Waiver Wire: Wolski wowing 'em in Colorado

Poland doesn't exactly boast a wealth of hockey talent in the NHL. In fact, there is just one Polish-born skater currently occupying a roster spot in North America's top professional league. But he is doing enough to carry the reputation of the entire country.

Avalanche forward Wojtek Wolski, who was born in Zabrize, Poland, was named the NHL's First Star of the Week for his performance during Fantasy Week 14 (Jan. 5-11).

Wolski scored four goals, two game winners, and tallied two assists during the last scoring period as Colorado went 3-0. He didn't have a goal in his previous nine games before scoring twice Jan. 6. The catalyst? A change of position.

Wolski has shifted back to his natural position of center after beginning his NHL career as a left winger. Colorado needs Wolski in the middle of the ice with long-term injuries to Joe Sakic and Paul Stastny.

"I'm happy to get the opportunity, and the fact that they did give me a chance at center is great, and I feel very good about it," Wolski told the Denver Post. "I think it's one of those things like riding a bike. Once you've done it for long enough, you're going to get used to it and it's going to come back quickly."

And it has. The 21st pick in the 2004 draft has made a seamless transition back to the position he made a name for himself playing for Brampton of the OHL.

"When he came into the organization, the spot for him to play and develop was left wing. I think we did it right there," coach Tony Granato told NHL.com. "Playing behind Paul and Joe at center, he wouldn't see the minutes he needed to develop. I think it helped him a lot. I think it's easier to come into our league as a winger. You have fewer responsibilities defensively and in faceoffs. He wouldn't have received the minutes playing center, and it would have been tougher."

The thought process all along was for Colorado to eventually move Wolski back up the middle as Sakic's long-tenured career is quickly coming to an end. But with all the injuries Colorado has sustained, the plan was set in motion sooner than expected.

The 22-year-old forward made his NHL debut in 2005-06, but he is in just his third full NHL season. Wolski doesn't have an overly impressive stat line with 25 points and a minus-5 rating in 42 games, but with six points in his last four outings, it seems the best is yet to come.

"When I get the puck in the middle of the ice, I seem to get more opportunities and just feel more comfortable," Wolski told the Post. "I've always been like that; the more I have the puck, the better I usually play."

Add' Em

Matt Stajan, C, Toronto
Owned: 41 percent of leagues
Analysis: We did a Waiver Wire piece earlier this season on the overhaul of the Maple Leafs roster and featured Stajan as one of the few veteran players that Toronto started to rely on. Well, now it's time to fully endorse the Ontario native. Stajan has gained the trust of coach Ron Wilson and has emerged as Toronto's top-line center. He has been a steady hand since late October and has 32 points in his last 32 games. He is on pace for 19 goals and 42 assists for a career-high 61 points. His previous high was 39 points and he is really going to have to stink it up in the final months of the season to not surpass that mark.

James Wisniewski, D, Chicago
Owned: 24 percent of leagues
Analysis: We are not usually in the business of endorsing skaters coming off major knee injuries (torn ACL), as hockey players usually are slow to recover from the injury. And we did put Wisniewski on our Avoid' Em list a few weeks back, but it is just something about Wisniewski that breaks the mold. The 24-year-old defenseman played in his first game Dec. 16 after tearing his knee in July and had three assists against Edmonton. He has just three assists in his last 10 games and no goals this season, however, he has already taken 31 shots and is being overly aggressive on offense under coach Joel Quenneville. Also, Wisniewski has played 20 or more minutes in his last eight games and has logged heavy power-play time. He says he is physically and mentally in top shape, and since Chicago is a contender, Wisniewski could have a decent second half.

Drop' Em

Christian Ehrhoff, D, San Jose
Owned: 74 percent of leagues
Analysis: We didn't want to have to do this, but Ehrhoff is giving us little choice. After totaling 60 Fantasy points in the first six weeks, the fifth-year defenseman has just two points in his last eight weeks. He has two weeks with no points and two weeks with negative points. Ehrhoff has produced practically no offense since late November and hasn't scored a goal since Oct. 18. He is still logging enough minutes in San Jose, but coach Todd McLellan isn't happy. He even benched Ehrhoff for a game to snap him out of his slump, but it didn't work. Fantasy owners can't afford to have this type of production on their team in hopes of Ehrhoff having a strong second half. He had just one 30-point season in his career and is a marginal scorer at best.

