Waiver wire transactions are the thing that can be the saving grace to your season. Some players find their way here after a slow start, an injury, a line change, etc, but like the old saying goes, one man's trash is another man's treasure. Given the nature of how fantasy sports work and how some players get hot and cold at the best/worst times, you may be able to strike gold through waivers. It is generally a free transaction for you to process if your team is struggling or you need an addition without breaking the bank via trade – the next place to look is your league's free agency pool.

* The top row in the stat tables are the players current stats this year, and the bottom row is their career stats. The power play and short-handed sections are for points in these respective areas. I know last season I was showing roster percentages for the players that I discuss, and I do plan on bringing that back, but I am not in any Yahoo leagues this season so for the time being I will not have their percentages listed for that platform. *

#1) Jack Quinn – RW – Buffalo Sabres
Contract: $863K – 3 Years remaining
Roster Percentages: Fantrax – 60%, ESPN – 6.7%

At the time of the selection in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, the Sabres opted to select Quinn instead of some other popular names that were on the board which included Marco Rossi, Cole Perfetti, Anton Lundell, and Yaroslav Askarov. The Sabres seem to be enjoying this selection much more than I thought they would be, with 10 points in his last 10 games, five of which have been goals; he has been nothing short of stellar. Throughout the team's last 10 games, they are averaging 4.6 goals per game currently with a lot of different players finding their way onto the scoresheet. A team this hot mixed with the chemistry that the trio of JJ Peterka, Dylan Cozens, and Jack Quinn have formed in the Sabres top-six should not be overlooked. While Quinn may not offer a whole lot of category coverage with some shallow hits, blocks, and shot volumes – he is still 21 years old and if your league has any sort of roster rollover between years, he could provide to pay dividends in future years for such a small cap hit. Even in redraft formats, your goal is to build a roster to win and part of that is finding good streaming options throughout sections of the season and at this point Quinn should be considered. Something to note is that Quinn is also currently fourth in rookie scoring, behind Matty Beniers, Matias Maccelli, and Cole Perfetti.

#2) Rasmus Sandin – D – Toronto Maple Leafs
Contract: $1.4M – 2 Years remaining
Roster Percentages: Fantrax – 61%, ESPN – 9.3%

The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds alumnus has been given room to flourish with the absence of Morgan Rielly (injury). As it stands currently, Sandin is manning the top power play unit and that makes him a decent roster addition as he is surrounded by high-end talent on that top unit. Seven points through his last 10 games (two goals), just shy of 2.5 hits per game, over a block each game, and through his last 10 games he has played less than 20 minutes on one occasion. His average time on ice is below 20 minutes on the season, but given his current role, that number will go up for as long as Rielly is out and, as it stands, there hasn't been any update on him beginning skating yet. Similarly, to Jack Quinn, this is a young player with a good future, so if your league values youth in any capacity he should be on your radar currently. With numbers that he is currently putting up, for $1.4M you may not find much better value at the position as it stands.

#3) Mikael Backlund – C – Calgary Flames
Contract: $5.35M – 2 Years remaining
Roster Percentages: Fantrax – 33%, ESPN – 5.9%

Backlund may not be as young as the other two options that I mentioned, but across the board he is a solid fantasy option currently with seven points through his last 10 contests (0 goals) he has found chemistry on the Flames' third line with Adam Ruzicka and Blake Coleman. While having only one point on the power play this season can hinder certain types of production, he is also one of the few players in the league who has good offensive abilities who ends up playing more time on the penalty kill than they do on the powerplay. Averaging 2:19 of shorthanded time per game this season is an underrated stat to view because if your league tracks shorthanded points in your matchups, having those types of players on your bench who mainly play when there is a hole to fill can be a nice swing. I would never bank on that to win you a matchup obviously as predicting shorthanded points is near impossible, all you can do is put yourself in a position to acquire them randomly. As I mentioned, he is on the third line so his value is a little bit limited in that capacity, but the center position in fantasy hockey is flooded with other premium options and having a player like Backlund on the bench as someone who can play up in the lineup in Calgary may not be bad for the time being.

* Honorable Mentions… Dan Vladar (CGY), Shayne Gostisbehere (ARI), Reilly Smith (VGK), Mikael Granlund (NSH), Andrew Copp (DET), Dylan Strome (WSH), Stuart Skinner (EDM), Dmitry Orlov (WSH) *

As I mentioned prior, playing the waiver wire game is just as important as drafting well, it means you're injecting new blood into your team's system for free as opposed to having to go out and make a trade and sacrifice assets for a player that may truly just go ice cold. Playing the waiver wire prior to making a trade is the route I personally explore because you may be able to uncover a hidden gem this way.

If you're looking to discuss anything hockey with me, check out my Twitter account (@JamieMolloy_DH), as well as on the articles themselves!