Zach Parise and Eric Staal are in a good spot as the Minnesota Wild take on a struggling Winnipeg Jets team.

Hey folks. I am away on vacation, but there are a few names to mull over in the waiver wire. The veteran crop available is pretty substantial, but with the window basically closed to pick up Marian Hossa, set your sights on Eric Staal. The center's scoring numbers been regressing at an alarming rate over the last few years, but seems to have found a new home in Minnesota. Coach Boudreau is giving him too minutes in all situations and Staal has responded with almost a point per game clip over 15 games. Give him a look... is Zetterberg available? Man, he is super injury prone and coming off a knee injury, but has been coming into his own over the last 5 games. He looks pretty healthy to me so snag him if you can... big bounce-back alert for Nick Foligno but can John Tortorella's boys keep up the prolific scoring? Keep in mind Foligno has 4 scoreless efforts in his last 10 contests as his points have come in bunches... that's all I got today! 

NHL IN 30/2016: PART 3 (DET, EDM, FLA, LA, MIN) 1. This could be the year that Detroit’s long-running playoff streak ends.  The team is in a transition mode as Zetterberg gets older and Datsyuk departs to play in the KHL.  Nyquist & Tatar have fallen short on the expectations bar but the jury is still out on these youngsters if they can replace the elder statesmen as leaders.  Larkin made a huge impression last year and will need to battle the sophomore jinx if the Wings intend to compete for a playoff berth.  A lot of young faces (Mantha, Pulkkinen, Athanasiou & Sadowy) and some vets like Vanek & Nielsen were brought in to keep a good balance. Mrazek & Howard man the nets and the Winged Wheel should see some improvement from Mrazek this season.  PLAYOFFS-NO. 2. Looking at this team reminds of the love song from Foreigner and fans are still left waiting for the young talent to mold into a contending NHL team.  An off-season shocker by trading Hall to New Jersey for Adam Larsson may stabilize the back end for years to come.  When you have McDavid leading the offensive troops, I guess someone had to be used as fodder.  The Oil is set down the middle and now need their young wingers to mature, which may take some more seasoning.  Talbot should provide a little more confidence from within the paint as he starts his second year with the team.  Some more growing pains, but positive steps will be taken this season.  PLAYOFFS-NO. 3. The Panthers are starting to round into form now as their creator Dale Tallon has done a magnificent job of transforming the Cats over the past few years. Ageless wonder Jagr along with budding phenoms Huberdeau and Barkov have gained valuable experience and maturity and are now an everyday presence.  Trocheck, Bjugstad & R. Smith need to continue in their development.  Newcomer Yandle brings in some explosive offense from the blue line to complement Ekblad and Luongo is, well, Luongo in net.  PLAYOFFS-YES. 4. The Kings core is as good as any in the NHL and they should continue to be a threat.  Kopitar is still under-rated as far as a top-level NHL center but he is a true leader.  Carter & Toffoli will contribute the most on offense but keep an eye on Pearson with the departure of Lucic should open up valuable ice time.  Doughty, Muzzin & Martinez are as good as any top 3 defensemen in the league and when you have Jonathan Quick manning the crease, well, you know your chances are good night-in and night-out.  PLAYOFFS-YES. 5. The ...

With the trade deadline slowly upon us, a few acquisitions could end up being fantasy relevant after long stretches of dormancy. For starters, Eric Staal received a much needed change of scenery after being traded to playoff bound New York Rangers. While the former Carolina captain has been more relegated to bench duty on most fantasy teams than being available on the waiver wire, he could make for a solid starting option in the coming weeks. The plan is to give him a chance on a line with Derek Stepan and Rick Nash upon his return from injury, which is much better fantasy wise than having him as the 3rd line center. My guess is that a hungry Staal will come out flying in order to prove he still belongs in the pseudo elite class of NHL forwards. The potential taste of playoffs should motivate him... Mikkel Boedker is an intriguing fantasy option given his trade to Colorado. With Alex Tanguay gone in return, the talented German winger is almost a lock for top six minutes with a more talented supporting cast. I would scoop him up if he is out there...   The last guy that I find super interesting is former Oiler and present Penguin, defenseman Justin Schultz. After tearing up the AHL prior to playing for the big boys in Edmonton, he was higly touted as an integral piece of the Oiler's future. A few years later, the 25-year old has regressed mightily but like Staal, might have just needed another home to get him going again. Landing in Pittsburgh seems like a perfect spot for a career revival, especially since Kris Letang has been very injury prone and Schultz represents the best remaining offensive threat from the blueline. Take a flier on him as he is still oozing plenty of offensive upside..

