Fantasy: Top 10 waiver wire pickups for Week 23

Every Monday during the season, NHL.com will provide the top 10 players to add off the fantasy waiver wire. Based on Yahoo transaction data and other factors including production, lineup and/or injury trends, we have identified appealing options at each position for fantasy owners in season-long leagues.

FORWARDS

Clayton Keller, C/LW/RW, ARI (47 percent): The Arizona Coyotes forward has been a source of fantasy production lately on their first line with Derek Stepan (C, 29 percent) and Richard Panik (LW/RW, 12 percent). Keller scored his 20th goal of the season in their 3-1 loss against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, extending his point streak to four games. He has four points (two goals, two assists) and 13 shots on goal in the span and points in seven of his past nine games. The Coyotes have four games this week, including three favorable matchups against the Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes.

Sam Reinhart, C/LW/RW, BUF (42 percent):The Buffalo Sabres forward scored a goal and had two assists (one on power play) in their 5-3 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday. Reinhart has scored a goal in back-to-back games and has 13 points (six goals, seven assists), three power-play points and 37 SOG in his past 12 games. He is skating on the first line with forwards Ryan O'Reilly (C, 57 percent) and Scott Wilson (C/LW/RW, fewer than 1 percent) and on the first power-play unit with O'Reilly, forward Jack Eichel (C, 91 percent, 115th in Yahoo) and defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen (84 percent, 184th). The Sabres are one of 11 teams with four games this week and play three against non-contenders in the Coyotes, New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens.
Mika Zibanejad, C, NYR (40 percent): The Rangers center scored two goals for the second consecutive game in their 4-3 overtime loss against the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, extending his point streak to four games. Zibanejad has eight points in the span and 11 points (seven goals, four assists) and 29 SOG in his past eight games. He is centering the first line with wings Chris Kreider (LW, 33 percent), who has seven points in his past four games, and Jesper Fast (RW, fewer than 1 percent), who has a five-game point streak. Three of the Rangers' next four games are Metropolitan Division games, and Zibanejad has 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in 16 games against divisional opponents.
Tomas Hertl, C/LW/RW, SJS (33 percent): The San Jose Sharks forward scored his 20th goal of the season and had an assist in their 5-3 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. Hertl has three consecutive multipoint games totaling four goals, two assists and eight SOG and eight points (five goals, three assists) in his past eight games. He is skating on the second line with forward Logan Couture (C, 92nd in Yahoo) and Mikkel Boedker (LW/RW, 5 percent). Hertl has 42 points (20 goals, 22 assists) in 69 games, putting him on pace to break his NHL career high of 46 points in 2015-16. The Sharks play all three of their games this week at home.
Bryan Rust, LW/RW, PIT (10 percent):The Pittsburgh Penguins forward has points in back-to-back games since returning March 14 after missing two games with an upper-body injury. Rust has two goals, one assist and seven SOG in his past two games and has an NHL career-high 36 points (12 goals, 24 assists) in 59 games. He is skating on the third line with Phil Kessel (RW, 7th in Yahoo) and Derick Brassard (C, 32 percent). Pittsburgh plays four games this week, three at home and two against non-contenders (New York Islanders, Canadiens).

Frank Vatrano, C/LW/RW, FLA (1 percent):The Florida Panthers forward scored his fourth goal of the season and had two SOG in their 4-2 loss against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. Vatrano, acquired from the Boston Bruins on Feb. 22, has two goals and 11 SOG in four games with the Panthers. He is skating on the second line with high-end forwards Vincent Trocheck (C, 24th in Yahoo) and Jonathan Huberdeau (LW, 75th) and on the second power-play unit with forward Nick Bjugstad (C/RW, 40 percent) and defenseman Aaron Ekblad (143rd). Three of the Panthers' four games this week are against non-contending teams.
Others to consider: Matt Duchene, C/RW, OTT (50 percent); Erik Haula, C/LW, VGK (49 percent); Nick Bjugstad, C/RW, FLA (41 percent); Nino Niederreiter, LW/RW, MIN; Craig Smith, RW, NSH (31 percent); Kyle Connor, LW, WPG (19 percent); Boone Jenner, C/LW, CBJ (18 percent); Vladimir Sobotka, LW, STL (4 percent); Travis Zajac, C, NJD (2 percent)

DEFENSEMEN

Dmitry Orlov, WSH (24 percent):The Washington Capitals defenseman had four points (one goal, three assists) and two PPP in their back-to-back against the Islanders on Thursday and Friday and has points in three of his past five games (one goal, four assists). Orlov is skating with defenseman Matt Niskanen at even strength and on the point of the second power-play unit. Washington has three games this week, including two against non-contenders in the Detroit Red Wings and Canadiens.

Neal Pionk, NYR (1 percent):The Rangers rookie defenseman had one assist and two SOG in their 4-3 loss against the Blues on Saturday, extending his point streak to four games. Pionk has six assists, two on the power play, and six SOG in the span skating on the first pair with defenseman Marc Staal and power-play unit with forwards Vladislav Namestnikov (C/LW, 59 percent), Mika Zibanejad (C, 40 percent), Chris Kreider (LW, 33 percent) and Pavel Buchnevich (LW/RW, 13 percent). Pionk has 10 assists in 18 games on the season.
Others to consider: Brandon Montour, ANA (42 percent); Jeff Petry, MTL (34 percent); Erik Johnson, COL (24 percent); Ryan Pulock, NYI (5 percent); Dylan DeMelo, SJS (1 percent)

GOALTENDERS

Curtis McElhinney, TOR (25 percent): The Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender has won each of his starts in place of injured starter Frederik Andersen (91st in Yahoo), who is day to day with an upper-body injury. McElhinney replaced Andersen in their 6-5 overtime win against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday and won against the Sabres on Thursday and Canadiens on Saturday. He is 10-4-1 with a 2.09 goals-against average and .936 save percentage in 16 games (13 starts). The Maple Leafs play four games in a seven-day span (Tuesday to next Monday), meaning McElhinney could see playing time even if Andersen returns.

James Reimer, FLA (19 percent):The Panthers goaltender stopped all 46 shots faced in their 3-0 shutout win against the Boston Bruins on Thursday. It was Reimer's first start since a 4-1 win against the Sabres on March 2, and he is 6-2-1 in his past 10 games. The Panthers have the most games remaining in the League (13), including seven against non-contenders and four back-to-back sets. Six of their final 13 games are at home, where Reimer is 10-4-2 with a 2.82 GAA and .918 SV% in 17 games (15 starts).
Others to consider: Philipp Grubauer, WSH (40 percent); Antti Raanta, ARI (40 percent); Juuse Saros, NSH (13 percent); Alexandar Georgiev, NYR (5 percent)

GAMES THIS WEEK:

MOST: ARI, BOS, BUF, CBJ, EDM, FLA, LAK, MTL, NSH, PIT, VAN (4 each)
FEWEST: Rest of League plays 3 each