ESPN

The focus of Open Ice has shifted away from waiver-wire pickups the past two columns as we journeyed through goaltender land and took a statistical look at "Average Joe." To make up for the tangents, this week's dip in the waiver-wire pond will be painstakingly thorough.

Recommendations for whom to add for individual categories in ESPN standard leagues are included. And you'll get recommendations for all different league sizes! You'll see the player's availability next to their name.

Let's get down to business.

Bobby Ryan, RW, Ducks (available in 22 percent of ESPN leagues): While his production should taper off with Teemu Selanne's, Ryan did lead the NHL in goals in January with 11. It really is odd that he is available in almost a quarter of leagues.

Jamie Langenbrunner, RW, Devils (available in 39 percent of ESPN leagues): Yes, his three straight two-goal games are a product of playing with Travis Zajac and Zach Parise, but a nine-goal month is worth your attention no matter how he got there.

Tim Connolly, C, Sabres (available in 80 percent of ESPN leagues): A recent line change has Connolly slotted between Buffalo's two most talented wingers. It should be no surprise that he has seven goals in six games playing with Thomas Vanek and Drew Stafford. Now, if only he could stay healthy.

Niklas Kronwall, D, Red Wings (available in 8 percent of ESPN leagues): Kronwall won't be available in many formats, but he's a perfect pickup if he is. He has ramped up his production with nine assists in January, three of them coming on the power play.

Pierre-Marc Bouchard, RW, Wild (available in 62 percent of ESPN leagues): Bouchard has 15 points in his past 14 games with 12 coming on assists. Owen Nolan has given PMB the finisher he lost when Brian Rolston bolted.

Manny Malhotra, C, Blue Jackets (available in 99 percent of ESPN leagues): This is a simple formula: Malhotra + Rick Nash = points. Malhotra has eight assists in January thanks to skating with the Blue Jackets' resident superstar.

Travis Zajac, C, Devils (available in 37 percent of ESPN leagues): In his past 10 games, Zajac is plus-14. This again speaks as much to the play of his linemates, as Parise and Langenbrunner have combined with Zajac to become a dominant force.

Keith Ballard, D, Panthers (available in 50 percent of ESPN leagues): Ballard isn't scoring points like he did to start the season, but he is still a serviceable defenseman thanks to his peripherals. He is plus-7 for January, but the real value comes from his consistency; a plus rating in seven of 12 games.

Radek Dvorak, RW, Panthers (available in 99 percent of ESPN leagues): Playing on a defensively adept line with Gregory Campbell and Ville Peltonen, Dvorak had a decent eight points in January. Tack on the plus-7 and he really stands out in deep leagues.

Daniel Carcillo, LW, Coyotes (available in 50 percent of ESPN leagues): He isn't bringing the combination of points and PIMs like he did last season, but Carcillo is still spending enough time in the sin bin to be a fantasy play. He has at least 30 PIMs in every month except for an injury-plagued October.

David Backes, RW, Blues (available in 70 percent of ESPN leagues): Backes is easily the best pickup in any league at the moment, as he has begun adding the offense to his already-established grit. Since Dec. 1, he has 13 goals and 52 PIMs. He has total 125 PIMS this season.

Riley Cote, LW, Flyers (available in 99 percent of ESPN leagues): If you are going to carry a goon and hurt your average ice time, Cote is the choice. He missed most of November with an injury, but he had 36 PIMs in October, 26 in December and 47 in January.

Andrei Kostitsyn, LW, Canadiens (available in 11 percent of ESPN leagues): Working the power play with Alexei Kovalev and Robert Lang, the older Kostitsyn brother has managed five power-play goals since Jan. 8.

Christian Ehrhoff, D, Sharks (available in 38 percent of ESPN leagues): He has only five power-play goals on the season, but three of them have come in the past five games. The Sharks' second power-play unit is better than some teams' first unit.

Steve Ott, C, Stars (available in 98 percent of ESPN leagues): Ott has benefited from moving to a line with Jere Lehtinen and Mike Ribeiro. He has five goals in eight games with three on the power play.

