Trevor Connelly, Kent Johnson and Jacob Fowler Lead the NHL Waiver Wire After Saturday's 14-Game Slate

Saturday's 14-game NHL slate gave fantasy managers plenty to react to before the new scoring week. Vegas rookie Trevor Connelly had a goal and an assist from a spot on the Golden Knights' top power-play unit. Columbus winger Kent Johnson scored in overtime for his third straight game with a goal. In Montreal, Jacob Fowler started again over Jakub Dobes and won in overtime against Buffalo.

Here are the adds worth making now, with the usage behind each one. Rostership varies by platform, so check your league before putting in claims.

Trevor Connelly, F, Vegas Golden Knights

Connelly is the most important add this week because his role has changed. The 20-year-old moved onto the Golden Knights' top power-play unit after Victor Olofsson got hurt. He is playing alongside Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, Mark Stone, Tomas Hertl and Shea Theodore. Vegas coaches have described the spot as a shooter's position, and Connelly has been producing from it. One report has him at four goals, three assists and 20 shots through his first 10 NHL games.

On Saturday, he scored and added an assist in a 6-2 win over Pittsburgh, while Stone had a goal and two assists and Eichel and Marner had two assists each. Vegas is 8-2-0 and has scored six goals in each of its last two games. At even strength, Connelly is still on the third line with Hertl, so his value depends on keeping the power-play job. That role is worth having in any league that counts power-play points or shots. He is a priority add in 12-team leagues and up.

Kent Johnson, F, Columbus Blue Jackets

Johnson's overtime winner Saturday was the only goal in a 1-0 win over the New York Rangers. He one-timed a cross-ice pass from Zach Werenski at 3:26 of overtime. Johnson has now scored in three straight games and has four goals in six games this season. He also had points in each of Columbus' first two games, so the production has been steady since opening night.

The Blue Jackets are 3-3-0 after snapping a two-game skid, and a forward finishing passes from Werenski deserves a look. Johnson is a strong add in leagues of 12 teams or more and a streamer in shallower formats.

Goalies: Fowler holds the Montreal net

Montreal recalled Fowler from AHL Laval after Samuel Montembeault was hurt in practice. Since then, Fowler has taken over the crease. He made 30 saves and stopped all six Detroit shootout attempts in his second career NHL shutout. He started again Saturday and made 23 saves in a 4-3 overtime win over Buffalo, with Cole Caufield scoring twice, including the winner 54 seconds into overtime. Montreal is 4-3-1 and has won three of its last four.

Dobes, who started three straight games to open the season, has gone 1-1-1 with a 4.43 GAA and an .857 save percentage. Montembeault is out until at least Oct. 20. Montembeault's return could create a three-goalie problem, so expect Montreal to keep its options open. Even so, Fowler has the hot hand and the more recent starts. He is the best goalie add this week for managers who need starts.

Goalie streams: Jet Greaves and Pyotr Kochetkov

Jet Greaves stopped all 29 Rangers shots in Columbus. It was his fifth shutout in 77 NHL starts and his first since Feb. 4 of last season, per the AP. Until Columbus gives him consecutive starts, treat Greaves as a matchup-based stream rather than a full-time starter.

Pyotr Kochetkov may already be rostered in competitive leagues, but check. He is 5-0-0 with a 1.78 GAA and a .912 save percentage after a 21-save win in Winnipeg, and he is only the second Hurricanes goalie to open a season with five straight wins. Carolina has won seven in a row and is 7-1-1, even without Seth Jarvis, Taylor Hall and Jordan Staal. Brandon Bussi was expected to start Sunday in Calgary, which would set Kochetkov up for a possible start Tuesday against Vancouver, a team that has lost seven straight.

Deeper-league adds

Arttu Hyry, F, Dallas Stars. Hyry scored twice in Saturday's 4-0 win in Chicago, his first multigoal NHL game. He has been the Stars' third-line center since Matt Duchene's core surgery (Duchene is out until mid-January), he kills penalties, and he has been strong on faceoffs, winning 43 of his first 66 draws. Roope Hintz took a puck to the right hand or wrist late in the game. If Hintz misses time, Hyry's minutes and value both go up, so he is a smart speculative add in deep leagues.

Pontus Holmberg, F, Tampa Bay Lightning. Holmberg scored the go-ahead goal in the third period of a 4-2 win over Vancouver, with Nikita Kucherov scoring twice and Brayden Point adding two assists. He is a streamer in deep formats during a stretch where Tampa Bay is 5-0-0 at home.

Ilya Protas, F, Washington Capitals. Protas scored the go-ahead goal on an Alex Ovechkin assist in a 4-2 win over New Jersey. Washington scored four straight goals in that game, and Protas is a name to watch in dynasty and deep keeper formats.

The Verdexed take

The pattern this week is that usage matters more than one big night. Connelly is the clearest example, because a top power-play role on an offense scoring six goals a night can produce points every week. Johnson's goal streak and his chemistry with Werenski give him a useful floor. In goal, follow the starts. Fowler has taken Montreal's net from Dobes for now, and Kochetkov's win streak puts him firmly in the lead for Carolina's crease.

Monitor the Monday and Tuesday injury updates for Hintz, Thomas Chabot and the Islanders' Matias Maccelli and Calum Ritchie, because those decisions can open new waiver targets. For game-by-game projections, see the NHL predictions page.

What's next

Montembeault's return date is the key goalie item for this week. Carolina's Sunday game in Calgary will confirm whether Bussi gets the start and set Kochetkov's next appearance. In Vegas, watch whether Connelly stays on the top power-play unit when Olofsson is healthy. If he does, he becomes a rest-of-season hold rather than a short-term pickup.