Every week, we'll mine the waiver wire for lesser-owned assets to help your fantasy hockey squad, whether you favor dynasty or the redraft format, and we'll also toss in some tips for daily fantasy sports players out there. Finally, we will look at some former go-to fantasy assets who might be overvalued -- either in the short or long term -- for one reason or another.
Forwards
Micheal Ferland, LW, Carolina Hurricanes (rostered in 38.3 percent of ESPN.com leagues): While there's no guarantee that Ferland will be a member of the Hurricanes next week, the rumored soon-to-be traded winger is gaining extra value of late. Skating on a scoring line with Teuvo Teravainen and the secondary power play, the streaky producer is back in the swing of things with two goals and three assists in five games. His fantasy value will suffer little harm should he slide into a scoring role with a legit contender, if that's how it shakes out.
Boone Jenner, C/RW/LW, Columbus Blue Jackets (14.4 percent): Truthfully, we're a bit late in sharing our increased fantasy respect for the Blue Jackets' second-line centerman. Splitting wingers Nick Foligno and Josh Anderson (who was featured in this space last week), Jenner collected five points in a string of five recent games. The former 30-goal scorer has use in deeper leagues. After sitting out Saturday's visit to Chicago with a minor ailment, the 25-year-old is expected back in the lineup against the Lightning on Monday.
Pavel Buchnevich, LW/C, New York Rangers (8.5 percent): Like most athletes, Buchnevich is more effective when surrounded by those more talented than himself. This is why we appreciate the 23-year-old a little extra as Kevin Hayes' linemate. While the third-year player's collection of two goals and three assists in six games is hardly jaw-dropping, he's worth monitoring in deeper leagues. See if he gets on a real roll.
Danton Heinen, C/LW/RW, Boston Bruins (2.5 percent): Plugged in to serve on a Bruins top-scoring line with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron in place of an injured David Pastrnak, the second-year pro is enjoying increased chances to dent the score sheet. If power-play production is more to your fantasy liking, veteran David Krejci (available in almost 40 percent of leagues) is Pastrnak's substitute on Boston's No. 1 unit with the man advantage. The 32-year-old has six points in his past three games, including a goal and assist with the extra skater.
Dominik Kahun, C/LW, Chicago Blackhawks (1.7 percent): While our fantasy love for Dylan Strome has been broadcast frequently in this column, his lesser-known linemate merits attention as well. The No. 2 scoring line for Chicago has been a whole lot of fun of late, including the 23-year-old rookie out of Europe. Alongside Strome and Alex DeBrincat at even strength, and as a member of the secondary power play, Kahun has three goals and six assists in eight contests this February.
Luke Kunin, C, Minnesota Wild (0.3 percent): Drafted No. 15 overall in 2016, and brought up from the AHL in December, Kunin is starting to enjoy an increased role with his NHL club. He's also shooting the puck more frequently and has three goals and four assists in seven games this February. Fantasy managers with hurt bodies and holes to fill in deeper leagues might give the 21-year-old talent a look.
Defensemen
Jordan Oesterle, Arizona Coyotes (2.4 percent): From ESPN.com's very shallow pool of available dark-horse defensemen, Oesterle positively sparkles with seven points in seven games -- including two with the extra skater. Seeing minutes on the Coyotes' secondary power play, the 26-year-old should be taken full advantage of as a temporary blue-line substitute before his production dries up once more.
Vince Dunn, St. Louis Blues (13.0 percent): While he doesn't see a ton of minutes, the 22-year-old is shooting the puck and occasionally scoring for the hottest team in hockey. You're getting a point every couple of games from this young sophomore, who's still figuring it all out. While Dunn already has use in deeper leagues, he should be considered more heavily in dynasty competition.
Goaltenders
Curtis McElhinney, Carolina Hurricanes (10.2 percent): Sharing Carolina's net with Petr Mrazek, McElhinney can't be relied upon to start most games for the Hurricanes -- at least not in the here and now. Still, he checks in as a solid fantasy candidate when offered the opportunity. The 35-year-old veteran has been superb in three of four starts, all victories, since returning from a knee injury on Feb. 5. Overall, he's been on a tear since the start of 2019, and the Hurricanes show no hint of slowing down, either.
Malcolm Subban, Vegas Golden Knights (1.3 percent): After having the rare chance to start back-to-back contests, Vegas' No. 2 goaltender is looking to follow up Saturday's stellar win over the Predators with a similar showing in Colorado on Monday. While there's no arguing that Marc-Andre Fleury owns the Knights' net, don't be surprised if the experienced veteran is allowed some time off more often as the season winds down. This should cast some extra glow on Subban as a DFS commodity in particular -- especially if he continues to perform like he did on Saturday versus Nashville.
Lowered expectations
David Rittich, G, Calgary Flames (70.0 percent): Veteran goalie Mike Smith is getting set to start his third straight game for Calgary for the first time in forever. That doesn't portend well for Rittich and his fantasy managers. While Smith could certainly fall to pieces once again, he did play reasonably well in two recent games. The playoff-bound Flames are obviously keen to let their veteran netminder run with the chance to get his act together ahead of what the team hopes will be a long run in the postseason. We'll see how he handles the opportunity, but if you're counting on Rittich, perhaps you should look for goaltending help elsewhere in the meanwhile.