Jason Blake, LW, Maple Leafs (available in 25 percent of ESPN leagues): Blake has at least four shots on goal in 10 of his past 14 games. With his confidence back, he is shooting with the frequency he did during his 40-goal season on Long Island.

David Booth, LW, Panthers(available in 42 percent of ESPN leagues): Averaging 3.7 shots per game, Booth has been a revelation this season. His shoot-first attitude has allowed him to already hit the 20-goal plateau, with 40 in reach. He averaged 4.2 shots per game in January.

Enver Lisin, RW, Coyotes (available in 99 percent of ESPN leagues): Deep leagues looking for some filler to help with shots, look no further than Lisin. The speedy winger has 3.1 shots per game in 13 January contests.

Ryan Whitney, D, Penguins (available in 30 percent of ESPN leagues): Since returning from offseason surgery, Whitney has taken over as the Penguins' top defenseman. His ownership numbers are likely to climb from here.

Adrian Aucoin, D, Flames (available in 70 percent of ESPN leagues): Aucoin's ice time has increased over the past few weeks, peaking at nearly 26 minutes. His minus-7 is a bit troubling, but eight points make up for it.

Ian White, D, Maple Leafs (available in 96 percent of ESPN leagues): White has already been playing big minutes for Toronto, and that should increase even more with the injury to Tomas Kaberle. White could see more responsibility on the power play during Kaberle's absence.

Scott Clemmensen, G, Devils (available in 29 percent of ESPN leagues): It's criminal that Clemmensen isn't owned in more leagues. His nine wins in the past month pace the league and he should continue to rack them up for the Devils until Martin Brodeur is in game shape.

Dwayne Roloson, G, Oilers (available in 75 percent of ESPN leagues): Since the trade of Mathieu Garon to Pittsburgh, Roloson is the solidified starter for the Oilers. He has seven wins in January.

Chris Mason, G, Blues (available in 98 percent of ESPN leagues): The wins aren't there yet, but Mason is playing like the No. 1 goalie in St. Louis and should start getting the lion's share of starts before too long. The team should start giving him more offensive support too.

Nikolai Khabibulin, G, Blackhawks (available in 12 percent of ESPN leagues): It's still a pretty even split for time in Chicago, but Khabibulin remains a bit more appealing in fantasy. He has allowed more than three goals only once since Nov. 26.

Ty Conklin, G, Red Wings (available in 45 percent of ESPN leagues): Chris Osgood, who? Conklin is the only goaltender in Detroit that matters to fantasy owners. A bit of a rough patch lately doesn't even compare with Osgood's rough season.

Brian Elliot, G, Senators (available in 85 percent of ESPN leagues): OK, so he can't keep this up right? You might point to Sunday's cough-up against Washington as a sign of things to come, but Elliot will be prone to the odd rough outing against top offenses. As long as you hold him out against the Capitals, Devils, Canadiens and Sharks, he should be reliable as a No. 2.

Antero Niittymaki, G, Flyers (available in 68 percent of ESPN leagues): In his past five starts, Niitty is 3-1-1 with a .936 save percentage. He is the type of goaltender who steals the game when he is hot, and he has remained relatively healthy this season. Already in a near timeshare with Martin Biron, Niittymaki's starts could still increase.

Jonas Hiller, G, Ducks (available in 88 percent of ESPN leagues): Hiller has regularly seen a barrage of shots in net for the Ducks, and in case you missed it, he has now taken over the starting job from Jean-Sebastien Giguere. He's not only an asset for save percentage, but the other goaltender categories as well.

Yann Danis, G, Islanders (available in 99 percent of ESPN leagues): Simple logic dictates that the goaltender for a weak team will face a lot of rubber. Danis is the last man standing between the Islanders pipes and has the job for now. He's universally available and could prove to be serviceable for a Long Island team that has been improving lately.

Sean Allen is a fantasy baseball and hockey analyst for ESPN.com. You can e-mail him here.