Weekend Waiver Wire

It’s February 23! Believe it or not, there are only 55 more days left until the NHL regular season ends on April 18. To me at least, it seems like it just started a month ago. Oh how time flies!

Most teams have played around 55 games or so, leaving around 27 games left. Today we will examine some goalies less than 50% owned in Fantrax and Yahoo. We all know that these players will get starts in a back-to-back situation usually, but as the playoff picture becomes clearer, these goalies could see an increased workload. Some teams “set” for the playoffs could tend to rest their “A” goalie. Let’s examine some possible waiver options further.

Jonathan Quick – New York Rangers (50% owned on Fantrax and 47% owned on Yahoo)
Quick is probably the top option on this list. He has had a great season spelling Igor Shesterkin. We have also seen an increased workload for him right after the All Star Break, as Shesterkin was given several starts off in a row to “regain” his form after some recent struggles. Quick has taken his role and run with it. For the season, he is 13-4-0 with a 2.36 Goal Against Average, a 0.919 Save Percentage, and two shutouts. The Rangers sit in first place in the Metropolitan division, and second overall in the Eastern Conference. Unless they faulter, their playoff path is clear. This could lead to more starts for Quick. If he is available, look to pick him up for your own personal playoff push. As an additional note, the Rangers have a back-to-back this weekend at the Philadelphia Flyers and at the Columbus Blue Jackets. Another opportunity for Quick and a good matchup either day he starts.

David Rittich – Los Angeles Kings (30% owned on Fantrax and 30% owned on Yahoo)
Rittich is similar to Quick, but more of the 1A now versus a backup. He has performed well as of late. The Kings struggled a bit before the All Star break, but have somewhat righted the ship going 6-3-1 in their last 10 matchups. Los Angeles sits first in the Western Wild card race. They are two points behind Edmonton for third in the Pacific Division. Thus, they are on the bubble and have to have a strong finish to make the playoffs and ward off the teams behind them. Therefore, the Kings should ride the hot hand in goal to push to secure their playoff berth. Over the last 30 days, Rittich has played eight games to Talbot’s four games, putting up a 4-2-1 record, 2.72 goals against average, a 0.907 save percentage, and one shutout. If Rittich can sustain this, he will solidify the Kings chances for their playoff push, as well as yours.

Nico Daws – New Jersey Devils (33% owned on Fantrax and 22% owned on Yahoo)
Daws has taken over the starter’s role since Vitek Vanecek was injured. Daws was also already somewhat pushing for the starting job before the injury. Alas, no one in the Devil’s net has performed well all season. The trade rumors continue to swirl around New Jersey acquiring a goaltender before the deadline. This complicates the role of Daws here. If they make a trade, one of Daws or Vanecek are the odd man out. It’s tough to make that call as to whom, as neither has been “lights out” over the other. Over the past 60 days, Daws has a 6-8-0 record, 3.32 goals against average, a 0.895 save percentage, and zero shutouts. In that same timeframe, Vanecek is 5-3-2, with a 3.00 goals against average, a 0.899 save percentage, and zero shutouts. Vanecek still has an uncertain timeline for his return. Thus, Daws could be a short term flier, with a possible longer term role depending on his performance. Definitely a lot of variables in his situation, making the risk much higher by adding him.

Petr Mrazek – Chicago Blackhawks(46% owned on Fantrax and 34% owned on Yahoo)
Mrazek is the undisputed de-facto number one goalie…………..on the worst team in the league. Being a Chicago fan, I can vouch for this. Their defense has to be one of the poorest I have seen in recent history. Swiss cheese puts up a better defense against a 500 degree fire than the Blackhawks against their opponent. That being said, Mrazek has stood on his head every night and performed rather admirably, all things considered. Over the past 30 days, Mrazek has a terrible 1-5-1 record, but a decent 2.90 goals against average, a 0.918 save percentage, and zero shutouts. The volume will be there with him, just do not expect the wins. There will be the implosion and bad peripherals as well at times. Now that Bedard is back, the team seems to have more of a spark, and has been playing better the past few games. If volume stats are your need, he can play a decent role in getting you that on your team. Just realize that he plays for the worst team in the league, and that they could trade away some defensive players at the deadline, making them that much worse.

Calvin Pickard – Edmonton Oilers (12% owned on Fantrax and 10% owned on Yahoo)
Pickard is the lowest owned player in this article, but he might play for the best team. Stuart Skinner is the clear cut starter on this team. But, Pickard has some sparkling stats when he has had the opportunity to start. Over the past 30 days, he has a 3-0-0 record, a 2.01 goals against average, a 0.926 save percentage, and one shutout. In the same timeframe, Skinner has a 3-3-1 record, a 3.44 goals against average, a 0.844 save percentage, and zero shutouts. Not the best peripherals. Not that there will be a goalie controversy here, but let’s consider that Skinner was just “anointed” the started last year. Before that he was unproven, playing only 50 games last year. He has already played 40 of 53 games this year for the Oilers. That is 75% of the games. That is a rather high percentage in this day and age. If that percentage continues, Skinner would play in 62 games this year. With that being said, I wonder if Skinner is getting a bit worn down? With Pickard’s performance and stats, there is a chance he possibly gets some more starts as the season winds down. To play into this, Edmonton also has a back-to-back this weekend against the Minnesota Wild and the Calgary Flames. Pickard is start the first half of that versus the Wild.

Good luck to everyone this weekend, and in gearing up for your playoff push in your leagues!

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