Andrew Shaw has been reaping the rewards of lining up with Jonathan Toews and Marion Hossa, picking up five points over the last four games. Chicago is on a crazy roll, winning 10 straight and here is to hoping coach JQ keeps his lines intact. Shaw is only fantasy worthy when playing with stars,... Alexander Wennberg has been eating up top ice-time on a line with Scott Hartnell and Brandon Saad on the post Ryan Johansen Blue Jackets. He should be good for 25-30 points in the second half.... Kris Versteeg has gained fantasy relevance lately, collecting 6 points over the last 5 games. Life on the top line with Eric Staal has its perks... Robin Lehner returned to the Buffalo crease but came up on the losing end in a 4-1 loss to Boston. Chad Johnson followed up wit an impressive win against the Caps. Lehner should be on your radar but needs to beat out Johnson first.. Hard to figure out the Vancouver goalie situation as a 47- save effort by veteran Ryan Miller lessens the immediate appeal of adding Jakub Markstrom to your fantasy squad. The young Swede should recurve the bulk of the starts moving forward but I do have a feeling Miller will my go away quietly. 

SMC 11-8-2015 If anyone hasn’t noticed yet, the Buffalo Sabres are going to be a tough opponent this year. Especially once Robin Lehner returns and gets into mid-season form. Rasmus Ristolainen is going to be a force for the Sabres power play someday soon. Along with Jake Eichel and Sam Reinhart amongst others, this team will be quite competitive for some time. The LA Kings seem to be on a mission this year which doesn’t bode well for the Western Conference. The window of opportunity of getting any Anaheim Duck player on the cheap is quickly closing with the 4-game winning streak.  They dug themselves a bit of a hole but they are the team who can overcome that in a hurry. Anze Kopitar is going for the CY Young award this season with 5 goals and an assist at this point in the season. Panther fans are still waiting for that late season magic displayed last year with the arrival of Jaromir Jagr.  Growing pains with young talent will always be the case no matter what. Tyler Toffoli with 7 points in past 6 games has arrived.  Mike Condon is almost a splitting image of Carey Price, but not really. Who would’ve thought that the Philadelphia Flyers were going to shut out the mighty Winnipeg Jets?  And can Michal Neuvirth get a win without shutting out the other team?  All three of his wins have come by shutout. Toronto keeps losing but they are playing better.  Just looks bad seeing all those red ‘L’s in a row. Nazem Kadri with 7 SOG still couldn’t beat out Mr. SOG Alex Ovechkin who had 8. Kris Versteeg is leading the Carolina Hurricanes in points with 10.  Shame on you Eric Staal. St. Louis has started Jake Allen 6 games in a row and he has won 5 of those.  Looks like he is ready for full-time #1 duties. Remember Magnus Paajarvi?  He played last night for the Blues.  That’s the second game he has played this season. This Colton Parayko is something else.  Scored on the PP even though Kevin Shattenkirk returned to the lineup last night. Since Filip Forsberg isn’t grabbing the headlines like he did last year, some owners may think he doesn’t have it this season, but he still has 8 points in 13 games.  One good streak and he is on his way.  Buy low? No Parise?  No Problem says Devan Dubnyk.  Just let me go back in time to a year ago and play like I know I can; a 1-0 shutout of the Tampa Bay Lightning. No small feat. I think Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov is ready to break out. The NY Rangers know what they had in their grasps last year and are determined to get back ...

