The Waiver Wire: The Twin Cities' Technician of the Tangled Twine

The Waiver Wire – For the Week of January 18 – January 24

Better Than You Think

Devan Dubnyk G, MIN – After tours of duty with some of the worst teams in the NHL, we thought that Dubnyk's time in the NHL might be at an end, and he may get relegated to the minors in perpetuity. It's ironic that he's been able to turn it around this year in Phoenix, and with his recent trade to Minnesota, he may just emerge from the ashes better than ever. His time in Edmonton was filled with promise, but their consistently bad defensive play led to his demise. After being traded to Nashville, where it was hoped he would benefit from their sound system, his blown confidence resulted in a horrific 4.35 GAA / .850 SV% and yet another ticket out of town. After signing what was surely a last-chance contract in Arizona to start the year, his performance was stellar: a 2.72 GAA and .916 SV% to go with a 9-5-2 record on one of the worst teams in the league. In fact, we mentioned him a month ago in this very column as a good bet. With his recent trade to Minnesota – and immediate shutout - for what was tantamount to a sack of pucks, we think he's in fantastic position to secure a starter's position on an unheralded Wild team. Everybody has written the pair off; both are much better than you think, and Dubnyk could be a fantastic add in one of the deeper leagues.

Derek Stepan C, NYR – While he won't be able to get back the time he lost with a broken leg to start the year, he's making up for that in spades. With 29 points in 29 games, Stepan is on pace to finish in the top ten in the league in points-per-game this year. He's also criminally under-owned in many leagues because his rank is far behind others who have more games played. In most leagues, he's ranked around 120th – but if you look at his performance in the last 30 days, he's well below that. Wise GMs already know that ranks don't tell the whole story, and that players with significant injuries throughout the year may very well be the best bargains available. Here's another telling statistic: the Rangers have a winning percentage of .655 with Stepan in the lineup; they're .462 with him out of the lineup. That's a huge swing, and indicative of just how good he is. His current ownership numbers are at 57%, which will certainly not continue given his exceptional performance of late. Get him now.

Good Bets

Clarke MacArthur LW, OTT – The Sens have had a truly forgettable year, and sitting ten points out of a playoff spot, they're in jeopardy of being in "no man's land" come the draft – not in the top five for the draft, but not being in the playoffs either. If Ottawa hopes to advance in the standings, it will come on the backs of players like MacArthur. At the half-way point in the season, he has 24 points to go with 28 PIM and a minus-five rating. None of those stats are exceptional, but, of late, he's found the back of the net far more consistently. In his last nine games, he has eight points and has been a key reason why the Sens have maintained their playoff contention. If Ottawa is considering a rebuild, it's possible that he finds his way out of town in a trade to a contender, which would boost his value significantly. Either way, he's a good player that is deserving of higher ownership numbers than his current 44%.

Martin Hanzal C, ARI – We've long considered Hanzal an enigma: he's far better than his record indicates, but he never seems to be able to break out of the mold that's been cast for him. At 6'6" and 225 lbs. he's absolutely huge, and has the talent and ability to be a preeminent power forward in the league. In his time in Arizona though, he's only been able to hit 40 points once. He takes a ton of shots, and also doesn't mind taking a bunch of penalties – we think he's been beaten down by the defensive system that the Coyotes implement, and his full potential hasn't yet been realized. That being said, he's still putting up respectable numbers: 22 points in 32 games is pretty good alongside 29 PIM. Deep poolies should get him onto their rosters pronto: word out of Glendale is that a full rebuild is coming, and Hanzal will likely be moved should that be true. Landing on a team where he can play more offensively would cause his value to skyrocket.

Toby Enstrom D, WPG – After missing a month and a half with a vague "lower body" injury, Enstrom has rejoined the suddenly dangerous Jets. With the exception of Jacob Trouba, who is expected back in a few weeks, the Jets finally have most of their blue line back from the infirmary – just in time for the stretch run. Sitting seven points up on Flames for a wild-card position, Enstrom's addition is a welcome return, and in the five games since his return, he has four points and four PIM with a respectable plus-two rating. He's also quarterbacking the second power play unit, which is giving him a decent amount of PPTOI, which indicates that this scoring trend is liable to not only continue, but increase. With an ownership level of around 17%, he's under-owned, and should provide a solid return on those willing to invest.

