Fantasy Focus: Mining the waiver wire - First line forwards, top power play defenders, heaters, big swings & more

Don’t look now, but we’re suddenly nearly through 15 percent of the season. The sample sizes are beginning to balloon to a size where we can start to predict trends more accurately and focus on some players and opportunities.

As always, the players in this column are usually rostered in fewer than half of all Fantrax leagues. We’ll prioritize players with appealing schedules, but as always, opportunity is king. The placement in the lineup and the surrounding talent to work with will always come ahead of the sheer volume of outings.

There are some hot players to focus on this week, but just as many speculation additions. As far as schedule, Vancouver, Florida, Tampa Bay, and Toronto are four-game clubs with easier opponents or home dates. Colorado and the Rangers each have three at home. We’r