Columbus putting on quite an audition for next fantasy season, Rangers getting stronger, and the Jets keep soaring The Carolina Hurricanes and Buffalo Sabres are playing out their respective disappointing seasons and it may be a few years before either team can be considered legitimate contenders.  They will still have some fantasy relevant players but you will have to put up with some not-so-good plus/minus stats.  On the Canes you have must-start players like Eric Staal and Justin Faulk and an injury-prone Jeff Skinner, but there isn’t much help coming from the youngster although Elias Lindholm has shown flashes of greatness from time to time….Tyler Ennis looks to be sure thing for next season and Zach Bogosian may be fantasy relevant in his new home up in upstate New York but all may rest upon how last year’s Number 1 pick Sam Reinhart plays in camp along with young talent like Johan Larsson and company…Too many things have to happen for wither of these teams to be making a huge jump up in the standings…. The Columbus Blue Jackets continue to show that this season was not meant to be but that they will be a force to be reckoned with for next year.  Sergei Bobrovsky played outstanding in the 4-3 overtime loss to the New York Rangers and it appears he is ready to perform at his Vezina-winning ways once again.  Grab Bobber high in next season’s fantasy draft….Derek Stepan may have missed the beginning of the season but he sure is enjoying quite an end to this season as he propelled the Rangers to their 51st win on the season capping the comeback victory with the tying goal with less than 30 seconds remaining and then the game-winning goal in OT.  The Ranges are not letting up and seem to be getting stronger as they near the playoffs….Henrik Lundqvist made quite a few outstanding saves in this game and appears to be in mid-season form.  Go long with the Rangers in the playoffs!... The Jets are doing everything they can to lock down a playoff spot and they sure helped themselves by blanking the Minnesota Wild 2-0 behind Ondrej Pavelec's 32 saves.  The win puts them a point ahead of the Los Angeles Kings in the wild card race as the Kings lost to Vancouver, another team trying to lock down a playoff berth, 2-1 in a shootout.  What a race we have in the Western Conference!  Calgary was idle last night... In a game with no implications except for possibly the scoring title saw Dallas clobber the Sharks 5-1 with Jamie Benn (2G, A) climbing to within one point...

A few Jets are soaring while under the radar star in Columbus is showing signs: Nail Yakupov RW Edmonton- Under coach Todd Nelson, the youngster has shown some of the massive upside expected of him when drafted early a few years ago. With 7 points in his last 8 games, the 21-year old has been heating up while the oilers play out the string and assess what they have up front. While Eberle, RNH and Hall grab all the headlines, it seems the equally talented Yakupov is getting a second chance with the new coaching regime.    Mark Scheifele C Winnipeg- The Jets are flying and Scheifele offensive production had been a huge reason why. The center has racked up 13 points over his last 12 contests, exhibiting much chemistry lately with new line mates Drew Stafford and Blake Wheeler. With Winnipeg amidst a legitimate push toward the playoffs, it might be prudent to get Scheifele on your roster.  Marko Dano C Columbus- With the Blue Jackets out of playoff contention, The 20-year old has been given an extended role on the big club and not his normal AHL stint with the Springfield Falcons . The youngster has benefited big time from playing alongside Alexander Wennberg and Scott Hartnell, collecting 12 points over his last 18 games. He should continue to produce at that clip while he gets a strong look to finish the year.  Elias Lindholm C Carolina- Another young blue chipper playing for a no playoff bound team, the center has racked up 15 points in last 22 games for the Canes. The next big thing after Eric Staal, expect him to play well for the remainder of 2014-15 before taking a huge leap forward next season. Ondrej Pavelec G Winnipeg- The 27-year old has won four straight and his jets are among the hottest teams in the NHL right now. With rookie Michael Hutchinson far removed from the starting festivities in Winnipeg, there is no better time for a goalie-starved fantasy owner to grab Pavelec. 