Hidden Gems

Benoit Pouliot LW, EDM – Edmonton has had very little positivity this year, but recently, Pouliot has provided a ray of sunshine onto this otherwise dreary team. After suffering a broken foot in late November, his return has been fantastic, scoring seven goals in his last seven games, including three power play goals and a shorthanded goal, ten PIM and an uncharacteristically-Oiler plus-four. He's been electric, and while it really hasn't helped the outcome (the Oilers are 2-5 in those seven games), it's been something that fantasy GMs may consider investing in. If you're a believer in riding hot streaks, and you're in a league that is goal-oriented, nobody is as hot AND available as Pouliot (he's only 3% owned).

Michael Backlund C, CGY – Speaking of both hot and available, if you're considering the aforementioned, consider Michael Backlund on that list as well. He's missed the last two months with abdominal surgery, but he looks no worse for wear. He has six points in the last four games to go alongside a shorthanded goal and a plus-three. Not too shabby for someone with a fair bit of rust to shake off. He's also 6% owned, which is far too low for someone who should be able to net 30 points the rest of the way, considering his trending, opportunity, and power play time. Whether you believe Calgary is a playoff team or not this year, they will be on the cusp of it for much of the remainder of the season. Backlund will be a key contributor regardless.

Watch

Lance Bouma W, CGY – Now that his center, Michael Backlund is back, Bouma should be one of the key Flames to benefit from his return. While Backlund was in the infirmary, Bouma did little fantasy-wise: ten points in 42 games with 17 PIM. Now that he's back, Bouma has five assists in four games and nine PIM with a plus-six rating. Not too shabby. While we're not advocating running out and grabbing him just yet (even in the deepest of leagues), it's important to watch how the dynamic of the Flames changes, and who the key beneficiaries are. Bouma could well be a good add for a deep roster if his bump in performance continues.

Calvin de Haan D, NYI – The Islanders are finally rounding into a really good team in the NHL after years (or decades) of toiling in the cellar. In fact, this week they took top spot in the Eastern conference for the first time since the early 80s. They've been able to do so on the back of a number of young players, such as de Haan – while his 11 points in 40 games is not terribly noteworthy on the face of it, he's been a consistent improver over this season and the last. It's culminated in his last ten games, where he's registered a goal and four assists, a plus-six and four PIM. He's also getting a few shifts on the power play, and could secure some more time there should things go well. He's a bright star for the Islanders, and should round into a very solid defender for them for the next decade. GMs in keeper leagues should take note: depending on your league setup, de Haan could be a young Letang in the making.

Kyle Palmieri W, ANA – He's having a good year on a good team, and if he can stay healthy, he has the makings of a solid top six forward. While we think Pat Maroon is likely going to stick on the top line for the remainder of the season, the troika of Matt Beleskey and Ryan Kesler with Palmieri is solid, and one of the big reasons why Anaheim has found themselves at the top of the standings. His ownership ratings are fairly low at 3%, and though his ranking is low (mid-400s), he's only played 21 games. During that time, he has 13 points and 27 PIM with 5 PPP. That's pretty impressive, and he's likely still available. Consider picking him up.

Be Careful

Any Leaf – We're not going to be specific right now. Flat out, be careful about investing in any Leaf at the current time. Coach Peter Horachek has them playing much better hockey of late, but the improvement in their own end of the ice has come at the complete abandonment of any production in the opponent's end. The net result has been a road trip where the Leafs have gone 0-4 with precisely one goal scored. The highest scoring team in the league has been relegated to the lowest scoring team in the league in short order, and now there's talk of a major rebuild in the works. Only consider investing in a Leaf if you think he's gonna get dealt to a contender. Otherwise, you're playing with fire.