Fantasy waiver wire: March to the playoffs

Now that the dust has settled on the
2017 NHL Trade Deadline
, we can assess which moves improved the stock of certain fantasy players. With the Colorado Avalanche balking at a potential fire sale, there weren't as many impactful moves made on March 1 before 3 p.m. ET. Either way, there were still players who found greener pastures - including one with the reigning Stanley Cup champions.
The Pittsburgh Penguins defense has been decimated by injuries, the latest to Kris Letang. Joining him is Olli Maatta and Trevor Daley, which forced the Penguins to deal for two veteran defensemen: Ron Hainsey and more recently Mark Streit, who went from the Philadelphia Flyers to the Tampa Bay Lightning to Pittsburgh over the course of a few hours.

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PROJ. GOALIES
Streit (24 percent owned in Yahoo) wasted no time getting on the board with one goal, one assist and four shots on goal in his Pittsburgh debut Friday against the Lightning. He finished with 19:31 of ice time (0:57 on power play) against Tampa Bay, and followed that up with 20:29 (1:51 on PP) with Letang out Sunday in a 4-3 win against the Buffalo Sabres. Streit isn't far removed from scoring 52 points (nine goals, 43 assists) with 30 on the man-advantage for the Flyers in 2014-15. He could have a similar point pace for the Penguins the rest of the season, making him a strong fantasy playoff asset.

The highest profile forward that moved at the deadline was Thomas Vanek (LW/RW; 30 percent owned), who was dealt from the Detroit Red Wings to the Florida Panthers. Vanek has been held scoreless in two games with the Panthers, but has seven SOG and is averaging 1:48 on the PP. His even-strength linemates are third-liners Nick Bjugstad and Jonathan Marchessault, but Florida's power-play personnel is too talented for the unit not to start clicking. When that happens, expect Vanek to start cashing in.

Veteran right wing Jarome Iginla (17 percent owned) was traded by the Avalanche to the Los Angeles Kings, who are starved for offense. It's unclear how much offense Iginla will provide, but he's skating on the second line with Anze Kopitar and Marian Gaborik, so the opportunity is certainly there. Iginla, like Vanek, has been held off the score sheet in two games with Los Angeles but averaged 2:02 on the PP. Eventually the Kings offense should wake up with a favorable schedule the rest of the season, and Iginla could reap the benefits.
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WAIVER WIRE WATCH

TJ Brodie, D, CGY (30 percent owned)

Brodie has turned the corner after a slow start. He has five points and is plus-5 with nine SOG in his four-game point streak for the Calgary Flames, who have won seven in a row. Brodie's plus/minus shouldn't concern you at this point since the Flames are a completely different team from earlier in the season. So you're essentially getting a top 50 defenseman off the wire in March. Brodie, who has scored more than 40 points in each of the past two seasons, should continue to pile up points so long as Calgary keeps winning games.

Patrick Eaves, RW, ANA (25 percent owned)

The Anaheim Ducks acquired Eaves from the Dallas Stars to see if his arrival would spark some of their veteran forwards. He has scored a goal in two straight games and has provided a nice shot volume (12) in three with Anaheim since the trade. Eaves' center has been Ryan Getzlaf, who is having another down year by his standards (48 points in 57 games) but carries bounce-back upside the rest of the way. Eaves isn't exactly top-six material, but he was extremely productive this season alongside Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin in Dallas and is off to a fast start with his new team.

Mathieu Perreault, C/LW, WPG (15 percent owned)

Perreault has been the beneficiary of two elite forwards, Mark Scheifele and rookie Patrik Laine. Playing on the Winnipeg Jets' top line with them has boosted Perreault's fantasy value immensely, with the forward riding a seven-game point streak. He has 11 points (three goals, eight assists) and is plus-8 with 17 SOG during his streak and is tied for sixth in points since Feb. 16. The Jets are scoring goals at a high clip (3.86 per game in their past seven) and Perreault is also on the first power-play unit with Bryan Little, Blake Wheeler and Dustin Byfuglien.

Alexandre Burrows, LW/RW, OTT (4 percent owned)

The Ottawa Senators acquired Burrows at the deadline from the Vancouver Canucks to bolster their banged-up forward group. Burrows scored twice in his Senators debut, a 2-1 win against the Avalanche on Thursday. The veteran is skating on the top line with Mark Stone and Derick Brassard, as well as seeing time on the second power-play unit. The Senators have a favorable schedule down the stretch and Burrows is clearly going to be more motivated playing for a Stanley Cup Playoff contender.

Richard Bachman, G, VAN (1 percent owned)

If you can believe it, the Canucks are still alive in the playoff chase. They sit six points behind the St. Louis Blues for the second wild card from the Western Conference. Bachman got his first start of the season for the Canucks and put the team on his back, making 43 saves in a 2-1 win against the Ducks on Sunday. Backup Jacob Markstrom has a lower-body injury and it's unclear how long that'll keep him sidelined. But at this point Vancouver may have to ride the hot hand and Bachman could see some starts down the stretch. He's more of a streaming option than a long-term pickup.
Other candidates: Conor Sheary, LW/RW, PIT (40 percent); Bo Horvat, C, VAN (22 percent); Adam Larsson, D, EDM (15 percent); Ryan Spooner, C/LW, BOS (11 percent); Ryan Strome, C/RW, NYI (6 percent)