Frozen Fantasy: When the Wheels Come Off

The wheels have come off for a few players and teams over the last while. Or maybe I should say that I finally noticed the debris - I think the malaise has been here a while. 

Denial? Maybe. I was born into a Leafs family, remember?

I'll start under the shadow of the CN Tower. Who stays and who goes? Media reports up here suggest that brass have reconfirmed Auston Matthews' (100 percent Yahoo!) commitment to the team and them to him. Phew. Or is it? 

Is he Stevie Y before the Hall of Famer realized that stats are irrelevant compared to team success? I honestly don't know as I love the skill, but I don't know if the drive is there. 

The wheels have come right off Drew Doughty (35 percent Yahoo!). He's only managed one assist in his last 16 games. That Team Canada nod is based on the past. No, distant past. At the same time, Brent Burns (59 percent Yahoo!) remains the Energizer Bunny.

Thatcher Demko (34 percent Yahoo!) is hurt again. For the fourth season running. Wait, maybe he's been hurt his entire career… Nazem Kadri (60 percent Yahoo!) has one goal from his last 19 and just nine overall. Is this the function of a bad team, turning 35, or both? 

Sergei Bobrovsky (95 percent Yahoo!) scares me every outing. He's winning, but his 3.05 GAA and .875 save percentage are way below this year's league averages (2.87/.896). Anze Kopitar (29 percent Yahoo!) is a great player, yet he only produced one goal from 16 appearances before getting hurt.

Jacob Markstrom (65 percent Yahoo!) turned 36 this weekend. Like Bob the Goalie, he's put up subpar results (3.24 and .881). I'd like to say it's an anomaly, yet there were whispers of meh performance his last couple years in Calgary…

Sigh. I have too many of these guys on important rosters… Such is fantasy hockey. 

Now, let's take a look at who caught my eye this week.

Tony DeAngelo, D, NY Islanders (13 percent Yahoo!) -- DeAngelo is an on-again, off-again player for me. This past week, he was on with a goal, two assists, six blocks and 13 shots in four games. The Isles have three matchups over four days this week before the league breaks for the Olympics. Hot is hot. 

Jakub Dobes, G, Montreal (25 percent Yahoo!) -- Dobes has started - and won - three straight heading into Monday. He bricked up a .931 save percentage beating the likes of Vegas, Colorado and white-hot Buffalo, so this run is real. Dobes looks like the goalie who burst onto the NHL scene last year. The Canadiens want to keep this run going and go into the break on a high. Dobes could get both starts this week at Minny and Winnipeg. 

Max Domi, LW/C, Toronto (5 percent Yahoo!) -- Domi can't be trusted for long - I've been burned by him too many times. But I suspend that when he's channeling his best Jesse Pinkman to Auston Matthews' (100 percent Yahoo!) Walter White. Domi goes into Monday on a five-game, seven-point streak that includes three goals with 10 points (four goals, six assists) and 15 shots from his last eight. He's even recorded a couple power-play points (one each) during that span. Domi is a play-while-hot option.  

Jordan Eberle, RW, Seattle (26 percent Yahoo!) -- Eberle is back on my radar. He had a four-game, six-point run end on Saturday, but not before he put up two goals, four assists, 10 shots, one power-play assist and a plus-5. He's tallied 37 points overall - including 19 goals and on pace to get 30. And only 46 player hit that mark last season. Eberle currently has the same number (and a whole lot more power-play production) as John Tavares (89 percent Yahoo!). I see that eyebrow. Go check for yourself. 

Ben Kindel, C, Pittsburgh (2 percent Yahoo!) -- Kindel went on a tear this week. As in the fourth best performance overall with only Jared McCann (44 percent Yahoo!), Rasmus Dahlin and Brady Tkachuk (both 99 percent Yahoo!) doing more. He registered goals in three straight (four) while adding an assist, 11 shots and two GWGs. Kindel operates as the Pens' third-line center at only 18 and might be the smartest player from the 2025 Draft. The kid is also tied for seventh among rookies in points (25) and tied for fifth in goals (12) ahead of Ivan Demidov (63 percent Yahoo!) at 11. Kindel is a cerebral veteran in a teenager's body, so the best is yet to come. He carries the inconsistency of youth, but his talent begs deployment in the right daily formats. 

