The Waiver Wire

Welcome back to another week of The Waiver Wire!  Last week I called out Stammer, the top line of the Stars and the Colorado Avalanche for not delivering on what should be promising offensive seasons.  The second I even typed those out on the computer, Stammer got a hatty, and Benn and Seguin returned to form.  Unfortunately, that pattern didn't also follow the Colorado Avalanche.  At least at this point, any Avs player you should have on your team has a point (unless you have Cody "attempted face puncher" McLeod for PIMs).  So let's take a look at the past week's disappointments, pleasant surprises and my shot in the dark player of the week.

The Disappointments

Ryan Suter - MIN - D - 98% owned

You will get no argument from me that Ryan Suter is one hell of a defenseman.  He does it all but on the fantasy side, depending on your league, he's either been a huge disappointment, or somewhat of a disappointment.  This past week, in two games, he is 0-0-0 and -1.  He only had two hits and two blocked shots in those two games.  For some of you, his saving grace may be his TOI, averaging a ridiculous 30:46 in those two games, which both ended in regulation by the way and the fact that he took 3 shots, which is well, better than the rest of his stats.

Marian Hossa - CHI - RW - 94% owned

I feel like Marian Hossa is one of those players that has quietly played their way to (almost) 1000 points.  Currently he is sitting 996 in 1094 games and has been insanely consistent throughout his career.  Because of this, I obviously expect him to pick up his production.  That being said, in the past two games, he sees to be looking up to Ryan Suter, and matched his 0-0-0 and -1 state line in two games.  In all four games that Hossa has played, he has only put up 1 goal.  Once again, his saving grace for some of you, may be his TOI, averaging 21:33 over those two games

Christian Ehrhoff - PIT - D - 86% owned

I had decently high expectations for Christian Ehrhoff due to playing in Pittsburgh.  The Pens have averaged four goals a game, and Ehrhoff has only one point to show.  In the last week Ehrhoff was 0-0-0 and -1 (do we see a pattern here?) while playing two games.  He only took one shot, had 0 hits but did block 5 shots.  As a defenseman on a very offensively dynamic Pittsburgh team, who is averaging 20:32 per night, he needs to produce more than he is.  He managed to produce at a .45 points per game rate over the past three years on a terrible Buffalo team, I expect him to produce at an equal if not better rate on this Pittsburgh team.

Alexander Semin - CAR - RW - 74% owned

Alexander Semin has scored 20 goals or more, every season of his career except his rookie year (on pace for 16) and the year of the most recent lock out (on pace for 24).  It was tough for me to put him here because he's on Carolina.  Then I glanced into his stat line over the past week.  0-0-0 with an even +/-.  Okay, so maybe he's just having an off week on a bad team.  Nope.  One shot.  One single shot in two games.  This is a player who averages more than 3 shots per game, over his entire career.  And he took one, single shot.  That absolutely won't get the job done, at all.  He has no hits, no blocks, and no positive stats for a fantasy team.  I feel bad for you if you own him.  Not only is he on a bad team, but he's on a team that will most likely break some type of record for man games lost due to injury.  If not, there's got to be some type of record for QoMGLDtI (Quality of Man Games Lost Due to Injury).

The Pleasant Surprises

Tanner Pearson - LA - LW - 48% owned

Tanner Pearson is only averaging 13:18 per night, but he is making every minute of it count.  Currently playing with Tyler Toffoli and Jeff Carter, he has put up 3-1-4 and +3 in three games this past week.  He continues to prove that he is a physical player as well by dishing out 8 hits.  It's obviously unrealistic to expect Pearson to continue to produce like this, but you might as well ride the wave while it's rolling.  At 48% owned, it's obvious that people are already catching on to Pearson so act quickly if he's available in your league!

Mikkel Boedker - ARI - LW - 27% owned

One of the biggest issues with Mikkel Boedker over the years has been his consistency.  He will show up for a week and disappear for two.  His best year came last year where he had 19-32-51.  It's possible that maybe he has found his game at the age of 24 (or that he already had found it, but has been trapped in Phoenix Arizona his entire career).  In the past week he has put up 3-1-4 and +3 in two games (really, just in the one game).  One of his goals was a power play goal, and he had a game winning goal as well.  He'll slow down, but if you need a LW, he may be worth a chance.

Trevor Daley - DAL - D - 14% owned

Trevor Daley has pretty much done it all in the past week.  He's put up a stat line of 2-1-3 and a +1 in three games.  Both of his goals have come on the power play.  He took 6 shots and blocked 10 while averaging 25:31 TOI.   He won't produce like this forever, but still gets blocked shots at a high rate.  Daley is hardly owned, so now is the time to take a low risk high reward on a player that could bolster your blue line for the season.

Matt Beleskey - ANH - LW - 8% owned

Much like Tanner Pearson, Matt Beleskey is making good use of the third line minutes that he is seeing.  Only averaging 14:50 TOI, he has still put up 3-0-3 and is +3 over four games.  He did get more games than most in this time span, but the other reason that I wanted to include him in the pleasant surprises, is that he has 14 hits over those four games as well.  In leagues that factor in hits and goals, Beleskey allows you to have your cake, and eat it too.

Shot in the Dark

John Mitchell - COL - C - 0% owned

John Mitchell just came back from being injured and made an immediate impact (just ask Reto Berra).  All joking aside, he has put up 1-1-2 and is even over the course of two games.  He seems to be meshing well with his line mates, and has been offensively dynamic.  We are all used to Mitchell being "selfish" with the puck, and taking that extra dangle, or looking lost once he enters the offensive zone, but I  have yet to see any of that so far.  Apparently, so few teams own him, that he's 0% owned.  If you need some center depth on your team, and haven't made this home-team pick-up, then I'd suggest considering it.

So who is currently frustrating you?  Who is saving your team?  Find a diamond in the rough on the waiver wire?  Let us know!