This article is part of our NHL Waiver Wire series.
With Anaheim wrapping up its five-day bye Thursday, the breaks are complete throughout the league. Edmonton also only plays twice this week, but otherwise each of the 28 other teams all play three or four games. The wonky scheduling is behind us.
The NHL trade deadline is Wednesday, and while there might not be a fantasy upheaval, taking a wait-and-see approach is likely the best plan over the coming days. Additionally, often times it's the players that climb the depth chart after a player is traded from their team that see the biggest value boost and not the players on the move.
If there was one immediate add, it would be Mathieu Perreault. The Jets are stocked with offensively capable talents, and he's currently playing with Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine. It's a dynamic trio.
With that in mind, remember to double-check the availability of players previously covered in this space and keep tabs on the recommended adds in the our Daily Puck articles throughout the week.
Martin Hanzal, F, MIN (Yahoo: 11%, ESPN: 23%, CBS: 21%): Prior to being dealt to Minnesota on Sunday, Hanzal notched seven goals, 11 points and 42 shots over 14 games. The hulking pivot projects to slot in between Zach Parise and Jason Pominville, which sets him up for continued offensive success. Additionally, with Minnesota's scoring depth, Hanzal should see softer in-game matchups now than he did as the go-to center for the Coyotes.
Nick Schmaltz, F, CHI (Yahoo: 5%,
With Anaheim wrapping up its five-day bye Thursday, the breaks are complete throughout the league. Edmonton also only plays twice this week, but otherwise each of the 28 other teams all play three or four games. The wonky scheduling is behind us.
The NHL trade deadline is Wednesday, and while there might not be a fantasy upheaval, taking a wait-and-see approach is likely the best plan over the coming days. Additionally, often times it's the players that climb the depth chart after a player is traded from their team that see the biggest value boost and not the players on the move.
If there was one immediate add, it would be Mathieu Perreault. The Jets are stocked with offensively capable talents, and he's currently playing with Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine. It's a dynamic trio.
With that in mind, remember to double-check the availability of players previously covered in this space and keep tabs on the recommended adds in the our Daily Puck articles throughout the week.
Martin Hanzal, F, MIN (Yahoo: 11%, ESPN: 23%, CBS: 21%): Prior to being dealt to Minnesota on Sunday, Hanzal notched seven goals, 11 points and 42 shots over 14 games. The hulking pivot projects to slot in between Zach Parise and Jason Pominville, which sets him up for continued offensive success. Additionally, with Minnesota's scoring depth, Hanzal should see softer in-game matchups now than he did as the go-to center for the Coyotes.
Nick Schmaltz, F, CHI (Yahoo: 5%, ESPN: 6%, CBS: 23%): The rookie has been flanking Jonathan Toews of late, and Schmaltz has three goals, nine points, nine shots and a plus-12 rating over his past seven games. Additionally, Schmaltz and Toews have clicked for an amazing 4.57 goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five this season. Sure, it's an unsustainably high mark, but there is room for plenty of negative regression before the fantasy value dries up.
Mathieu Perreault, F, WPG (Yahoo: 3%, ESPN: 3%, CBS: 11%): Currently skating with Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine, Perreault's slick offensive creativity is a perfect fit. The 29-year-old veteran has two goals, six points, 11 shots, 18 hits and a plus-five rating through his past four games. Don't forget, Perreault has scored at every level whenever provided a reasonable chance.
Nick Ritchie, F, ANA (Yahoo: 6%, ESPN: 10%, CBS: 18%): While Ritchie's three-game assist streak was snapped, the freshman still chipped in two shots, a minor penalty and a hit. He's been flanking Ryan Getzlaf of late, and Ritchie boasts a cross-category profile that can help in deep leagues, and especially weekly formats that including counting statistics.
Reilly Smith, F, FLA (Yahoo: 10%, ESPN: 16%, CBS: 30%): After posting a 25-goal, 50 point campaign last year, Smith has been dreadful for most of 2016-17. However, with Florida back at full health, the 25-year-old winger has found his offensive touch with a goal, seven assists and 19 shots through his past nine outings. An excellent finish is already in the works.
Jake Gardiner, D, TOR (Yahoo: 48%, ESPN: 52%, CBS: 79%): A retread recommendation, Gardiner sports a four-game point streak with two goals and five assists. His 32 points for the campaign already represent a career high, and while he doesn't stuff the peripheral categories, his offensive ceiling trumps any supporting contributions. After all, Gardiner's 1.46 points per 60 minutes rank 11th among all defensemen with at least 1,200 minutes this year.
Ron Hainsey, D, PIT (Yahoo: 1%, ESPN: 2%, CBS: 4%): While nothing more than a speculative flier for cavernous settings, Hainsey just joined the highest-scoring team in the league and receives a significant fantasy boost as a result. His ceiling is low, but he should provide enough value in the blocked shot, hit and plus-minus columns to see if any offense will come to fruition.
James Reimer, G FLA (Yahoo: 36%, ESPN: 17%, CBS: 26%): With Roberto Luongo sporting a 3-5-1 record, .889 save percentage and 3.95 GAA over his past 10 outings, Reimer could continue to see more starting looks with Florida chasing a playoff berth. Reimer has gone 5-1 with a .935 save percentage and 1.89 GAA through his past seven games, after all. Reimer grabbing the lion's share of starts is probably unlikely, but he's clearly been the better goalie of late.
Players to consider from previous articles: Connor Brown, Mikael Granlund, Bryan Little, Evander Kane, Jake Guentzel, Josh Bailey, Ryan Strome, Rickard Rakell, Anthony Mantha, Marcus Johansson, Frank Vatrano, Anders Lee, Jussi JokinenJason Zucker, Sam Reinhart, Jason Pominville, Nino Niederreiter, Nazem Kadri, Mikko Rantanen, Tomas Hertl, Justin Williams, Matthew Tkachuk, Bo Horvat, Brayden Point, Oscar Klefbom, Jacob Trouba, Dmitry Orlov, Jeff Petry, Nikita Zaitsev, Alex Goligoski, Jared Spurgeon, Dion Phaneuf, Juuse Saros, Philipp Grubauer, Aaron Dell, Carter Hutton