Jared McCann, LW/C, Seattle (44 percent Yahoo!) -- McCann delivered the top performance in Yahoo! leagues over the week ending Saturday racking up a three-game goal streak (four) to go with three assists and seven shots and two of those markers on the man-advantage. You won't find McCann's name near the top of any scoring list as he's only made 30 appearances this season, yet he's a steady scorer whose points-per-game pace is top-50 (47th, excluding those with only one game). He needs to be on a lot more than 44 percent of rosters. 

Fraser Minten, C, Boston (30 percent Yahoo!) -- Minten was named Rookie-of-the-Month for January. He's  one that got away from Toronto, but then again I honestly wonder some days why anyone would want to play in the market closest to me. It eats its young. Alive. Minten had 14 points - eight of those goals - through 14 January contests. He ranked first in goals (eight) and even-strength goals (seven), tied for second in even-strength points (11) and power-play points (three), and fourth in assists (six). Minten only accumulated six goals and nine assists during his first 41 games. His positional qualification at center is the rate-limiting factor in many leagues, but has a role to play if you roll Fs instead of Cs. 

Jean-Gabriel Pageau, RW/C, NY Islanders (8 percent Yahoo!) -- Pageau is someone who catches my eye a couple times every year. He's back at it with four goals, an assist, nine shots, six hits and three blocks over his last four outings. The Isles faces three matchups this week, including Monday and Tuesday against the Caps and Pens. Capture a bit of that Pageau magic, especially if you need some bonusing in the faceoff categories - and then dump him. He always reverts to the mean.

Jimmy Snuggerud, RW, St. Louis (5 percent Yahoo!) -- The Blues have lost three of their last four, but not for a lack of trying from Snuggerud. He heads into Monday on a four-game, six-point streak with two goals and four assists - including one of each on the power play. He also tallied 11 shots, four hits and three blocks. I'll be the first to admit I wasn't sold on Snuggerud on Draft Day, yet he's been slowly changing my mind. He's on the Blues' top line. I know, I know - that's not saying much. But the opportunity is there for the taking. 

Nikita Tolopilo, G, Vancouver (1 percent Yahoo!) -- Tolopilo impressed me Saturday when he refused to wilt on Auston Matthews' (100 percent Yahoo!) penalty shot. Matthews may have turned him inside out on a shootout snipe, but many of Tolopilo's 39 saves were noteworthy. He's also started two straight with one coming via shutout heading into two potential tough assignments Monday and Wednesday against playoff contenders Utah and Vegas. Picking Tolopilo up and activating him will be a test of your intestinal fortitude as things could go hard off the rails. But with Thatcher Demko (34 percent Yahoo!) out for the year, Tolopilo will be itching to prove his worth with Kevin Lankinen (8 percent Yahoo!) headed to Milano Cortina.

Kailer Yamamoto, RW, Utah (0 percent Yahoo!) -- Yamamoto doesn't always play. But when he does - at least of late - he's channeling his best Dos Equis man. It's going to be short-lived, like his stature (sorry, Kailer, I had to say that). He's on a two-game, five-point streak going into Monday that includes four goals. The Mammoth hosts the Canucks on Monday and Red Wings on Wednesday, and there's no better situation for a sniper with soaring confidence. Matchplay in dailies makes some sense here, especially if you're streaming. Get ready to pull the plug as sustaining this pace is impossible while Logan Cooley (66 percent Yahoo!) is due back soon. A lineup shuffle is coming, and Yamamoto is the prime suspect to sit. 

Back to when the wheels come off. 

We all know the teams that are up on blocks. Or off a cliff. WTF happened to the Rangers and Jets? If we were honest, we'd admit we all saw this coming based on roster construction. 

And yes, the Leafs too. 

At least Matthews gets paroled after 2027-28. Connor Hellebuyck (98 percent Yahoo!) is inked through 2030-31. Igor Shesterkin's (98 percent Yahoo!) sentence ends 2032-33. 

There's time in today's NHL to do a reboot and rise without a complete teardown. New York City may tolerate that more than Winnipeg. The former has so many distractions. The latter has the Blue Bombers. That's it. And I know you have to look that up to know what I'm talking about. 

The wheels are falling off a few of my fantasy rosters. I've gone from the top to almost bottom in one dynasty league, and that's after starting the season 7-0. I score a lot of points. My opponents score more. In another, I went from bottom three to second overall. I am not sure there is rhyme - let alone, reason - for any of it. 

I guess that's why hockey is so great. And simultaneously maddening. 

Until next week.