Matt Hunwick, D, Boston
Owned: 51 percent of leagues
Analysis: We weren't very fond of Hunwick when he first started playing well for the Bruins and our objections likely looked silly at the time since he posted 14 points in a 13-game span from mid-November to mid-December. But his latest slump is the reason why we warned against Hunwick. He has just one point in his last 13 games. To add further complications, Andrew Ference is expected back from a broken leg later this month. His presence is going to cut into Hunwick's playing time. Do yourself a favor and cut bait with former Michigan Wolverine.

Avoid' Em

Curtis Glencross, LW, Calgary
Owned: 13 percent of leagues
Analysis: Glencross has been pretty strong since returning from a leg injury that kept him sidelined six games. He has three goals and one assist in six games since returning to the lineup. In his second full season, Glencross has found a home in Calgary after bouncing through the Anaheim, Columbus and Edmonton organizations. He has 23 points (eight goals) and a plus-8 rating in 36 games. But here are three reasons we don't like Glencross -- he is not a consistent top-six forward, all his goals have come at even strength and he hardly gets time on the power play. Glencross has been a marginal offensive player throughout his career, so we recommend other players with more upside.

Willie Mitchell, D, Vancouver
Owned: 19 percent of leagues
Analysis: Mitchell's Fantasy value has jumped a few percentage points in the last week after scoring twice during a Jan. 9 game against the Blues. He has four points and a plus-3 rating in his last four games. Mitchell has already set a career-high with 15 points. He has been great in a pairing with Kevin Bieksa, but Mitchell is the defensive guru of the pair. Think of it like Robyn Regehr and Dion Phaneuf in Calgary. As much as we would like Phaneuf's offensive presence to rub off on Regehr, it just isn't going to happen. Mitchell is going to have a nice season, but expectations need to be kept in check.

Craig Rivet, D, Buffalo
Owned: 25 percent of leagues
Analysis: Somehow Rivet's ownership has gone up in the last two weeks and it's very troubling to see that trend. Outside of the fact Rivet has been limited to 24 games because of injuries; he has no goals, five points and a minus-6 rating. He has taken just 21 shots this season and none in his last three games. Buffalo brought him in to possibly replace Brian Campbell as an offensive presence on the blue line, but he has hardly done that. Rivet had 13 Fantasy points Week 2, but has managed six the remainder of the season. Rivet could be on either the drop or avoid list this week and likely the rest of the way out.

Watch 'Em

Nikita Filatov, LW, Columbus
Owned: 43 percent of leagues
Analysis: Filatov has been one of Fantasy's fastest risers in the last week and with good reason. The rookie forward netted his first career hat trick Saturday against the Wild. The 18-year-old Russian was brought up to the NHL after he scored eight goals at the World Junior Championships. He had an earlier stint with the Blue Jackets, but has spent most of the season with Syracuse (AHL) honing his game. However, injuries have really hit Columbus up front and Filatov, the No. 6 pick in 2008, was added to the roster as one of the team's top prospects. Coach Ken Hitchcock calls Filatov a scorer and lauds him for his knack to find the open holes in the defense. We would like to recommend Filatov as a must-add player, but let's not forget he is still a young pup. We might need to see a few more impressive stat lines before he takes center stage in Fantasy.

Max Pacioretty, LW, Montreal
Owned: 12 percent of leagues
Analysis: Much like Columbus, Montreal has dealt with a rash of injuries in 2008-09 and that has forced their hand in making roster moves. One of those transactions was bringing up the 20-year-old Pacioretty. The 2007 first-round pick was playing well for Hamilton (AHL) in his first professional season, but still could have used a little more time down on the farm. Montreal made the call for the former Michigan standout in early January and he hasn't disappointed. He scored in his NHL debut and has amassed four points in six games. Pacioretty appears to be the real deal, but our only concern at this stage is whether or not Montreal will send him back down to the minors once everyone is healthy. He will not benefit from playing less than 10 minutes per game.

Stephen Weiss, C, Florida
Owned: 26 percent of leagues
Analysis: Weiss has been playing well the last few weeks for Florida. He has two goals and nine assists in his last 11 games. Weiss has never shown over his career to be a point-per-game player, but coach Peter DeBoer has him on a line with Cory Stillman and Michael Frolik and it seems to be working. Weiss has really responded to DeBoer's coaching in 2008-09. He has 27 points and a plus-13 rating in 38 games. He has had a slow progression since turning pro, but don't forget he was the fourth overall pick in 2001. Maybe the 25-year-old forward is finally getting his act together.

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