In this week's Eastern Edge, we'll discuss waiver wire options from the Islanders and Senators – two teams with lots of games left on their schedules.

New York Islanders

The Islanders have played just 39 games to date, leaving them with a league-leading 43 games left to play. They'll be much busier than others in the second half, as most teams have 35-37 games left on their schedules. More games to play means more opportunity to produce. As such, adding an Islander to your fantasy roster could help you maximize your games played and boost your production down the stretch.

Brock Nelson

The 30-year-old center has been sidelined for a couple of stretches this season. First it was because of a lower-body injury and then it was due to COVID-19. He's been able to play for a consistent stretch recently and seems to be finding a rhythm. Nelson returned from COVID protocol on January 13^th and leads the team with nine points in 11 games since then. He's displayed a knack for goal scoring in recent years – a valuable asset in fantasy leagues, where goals are harder to come by than assists.

Changing gears for a second, there are a few things to keep in mind if Nelson's on your fantasy radar. For starters, he has six power-play points in 30 appearances, which seems to suggest that you can count on him for a fair bit of production with the man advantage. However, he's seeing just 44.5% of New York's PP time, which isn't conducive to long-term power-play success. Fortunately, Nelson has put up strong even-strength numbers in recent years and should still be able to produce without a prominent power-play role. However, if your fantasy roster's main need is power-play production, there are probably better options than Nelson. Another thing to note is that his current shooting percentage of 20.6 may be slightly difficult to maintain down the stretch. With that being said, he's proven to be an efficient shooter in recent years, maintaining a 15% success rate in each of his last two campaigns. As such, I don't think his offensive output will completely fall off a cliff as a result of regression. Nelson is still available in 81% of Yahoo leagues and makes a great option in deeper leagues down the stretch.

Anthony Beauvillier

The 24-year-old winger got off to a strong start this season with seven points in his first eight appearances. Unfortunately, that strong start was overshadowed by a shocking slump that saw him go 14 games without a point. He's since broken out of that slump, posting a respectable eight points in his last 14 outings. Beauvillier has flirted with a 50-point pace in each of his last two seasons, showing good offensive ability in the process. I think he has the individual talent to bounce back from this poor start with a better showing in the second half. We saw a similar pattern last season when he started with six points in his first 19 outings before tallying 22 points in 28 games down the stretch.  

Ottawa Senators

The Senators have the second-most games remaining, sitting at their midpoint, with 41 games behind and 41 more ahead. Like the Islanders, Ottawa can help you maximize your games played and boost your production down the stretch. With Drake Batherson sidelined long-term and Josh Norris out for at least a few weeks, some guys will have to take on bigger roles over the next little while. As such, Ottawa should have a few hidden gems sitting on the waiver wire in your fantasy league.

Connor Brown

The 28-year-old winger has 21 points in 27 appearances this season, which translates to 64 points over 82 games. He's established himself as a reliable top-six forward and is trusted with nearly 20 minutes of action per game. He should see some time on the team's top power-play unit while Batherson and Norris are sidelined. Brown is currently available in 82% of Yahoo leagues and should be a strong waiver wire addition as he'll have plenty of opportunity to produce down the stretch.

Tim Stützle

The third overall pick from 2020's draft will be tasked with a bigger role while Batherson and Norris are sidelined. We've seen it already as Stützle has averaged nearly 21 minutes of action in the five games since Batherson got injured. Stützle has taken great strides since the beginning of the season, and I think he has a strong second half ahead of him. He started slowly with one goal in his first 20 games but bounced back with seven in his next 20. He provides surprising value in leagues that count hits, racking up 70 in his 40 appearances this year.

Alex Formenton

Offense didn't come easy for Formenton during the first two months of the season. The 22-year-old forward posted just three points in 16 games to start the year, skating 13 minutes a night. He's taken great strides since then and has the numbers to prove it: since the beginning of December, Formenton has 17 points in 22 outings, seeing 15 minutes of action per game. He's recently been trusted with a power-play role and should see even more time with the man advantage going forward while Batherson and Norris are sidelined. He continues to fly under the radar, currently rostered in just 7% of Yahoo leagues.