This article is part of our Frozen Fantasy series.
I'll keep this short – COVID sucks. Just as we thought it was almost over, the Sens shut down their team. The first pro team to go through this kind of situation this season.
Remember the Canucks last year?
Thankfully, they're vaccinated. This isn't a vaccination debate – I state it because I'm damn glad the players are far less likely to suffer from life-threatening illness because of it.
And that should be our first thought.
We've all been hit in fantasy. I lost Drake Batherson the minute he put up that four-point game. I won my week on the back of that performance. And this week, I'm not.
I only just got Sidney Crosby back.
Uncertainty is the only certainty. In life and in fantasy. I know managers frustrated by late notice on COVID protocols and slow transitions to IR that leave roster holes left, right and center.
The bottom line is simple. We're all potentially impacted this at any time this year. We have three choices – accept it, take a deep breath and wait the 10-14 days for guys to clear; get aggressive and make changes immediately, drops be damned; or sit on the fence and talk about the injustice of it all.
No judgment – they're all fair choices. I'm firmly in the first camp if I have roster flexibility to IR someone. If I don't, I'm in the middle camp.
I want to win or fail on my choices, rather than hand that over to
I'll keep this short – COVID sucks. Just as we thought it was almost over, the Sens shut down their team. The first pro team to go through this kind of situation this season.
Remember the Canucks last year?
Thankfully, they're vaccinated. This isn't a vaccination debate – I state it because I'm damn glad the players are far less likely to suffer from life-threatening illness because of it.
And that should be our first thought.
We've all been hit in fantasy. I lost Drake Batherson the minute he put up that four-point game. I won my week on the back of that performance. And this week, I'm not.
I only just got Sidney Crosby back.
Uncertainty is the only certainty. In life and in fantasy. I know managers frustrated by late notice on COVID protocols and slow transitions to IR that leave roster holes left, right and center.
The bottom line is simple. We're all potentially impacted this at any time this year. We have three choices – accept it, take a deep breath and wait the 10-14 days for guys to clear; get aggressive and make changes immediately, drops be damned; or sit on the fence and talk about the injustice of it all.
No judgment – they're all fair choices. I'm firmly in the first camp if I have roster flexibility to IR someone. If I don't, I'm in the middle camp.
I want to win or fail on my choices, rather than hand that over to fate. For me, my destiny is in my hands.
Now let's take a look at who caught my eye.
Pavel Buchnevich, RW, St. Louis (57 percent Yahoo!) – It took a while, but Buchnevich finally looks comfortable as a Blue. After three points in his first eight games, the winger has rung up seven points (two goals, five assists) in his last seven. The real Buchnevich is somewhere between those two end points. But if there's continued growth in his game, you could have a 75-point guy on your hands. That 57 should be 87, so grab him if you can find him.
Matt Duchene, RW/C, Nashville (76 percent Yahoo!) – Duchene probably isn't available in your league, but go check anyway. His natural hattie Saturday night tore back the curtains on a 10-goal, 14-point run in his last nine contests. If this is real, it would be Duchene's best season ever. He's playing wing beside Mikael Granlund – that seems to be the key. These two have really clicked. Duchene is available in a quarter of Yahoo! formats and that's far too many for a guy headed to a possible 40-goal, 75-80 point season.
Martin Fehervary, D, Washington (13 percent Yahoo!) – Fehervary has never been seen as much of a fantasy asset. But that just means he's there for the taking. This guy can skate and move the puck, and he's shown good development in the AHL. Fehervary has been a top-five fantasy defender this week with great category coverage – one goal, two assists, nine shots, 14 hits and a plus-seven rating. The 22-year-old is playing top-pairing minutes alongside John Carlson. If you're patient, Fehervary could be a 25-point, 250-hit defender.
Alex Goligoski, D, Minnesota (7 percent Yahoo!) – The old man heads into Sunday with four points (one goal, three assists) in his last two games. And 10 points in 14 overall. Barring injury, Goligoski could peak the magical 1,000 game mark this season and do it like he's done in the past – with 35-plus points, 100 hits and 100 blocked shots. Get in now. Pretty soon everyone else will see it.
Mikael Granlund, RW/C, Nashville (36 percent Yahoo!) – Duchene then Granlund, or Granlund then Duchene? It doesn't matter – they're both hot. I just dropped Travis Konecny to grab this point-per-game (plus) guy. Granlund has 12 points, including 11 apples, in the last nine games. He might not be able to resurrect the fantasy magic of his 65-70 point days, but then again you just never know. I, for one, am about to find out.
Garnet Hathaway, RW, Washington (21 percent Yahoo!) – Put it on the board! I hope Hathaway took a screen shot the Yahoo! player list on Friday – he was numero uno. Better than Connor, Alex and Leon. Five goals, one assist, 24 hits and 13 SOG, with a positive plus minus and a couple blocks. Pow! Hathaway won't continue this, but he'll deliver some sneaky category coverage in deep leagues if he keeps occasionally getting thrown over the boards with Alex Ovechkin or Evgeny Kuznetsov.
Oliver Kylington, D, Calgary (42 percent Yahoo!) – Kylington is fast and skilled – he can lift you out of your seat. He can also make you yank your hair out with his brain burps with the puck, especially on simple plays in his own zone. But thankfully, fantasy rarely counts the burps. Kylington has 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in 17 games, and clearly the Sutter influence is helping. He's plus-10. I snagged him in the one league I could.
Stuart Skinner, G, Edmonton (16 percent Yahoo!) – 42. That's the number of saves Skinner threw up Thursday night in a 2-1 win over the Jets. He made big stop after big stop, and kept his team in the game. Mike Smith is out for a few more weeks and Mikko Koskinen needs a break. Skinner got the start Saturday and posted another strong effort. The Oilers have long struggled to develop their young goaltenders, but he might be the exception.
Daniel Vladar, G, Calgary (11 percent Yahoo!) – Vladar is on my radar (I know, I know, but it was right there for the taking). He plays behind Jacob Markstrom, so his starts will be limited. But on a Sutter-led team, any goalie will get solid team support. Spot starts are great starts in that situation, if you have bench space.
Trevor Zegras, LW/C, Anaheim (40 percent Yahoo!) – He's warming up. That's all you need to know. Zegras had two consecutive two-goal games and he's seeing the ice in ways that other players only dream they could. He's about to reenter the Calder conversation. You should be in on that to reap the rewards (and then trade him to the manager with rookies in their eyes).
Back to fate. Or destiny.
It's all in the perspective you bring.
My team will win or lose on the back of my decisions, not on something else. If I move too slow to adjust to a trend, that's on me. If I take a chance on an activation – like I did with Sidney Crosby one game too early – that's on me, too.
A chance on Sid was better than a guarantee on a maybe 50-point guy. I'd do it again, 100 times out of 100.
I hope the Sens get better soon. COVID really sucks. And yes, I'm watching it closely. We all remember Vancouver last season. Their game never recovered.
Maybe it still hasn't.
Until next week.
