Weekend Waiver Wire

Most all of the fantasy trade deadlines have come and gone. Thus, the only route for goalie starts from here on out are what you currently have on your roster, or what remains on the waiver wire. What is available in your league will depend on the number of teams and the depth of rosters. Today we will examine some lower owned goalies based on Fantrax and Yahoo ownership that could help you out short term and long term.

Casey DeSmith – Vancouver Canucks (37% owned on Fantrax and 38% owned on Yahoo)
Thatcher Demko was hurt last week and his prognosis is to be out 2-4 weeks. Enter DeSmith, who will now be the number one goalie on one of the better teams in the league during that time period. Over the past 14 days, he has played three games and is 1-0-1 with a 1.95 goals against average, a 0.919 save percentage, 57 saves, and zero shutouts. While he is no Demko, add him with confidence due to the team he plays for. The ratios should be solid most nights, with wins very probable every night.

Jake Allen – New Jersey Devils (28% owned on Fantrax and 15% owned on Yahoo)
Allen has started only one game since being traded to the Devils and it was a very strong and impressive performance against a good Dallas Stars team. He stopped 35 of 37 shots against him, giving him a 0.946 save percentage and a 2.00 goals against average in securing the 6-2 win. While New Jersey has faded the second half of the season and is in danger of missing the playoffs, they will want to evaluate what they have in the crease for next year. Allen makes for a solid option in most formats.

Samuel Montembeault – Montreal Canadiens (47% owned on Fantrax and 22% owned on Yahoo)
Since Jake Allen was traded to the New Jersey Devils, that leaves Samuel Montembeault and Cayden Primeau to man the crease in Montreal. While the Canadiens are in the bottom of the league in the standings, they still need to evaluate what they will do in future seasons for their goaltending. Montembealt and Primeau should split the starts moving forward and in the past 14 days, Montembeault has started three games with a 0-2-1 record, a 2.70 goals against average, a 0.910 save percentage, 81 saves, and zero shutouts. While a risky start most nights, he could provide good ratios and a win again a lesser opponent.

Daniil Tarasov – Columbus Blue Jackets (22% owned on Fantrax and 5% owned on Yahoo)
For the least owned goalie in this article, we spotlight Daniil Tarasov. While he is not on most people’s radar playing for the disappointing Blue Jackets, he appears to be taking over the crease in Columbus. Over the last 14 days, he sports a 2-1-0 record, a 1.81 goals against average, a 0.949 save percentage, 131 saves, and zero shutouts during that time frame. He has started four games to three games started by Elvis Merzlikins, and provided much better ratios in that time frame. He could provide excellent streaming value if you need a spot start during the week.

Good luck to everyone as the fantasy season winds down and the playoffs approach in a few weeks in most leagues!

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