Author: Dave Pitman, FNTSY Analyst
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many injuries to both major contributors and role players have left many rosters hampered. The waiver wire is a tricky place to navigate when chasing those top-teams, but there’s always value to found whether it’s a player returning from injury or the emergence of a young goalie.
Pavel Buchnevich – LW, RW – New York Rangers
Pick up Tyler Bozak while his line remains on a hot streak. Nick Turchiaro/Icon Sportswire
Hello again, old friend.
Pavel Buchnevich is a guy I’ve had my eye on for a while. I wrote about him back on November 14th as a guy to watch out for. He had the potential to be a big piece in the New York Rangers’ top six, and I was really excited about it. He was put on IR the next day… Figures.
It has been about two months since we’ve seen Buchnevich play, but now he’s back! In pog form!
Before his injury, Buchnevich held the longest scoring streak of any rookie this season, and had six points in four games. I didn’t expect him to produce right away, but he picked up an assist in 10:43 TOI, and was back out the very next night for the Rangers in a back-to-back in which he picked up another assist in 17:39 TOI. The increased ice time is a great sign – and you can’t hate that he’s playing with Rick Nash both at even strength and on the power play.
Tyler Bozak – C – Toronto Maple Leafs
Admittedly, I was one of the first on board of the “Trade Tyler Bozak” train dating back a few years. I never give him credit – ever. While I’m still not a big fan, something is happening in Toronto and Bozak has been right in the middle of it lately.
Bozak’s career high is 49 points and he is well on his way to topping that, thanks in large part to a recent surge. In his last five games, Bozak has eight points – a dazzling six of them on the power play. If you’re in a face-off league, Bozak is easily the Leaf’s top guy on the draw, and he’s added 44 face-off wins to go along with the eight points. The line of Bozak-JVR-Marner is on fire, why not go along for the ride?
Austin Watson – LW, RW – Nashville Predators
This may be a longshot considering Watson put up just ten points in 57 games for the Predators last season, and isn’t necessarily known for his offense. Still, Fantasy Hockey is all about taking fliers and scooping up a guy while he’s hot.
Having scored 20 plus times over the last five years in the AHL, Watson has shown he can find the back of the net in spurts. If you’re in a multi-category league, Watson is even more valuable to you right now. In his last four games, Watson has three goals and an assist to go along with ten hits and seven blocked shots. In a recent back-to-back set, he logged 18 penalty minutes as well.
Juuse Saros – G – Nashville Predators
Another guy I touched on a couple of weeks ago that you should take another look at, is Nashville back-up goalie Juuse Saros. In this past summer’s World Championship, he posted two shutouts and carried momentum into the season as the starter in Milwaukee, Nashville’s AHL affiliate, where he owns an .938 save percentage in 13 games. He’s been given a shot at the NHL level and has been incredible (although his team hasn’t always played well in front of him). So far, Saros owns a 4-3-1 record with a .957 save percentage and a 1.25 goals against average. It’s tough for the Predators to ignore Saros’ numbers, and his starts have become more frequent of late, starting one out of every three games.
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