Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire: Picking up Quinton Byfield is a real power play
By Michael Finewax, RotoWire
Special to Yahoo Sports
There are always a slew of players available to pick up off the waiver wire in most leagues as fantasy leagues generally use less than 200 players in their pools. This week I am giving you a couple of players who could be used in shallow pools, two players for deeper pools and a pair of players for deep, deep pools. All stats are through Sunday's games.
Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, Ottawa Senators (48% rostered)
Tarasenko is having a fine season with the Senators, but he could be going elsewhere by the March 8 trade deadline if Ottawa doesn't improve its chances of making the playoffs. Tarasenko has always been a scorer at the NHL level — he's had six seasons with at least 66 points — and while his scoring is a little down this season, he still has 15 goals and 22 assists in 53 contests. Tarasenko is seeing first-line action alongside Brady Tkachuk and Shane Pinto. Another point in his favor is that the Senators still have 27 games left to play this season, tied for the most in the NHL with Pittsburgh and Edmonton.
Quinton Byfield, LW, Los Angeles Kings (47% rostered)
Byfield had three difficult seasons trying to break into the NHL after he was drafted second overall in 2020. Such are the pitfalls of being a power forward. But Byfield finally is coming into his own this season, as the 21-year-old has 18 goals and 42 points in 54 games. Byfield has been playing on the first power-play unit, and it's paid off with five goals and 12 points with the man-advantage. Byfield is only going to get better, which makes him a great keeper in dynasty leagues.
Adam Henrique, C, Anaheim Ducks, (29% rostered)
Henrique is having a fine season with 16 goals and 22 assists in 57 games. His name is also being bandied about in trade rumors, which could hurt his value as he's on the first line and first power-play unit with the Ducks. Henrique has hit the 50-plus point mark twice in his career — with 51 points being his career high — and he is poised to surpass that total this season. Henrique was red hot from Jan. 20 to Feb. 9, when he had four goals and 11 points in a seven-game point streak.
Gustav Nyquist, LW, Nashville Predators, (29% rostered)
Nyquist has three goals and nine points in his last nine games, giving the 34-year-old 15 goals and 46 points in 59 contests. He is headed for the best season in his NHL career — he had 54 points in the 2014-15 campaign — and has reestablished himself as a power-play threat. He is playing on the first line (as well as the first power play) alongside Ryan O'Reilly and Filip Forsberg, a unit which has been one of the better first lines in the NHL this season. Nyquist could easily be taken in both deeper and shallow leagues.
Jonathan Drouin, LW, Colorado Avalanche, (15% rostered)
Drouin has been pointless in his last three games, but he was on fire prior to that, picking up seven goals and 24 points in 28 games. Overall, the third-overall pick in the 2013 NHL draft has 10 goals and 22 assists in 57 contests. He's on the top line with his junior linemate Nathan MacKinnon as well as Mikko Rantanen, who are both top-nine scorers in the NHL this season. Drouin also sees action with the duo on the first power-play unit. Drouin has four goals and 12 points with the man-advantage. It's not often that you can find a first-line forward on a superb line on the waiver wire, but Drouin is still available in 85% of Yahoo leagues.
Bobby McMann, LW, Toronto Maple Leafs, (11% rostered)
McMann has been a revelation of late, with seven goals and 10 points in his last seven games. McMann was just a run-of-the-mill 27-year-old winger in his second NHL season with only two goals and five assists in his first 23 games this season. He had only one assist in 10 games in his rookie campaign. He has been on a streak and he may be worth rostering in your deep, deep league at this time.
