. 

I'm still on board with Bowen Byram, and that didn't change when the Sabres made additions to their blue line at the trade deadline. Byram has seven helpers, 20 shots on net, nine hits, nine blocked shots and 14 PIM over 10 contests since the Olympics. He's still in a top-four role, and he's looking to get above the 40-point mark for the first time. The Sabres are in a fight for the top of the Atlantic Division, but they have a deep team that can contribute in a variety of ways. Look for Byram to keep churning out offense with a decent count for blocked shots and a good plus-minus rating. 

Defensive Options Bringing Physicality and Category Depth

If you're looking for some extra thump without sacrificing too much offense, take a look at Vasily Podkolzin. He's been in the middle six for much of the season, though there's been some rotating between a line with Leon Draisaitl and one with Jason Dickinson. With seven points over 12 games since the start of February, Podkolzin is doing his part on offense. He's added 45 hits in that span as well, with the physical play being his top trait. 

The Rangers' deadline sell-off opened the door for a couple of players to make bigger impacts. Will Cuylle has continued to be excellent as a well-rounded forward in fantasy, and he's done so with five points, a plus-5 rating, 16 shots on net and 26 hits over his last nine contests. Cuylle is firmly on the second line for now, which is enough of a role for him to be impactful as a power winger. 

For a more pure scoring threat on Broadway, look to Gabe Perreault, who has taken over on the top line in March. He has four goals, six helpers, 15 shots on net and a plus-5 rating over seven contests this month. Perreault didn't do much in the middle of the season, but a larger role is allowing him to thrive alongside Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere. Perreault has a ton of upside at just 20 years old. 

Shane Pinto is making another surge lately, earning two goals, five assists, 17 shots on net and nine hits over his last six contests. The Senators are a bit of a unique team, as they're committed to physical play throughout the lineup, and they also roll three scoring lines. That makes Pinto viable in fantasy from the third line even though he's not getting top billing anywhere. Center is a deep position, but Pinto offers quality production worthy of at least a bench spot. 

The Blackhawks aren't going to make a playoff push late in the season, but they're still putting together some exciting games. While the young players on the team get plenty of highlights, Teuvo Teravainen is more than doing his part as a veteran leader in a top-six role. Teravainen has three goals, six assists and 14 shots on net over nine outings since the Olympics, with five of them coming on the power play. He's an offense-only target, but he is well worth keeping in mind to boost your roster's offense. 

Under-the-Radar Goaltender Sleeper Picks for a Playoff Push

Joel Hofer is still vastly under-rostered this season, sitting at just 34 percent in Yahoo on Sunday afternoon. Hofer has gone 5-0-1 with a 1.64 GAA and a .948 save percentage over six games since the Olympic break. Earlier in the season, he likely would have been pulling away with the starting job, but Jordan Binnington has also upped his game after getting a taste of winning for Canada's silver-medal squad. The Blues are making a late push, and good goaltending will carry them farther than they probably should go. That said, Hofer is the future in the net for this team, and he looks more than capable of keeping up a high level of play. 

You can't often find workhorse goalies on the wire, but Dan Vladar is still out there in just over half of leagues. He has started eight of the Flyers' 10 games since the Olympics, going 4-3-1 with a 2.40 GAA and a .908 save percentage in that span. The Flyers haven't had a lot of tough matchups in that span, but those numbers are mostly in line with his work through a career-high 41 appearances this season. Samuel Ersson hasn't earned any trust, so Vladar should continue to play often down the stretch, which makes him a valuable No. 2 or 3 goalie in most formats. 

Looking ahead, you need to make decisive moves each week. Whether you want to play for rest-of-season potential or just get as many games as possible to boost your numbers, make sure any moves you make align with your strategy. Be mindful of any weekly or full-season move limits that are in place. If you've been aggressive early in the season, you may not have to do as much now. Overall, keep your eyes on the prize and look to gain an edge each week. I'll be back next week to take another look around the waiver wire. 

Stuck between two players available on the waiver wire? Check out the NHL Player Comparison Tool or the NHL Trending Players to help break the tiebreaker on your waiver wire decisions.