Fantasy: 3 players to watch on the waiver wire
Every Sunday, we examine 3 players you should consider picking up from the waiver wire in your pool.
As the 2015-16 NHL season moves along, many fantasy managers are being left behind with injuries and unproductive roster pieces. Thankfully, there are many capable options to help fill the void left by those underachieving draft picks and keepers.
Here are three players to consider picking up this week:
Flyers G Michal Neuvirth: 3-2-1, 1.81 GAA, .945 SV%
Owned in 29% of Yahoo leagues
The Philadelphia Flyers came into the season with a clear-cut number one goalie in Steve Mason, but the once-obvious scenario has turned into a question mark. Mason has struggled with a 2-4-2 record, 3.34 goals-against average, and .902 save percentage. The Flyers often fall behind early when Mason is in goal, as he has given up a first-period tally in five of seven starts. The door has opened for 27-year-old Michal Neuvirth, and he has come in with authority.
In seven starts this season, Neuvirth has posted a 3-2-1 record, 1.81 GAA, and .945 save percentage, which has him tied with Henrik Lundqvist for the league lead. He also sits atop the NHL with three shutouts, his most recent coming Saturday when he made 28 saves to blank the Winnipeg Jets. It was the lowest shot total the Flyers have allowed all season, making his early numbers even more striking.
It's time to stop referring to Neuvirth as a backup goalie, at least while Mason's struggles continue. With a career .913 save percentage, which includes a solid .918 mark during a 27-game stretch with the last-place Buffalo Sabres a season ago, it's possible Neuvirth is the 2015-16 version of Devan Dubnyk.
With a week that will see a pair of games against two of the NHL's lower-scoring teams in the Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes, there's no better time to take a chance on the Czech.
Canadiens F David Desharnais: 5 G, 9 A, +8, 23 SOG
Owned in 24% of Yahoo leagues
David Desharnais is a notoriously slow starter, but that's been far from the case this season. The 29-year-old forward sits tied for second on the high-scoring Montreal Canadiens with 14 points, playing on a red-hot third line with Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann. With consistent opportunities on the power play, it's undoubtedly a good time to claim the speedy center.
If back-to-back games with a clutch, third-period, game-winning goal isn't an indication of his value, look no further than the underrated numbers throughout his career: In 355 games, Desharnais has recorded 225 points, an average of 52 per season.
He tends to experience a rise in production late in the season, and that makes it even more important to snag him now. In 2011-12, he recorded 25 points in the final 31 games of the season. In 2013-14, after putting up just one assist in the first 19 games of the season, he finished by recording 51 points in the final 60.
His hot start, as well as his usual point trend, illustrates that he's primed to threaten his career-best 60-point season. Playing on a team that leads the league with 59 goals (nine more than the second-place Dallas Stars), there will be endless opportunities for him to continue producing.
Bruins F Frank Vatrano: 1 G, 0 A, +1, 3 SOG
Owned in 2% of Yahoo leagues
It's rare for a player who isn't owned in 98 percent of leagues to merit any consideration as a fantasy pickup, but Frank Vatrano is an unusual case. The 21-year-old undrafted forward inked a deal with the Boston Bruins last season, and has climbed the ranks within the organization at a rapid rate ever since.
After leading the American Hockey League in scoring with 10 goals in 10 games, a pair of injuries made it simple for the Bruins to recall the rookie. He delivered immediately, scoring a second-period go-ahead goal in his first NHL game against the Canadiens on Saturday. He logged just over 14 minutes of ice time, and was on the ice late in a tie game while playing on a productive line with Loui Eriksson and the team's leading scorer, David Krejci.
It's evident that Vatrano is graced with a knack for scoring goals, and with an opportunity to produce early on, he could become the home-run pickup you dream of bragging to your fellow managers about.