This article is part of our NHL Waiver Wire series.
For those in head-to-head leagues, Sunday often comes with a scramble surrounding specific targeted categories. You may be well ahead on goals, and well behind on assists, but you're only one back in plus-minus and two back on PIM. That situation is played out week after week, year after year, and the smart GMs always adjust their rosters to suit their weaknesses. The waiver wire is often filled with players that might be weak overall, but have one category which they excel at. As such, they're the category killer -- a one-dimensional player used in the short-term for one key victory.
Keep in mind that this tactic of picking up these players should only be used in critical circumstances, and not as a team-building strategy. It is still a much better plan to take five players who are relatively balanced than to take five single-category wonders; the long-term outlook on balanced players will always yield more results.
That said, if you're headed into Sunday and looking to grab a category killer, check out the cheat sheet below. Most of these players can be had in mid-depth pools and will help you close any gaps you might have.
Goals - Boone Jenner C/W, CLS - Sure, goals are the hardest category to pick a category killer on, because they're often the most coveted players in the league. Jenner with 11 goals in 24 games and an ownership rate just under 50 percent makes him the most available scorer in the top
For those in head-to-head leagues, Sunday often comes with a scramble surrounding specific targeted categories. You may be well ahead on goals, and well behind on assists, but you're only one back in plus-minus and two back on PIM. That situation is played out week after week, year after year, and the smart GMs always adjust their rosters to suit their weaknesses. The waiver wire is often filled with players that might be weak overall, but have one category which they excel at. As such, they're the category killer -- a one-dimensional player used in the short-term for one key victory.
Keep in mind that this tactic of picking up these players should only be used in critical circumstances, and not as a team-building strategy. It is still a much better plan to take five players who are relatively balanced than to take five single-category wonders; the long-term outlook on balanced players will always yield more results.
That said, if you're headed into Sunday and looking to grab a category killer, check out the cheat sheet below. Most of these players can be had in mid-depth pools and will help you close any gaps you might have.
Goals - Boone Jenner C/W, CLS - Sure, goals are the hardest category to pick a category killer on, because they're often the most coveted players in the league. Jenner with 11 goals in 24 games and an ownership rate just under 50 percent makes him the most available scorer in the top 10, but don't look to him for much more than just that finishing touch -- he only has five assists, a minus-seven rating, and 18 PIM in that time. Also, being on one of the worst teams in the league doesn't bode well for his future performance this year; that said, you just need a few goals to win the week, and Jenner has shown he can do that better than anybody else that's likely available to you.
Assists - Mikko Koivu C, MIN - At the center of the Minnesota renaissance has been team captain Mikko Koivu, doing whatever is necessary to help the Wild win. While a perennial performer, his numbers have never been truly astounding. His career-best year was 2009-2010 with 71 points, but the last five years hasn't seen him come within a country mile of that. This year looks like it could be a different story. With 16 assists and 20 points in 21 games, he looks on pace to set career markers in both and is owned in less than one in three leagues. While his performance in the other categories is definitively weak, he's not likely to hurt you elsewhere, and can put up a two-spot in the assist category on any given night.
Plus-Minus - Kevin Klein D, NYR - Really, there's almost no upside to grabbing Klein unless plus-minus is the only category you need to do well on. His six points are underwhelming, and he won't get a whiff of the power play. What he will do -- and has managed to do better than almost any player in the league to this point -- is find a way to keep pucks out of his net, and get on the ice when pucks find their way in the back of the opponent's net. His plus-13 rating in 23 games is one back of league leading Evgeny Kuznetsov and Jeff Carter. Unlike those two, his ownership percentage is in the mid-teens, and nobody is likely to grab him for more than a day or two. So, you know that a catch-and-release strategy likely will pay long-term dividends if your team is weak on this category.
Penalty Minutes - Cody McLeod W, COL - The PIM category is a difficult one to recommend effectively because a lot of the league goons can be real liabilities to their owners. Sure, a five-minute penalty might also come with a minus-four rating, or the prospect of dozens of PIMs at the sacrifice of point-potential elsewhere. McLeod offers a rare blend of defensive responsibility, scoring potential, and PIM production that makes him not only an interesting temporary add, but a potential long-term asset. In 22 games this year, he has seven points and a plus-five rating, along with a fantastic 64 PIM -- second only to Chris Neil in Ottawa. He also has a power play goal, indicating the Avs don't have him so far down the depth chart that hes never going to be productive elsewhere. His ranking in most leagues is in the top 100, and he has ownership levels under 20 percent, meaning you can probably get him now.
Powerplay Points - Mathieu Perreault C/W, WPG - This category is easily the hardest to find; chances are PPP is out of reach if you're scrambling Sunday. If you're really pressed though, look for Perreault. While he's farther down the scoring charts for PPP in the league -- seven vs. Patrice Bergeron's league-leading 13 -- he's the best chance for availability in most leagues. His 15 percent ownership combined with a natural production ability makes him the best hope for making up ground last minute. He's also not a bad choice for a traditional waiver pickup -- his 16 points in 24 games puts him on pace for 50 this year, and he's not a liability on the plus-minus. He can even kick in a few PIM here and there.
Shorthanded Points - Jean-Gabriel Pageau C, OTT - Easily the most aggravating category in fantasy hockey, SHP is incredibly unpredictable and very difficult to target. Nonetheless, nobody does it better in the league than Pageau, and if you're trying to throw up a Hail Mary, there's probably few that would do better than he. He's only owned in 3 percent of leagues, so he's probably always there if you need a specialist, but with only nine points in 22 games, he's not likely to be able to do anything other than offer you a glimmer of hope in the most difficult category to secure with certainty.
Shots - Nazem Kadri C, TOR - While he hasn't been able to do much scoring this year, it's certainly not been for a lack of trying. Kadri sits seventh in league shooting with 89 shots in 23 games, yet, he only has eight points to show for it. His shooting percentage is almost as bad as snakebitten Jakub Voracek, which explains the disconnect between amazing shot totals and terrible scoring. Fortunately, he's only owned in 20 percent of leagues, meaning you can piggy-back his prolific shooting ability right away -- and if he manages to snap out of his slump, all the better.
Game Winning Goals - David Desharnais C, MTL - While SHP seems to be completely random, GWG is just as variable, but easier to predict. Productive players on good teams will typically have more GWG than others, which makes finding a GWG in the free agent pool difficult. Luckily, Desharnais seems to have had a falling out with fantasy GMs in the last few years that can be your lucky day. With an ownership rating of 28 percent, and three GWG in 24 games, the Hab center seems to be the perfect blend of available and productive that might be able to save the day. For what it's worth, anybody with more GWG to offer will never be on the waiver wire -- Evgeni Malkin leads the league with five, and anybody with four has ownership rates above 90 percent.
