As the season winds down, waiver wire pickups become even more crucial, so it’s vital to pick just the right fit.  PrimePucks™ takes a look this week at some interesting targets.  We have a few surprising options at forward and a few picks on defense that you have heard of Let’s start on defense as we have 4 names that just may pique your interest.  3 are veterans and one is a young, up-and-coming defenseman.  Jack Johnson (7.0% ESPN Leagues) of the Columbus Blue Jackets has always been an intriguing pick on the backend but has always seemed to disappoint in fantasy land. However, this season sees JJ starting to contribute more of late with 4 assists in this last 6 games.  SO maybe he can fill that last defenseman spot on your squad.  Then there is Alex Goligoski (30.5%), another d-man who has disappointed fantasy owners over the years but has contributed in spurts here and there, so he does have the potential.  Being on a last-place Arizona Coyotes team may not tickle your fancy but the Yotes just got Max Domi back off the IR and “Gogo” has 4 points in last 5 games but only 19 points on the season, so his success may hinge on Domi’s.   Matt Niskanen is another defenseman that has the potential to be a big offensive success on the blue line but is relied upon more for his defense until the star offensive d-man on the team goes off for an injury.  But being on a high-powered offense like the Washington Capitals has its benefits and “Nisky” is still available in some leagues with 75.7% ownership. Lastly we take a look on Broadway to see the next potential rising star on the blue line.  Brady Skjei (19.4%) has 25 points in this his first full season with the NY Rangers, so it’s not too shabby considering he is learning to play in the NHL on the fly.  He has 4 assists in last 4 games and 5 in last 6 with 8 points in last 13 games so his offense is starting to pick up.  Any of these four defensemen can help your fantasy squad but some have more risk than others. At forward, there is the Washington Capital pair of Marcus Johansson (66.2%) and Brett Connolly (4.4%) both with 4 goals and 4 assists in the last 7 games.  Being on such an explosive offense means that you can obtain points just by literally being on the ice.  One name that I shy away from only because he is such a streaky player who disappears for lengthy periods of time in Minnesota’s Jason Pominville (33.1%).  Although the Wild are one of the top-scoring teams in the NHL this season, he is such a stressful add-on at this point in the season, that only if you’re desperate would I take a shot.  High risk target, but you never know.  Ride out the streak then drop him like a hot potato. Nashville Predator Victor Arvidsson (43.1%) is a very interesting name here as the Preds have such notable skilled players that Arvidsson’s name doesn’t get included in that conversation.  But, lately the winger has been on fire with 5 goals and an assist in past 5 games with 38 points in 53 games on the season.  He’s scoring for Nashville so why not? St. Louis has righted the ship this past week it seems and with Paul Stastny (58.6%) coming back any day now from IR, this is a good chance to pick up a solid contributor on a good offensive team.  If you have room on your fantasy squad to stash him away to he plays, then do it. One name that has always intrigued me but has never been a consistent contributor is Carolina Hurricane Elias Lindholm (8.6%).  Lindholm always seems to start off the season slow but after the New Year, seems to pick up his game.  We might have to label Lindholm as a second-half player.  The Cane forward has 7 assists n past 5 games and 13 in last 12.  He only has 27 points in 43 games this season so you can see he’s been getting the most of his points lately.  Since it is the second-half and the Canes are fighting for a playoff spot, he’s a low risk pick in my mind with consistent potential going forward. The hottest name available right now is NY Ranger JT miller (75.3%).  Miller has 45 points in 55 games so his production has been consistent throughout the year with some decent hot streaks.  Miller has 10 points in last 8 games, so needless to say, its Miller time! So there you have a good assortment of players, both veterans and youth, that can help your fantasy squad this week and forward.  Good luck and have a great week!