The NHL trade deadline has passed and teams have made the necessary moves they feel can lead them into the playoffs -- or, if they're on the other end of the totem pole, can help them build for the future. Fantasy owners should be doing the exact same thing as they head down the home stretch. Most trade deadlines for fantasy hockey leagues are around March 10th and the playoffs should start in the next 4-6 weeks. Waiver wire transactions are crucial as you are either fighting for a playoff spot, a first-round bye or just looking to solidify your roster.

Now is the time to be searching the wire for the players that can do the little things that lead you to a league championship. Most of the significant scorers in the league worth owning should be long gone, so now is the time to shore up team needs such as penalty minutes, plus/minus and other stats that will win you some games here and there. Some leagues count hits, faceoffs and shorthanded points, so you should know what your settings are.

The plus/minus leaders that could be available (and worth adding) in your league are short, but can do more for you then you think. There are some good defensemen to look at that can help you in multiple categories. Adam McQuaid of the Bruins and Steve Montador of the Sabres provide you with a very healthy plus/minus and an equally nice amount of penalty minutes, while providing limited offense. Matt Carle and Anton Babchuk also play plus hockey and provide some offense if you're in need. At forward, you can go after Brad Marchand and Mark Recchi of Boston or James van Riemsdyk of Philadelphia. The trio plays for very good defensive clubs that can also put the puck in the net.

Penalty minutes aren't tough to find but most of these players are one-dimensional such as Islanders tough guy Zenon Konopka. He ices plenty of minutes which only helps him to get more time in the box (he is far-and-away the PIMs leader). Other forwards are Sean Avery and Brandon Prust of the Rangers and Steve Ott of the Stars. All three will also provide you with some offense and special-teams points, whether it be shorthanded or on the man advantage. On defense, once again you can go with McQuaid or Montador and benefit in two categories.

Basically, while you won't be able to find the elite player unless it's in a trade, you can find the supporting cast that can get you into and through the playoffs via the waiver wire. Go find that grinder that can help you put your team over the edge.

Top pick-ups (owned in less than 50 percent of Yahoo! Leagues)

1. Jarret Stoll, C, Kings (33 percent): Stoll has had a very good year for a young Kings team. As the No. 2 center, he has put up 37 points, 34 penalty minutes, 10 points on the power play and 156 shots. He is a plus player on a team that has had very little continuity on the wings. With the addition of Dustin Penner to flank All-Star center Anze Kopitar, Stoll should see a combination of very good wings on his second line. He has 3 points in his last four games playing with Ryan Smyth and Dustin Brown.

2. Sean Avery, LW, Rangers (33 percent): Coach John Tortorella loves Avery's play. He is a spark plug for a hard-working Rangers team. He scored a goal in Thursday's game against the Wild and while he hasn't found a steady line to play with, he has found a way to get playing time as he has 23 points and 127 shots. His biggest asset is the time he spends in the sin bin. With 158 penalty minutes, he can lead your fantasy team down the stretch and add some other stats that might help you win your league.

3. Brad Boyes, RW, Sabres (28 percent): The Sabres acquired Boyes on Monday to help them boost their power-play numbers, and the right wing can do just that with 10 points on the man advantage. In his first game with the team, he netted a power-play goal and skated on a line with Tim Connolly and Tyler Ennis. In a loss to the Canes, he also had a goal and was a plus player. He has 14 goals, 29 assists, is a plus-12, has 30 penalty minutes and 137 shots on goal on the season, and should see steady numbers down the stretch.

4. Anton Babchuk, D, Flames (35 percent): Babchuk was acquired in November along with Tom Kostopoulos from Carolina, and has helped solidify the Flames defense. He is a plus-14 since the acquisition and has 23 points, 10 on the power play. He has 107 shots from the point and 9 points in his last 11 games. Add the blueliner for the playoff run.

5. Ben Bishop, G, Blues (6 percent): With starter Jaroslav Halak out with a cracked bone in his hand and backup Ty Conklin's mediocre play, expect the big goalie to get a shot to start some more games. With a 2-3-0 record, a .913 save percentage, and a 2.60 goals-against average, Bishop has been a good fill-in. Despite 2 losses where he allowed 10 goals on 47 shots, he has shown the ability to shut down an offense, as he did to the Oilers in a 5-0 shutout. Add him if you are in need of some netminding.

RANK	TEAM	3/7	3/8	3/9	3/10	3/11	3/12	3/13
1		Off	vs. EDM	Off	@TOR	Off	vs. ATL	Off
2		Off	Off	vs. LAK	Off	vs. EDM	@STL	Off
3		vs. WAS	Off	vs. CHI	Off	vs. OTT	@FLA	Off
4		Off	@PHX	Off	@SJS	Off	@CGY	Off
5		@TBL	Off	vs. EDM	Off	vs. CAR	Off	vs. CHI
6		Off	vs. BOS	Off	@STL	Off	@PIT	Off
7		Off	@SJS	Off	vs. MIN	Off	vs. COL	Off
8		Off	@MTL	Off	vs. BUF	@NYI	Off	Off
9		Off	@FLA	@TBL	Off	Off	Off	@WAS
10		@LAK	Off	vs. CGY	Off	vs. MIN	Off	vs. LAK
11		vs. DAL	Off	@DET	Off	@CBJ	Off	@DAL
12		Off	vs. BUF	Off	Off	Off	vs. MTL	vs. EDM
13		Off	Off	@ANA	Off	Off	@SJS	Off
14		Off	Off	vs. NYR	Off	@COL	Off	vs. PHX
15		Off	@PIT	Off	@BOS	Off	@TOR	vs. OTT
16		Off	vs. NSH	Off	vs. VAN	Off	vs. NYR	Off
17		Off	Off	vs. ATL	Off	@WAS	vs. CBJ	Off
18		Off	vs. OTT	Off	Off	@ATL	vs. NYI	Off
19		Off	@MIN	Off	Off	vs. ANA	@NSH	Off
20		Off	Off	@CAR	Off	vs. NJD	@PHI	Off
21		Off	vs. COL	Off	@NSH	@DAL	Off	Off
22		Off	vs. VAN	Off	vs. CGY	Off	Off	@ANA
23		@STL	Off	vs. STL	Off	vs. LAK	@CAR	Off
24		vs. CBJ	Off	@CBJ	vs. MTL	Off	vs. DET	Off
25		Off	vs. TOR	Off	Off	vs. BOS	@NJD	Off
26		Off	Off	@DAL	@PHX	Off	vs. VAN	Off
27		Off	@NYI	Off	vs. PHI	Off	vs. BUF	Off
28		Off	vs. CHI	Off	vs. OTT	Off	vs. TBL	Off
29		Off	@PHI	@WAS	Off	@DET	Off	@PIT
30		Off	@NJD	Off	@FLA	@TBL	Off	@BUF