Flames never quit; Young guns answer the bell in Carolina; Goalie battle in Chi-town; and more: In a wild affair in Carolina, the Edmonton Oilers jumped out to a 3-goal lead before the hurricanes scored 6 unanswered goals. Elias Lindholm scored three goals and two assists while Eric Staal collected four points of his own. Their output was slightly superior to Ryan Nugent Hopkins(3G) and Jordan Eberle (3A) who provided most of the Oilers offense in this one. Lindholm holds the most promising long term upside, but it's way too early to give up on RNH. A healthy Taylor Hall next year could help him get to the next level. Am less confident of Eberle being more than 30-goal, 60- point producer unless he changes uniforms in the near future.... Huge win for Boston as they sweep the weekend set to strenghen their hold on the 8th playoff spot. Brad Marchand scored another goal, his fifth in four games and is heating up for the stretch run. He could be a worthwhile fantasy addition during his hot streak.... The Devils top the struggling Flyers who were hard pressed to compete after blowing that heartbreaking game Saturday afternoon to Boston. Not much to say here other than MDZ missed the game due to injury and could be sitting for a few, so monitor his situation before setting your weekly lineups. That's if you even needed to play him... A wild game in Ottawa, as the Flames fought back after a third-period four-goal deficit to force overtime. The Senators prevailed in the shootout but no doubt will turn back to Andrew Hammond for Tuesday's contest. As for the Flames, Kris Russell(2G) has turned it up since the Mark Giordano injury. Possibly a sneaky good short-term pickup.. So much for Semyon Varlamov tanking today in Minny after his huge shutout effort yesterday. However, he did leave the game in the third period after suffering an injury, opening the door for a late Wild comeback that ultimately fell short.  Gabriel Landeskog is on quite the roll, collecting 7 points over the last 5 games. Jarome Iginla is also heating up again after a few quiet games. Look for these two to up the ante a bit with Nathan MacKinnon out for the remainder of the season. The Rangers survive a heck of a goaltending duel between Cam Talbot and Chicago's Corey Crawford, winning in OT 1-0 thanks to Derick Brassard's game-winner. What can you say about Talbot as a short-term fantasy beast during Henrik Lundqvist's absence-10-2-3! That a boy...

Dubynk keeps shining; MVP hopes for Nash; two rookie goaltending debuts with opposite endings; and more... What more can you say about Devan Dubnyk? The Minnesota goaltender picked up his sixth shutout of the season in the 4-0 rout of Edmonton, his fifth with the Wild. For those who were lucky enough to grab him via waivers after his trade, enjoy his ride to elite fantasy stardom. For at the least the remainder of this season... In the quest for his first 50-point season as an NHL defenseman, Tyson Barrie collected two goals and one assist to improve his numbers to 35 points in 57 games. His three points equaled his output over the last nine games, so it could be time for Barrie to heat up again. We say he hits 50 plus.... For those who "sold high" on Vladimir Tarasenko based on concerns on whether he was the real deal, we regret to inform you that he is still a fantasy dynamo with greater upside in dynasty formats. His two goals last night gives him 31 on the season including 58 points in 57 games. While not on that earth shattering pace of earlier in the season, Vladdy has collected nine points over the last ten games. .. It was the tale of two rookie goaltending debuts, as Mackenzie Skapski shined for the Rangers while Malcolm Subban floundered for the Bruins. Playing behind Rask and Lundqvist limits even their long-term fantasy value but they have plenty of potential playing at the NHL level.. Are MVP bells ringing for Rick Nash? The winger collected a goal and an assist in the win over Buffalo, giving him 58 points in 57 games. For my money, it's an even split now between Nash and John Tavares... Two struggling veterans posted good numbers last night, as Eric Staal and Mike Cammalleri each had two-point efforts for their respective squads. This marks the second straight season that Staal has struggled offensively, so there are clear signs of statistical regression. Lack of a strong supporting cast hurts, but maybe Staal needs a change of scenery...