Frozen Fantasy: Big Trades and Big Returns

Big trades. They're fun and scary. Have you ever gone all-in on a league this early in the season? I just did, for the first time ever.

It feels incredible.

This week, a friend in a dynasty league made a trade proposition. "Do Sidney Crosby, Brad Marchand, Gabriel Landeskog and Taylor Hall interest you?"

Did they ever. Well, at least the first three.

A small tinker and Crosby, Marchand, Landeskog and Ryan Ellis were mine. Three top-30 forwards and a top-pair defender. They cost me a first-round pick (2022) and three building blocks – Cole Caufield, Philip Tomasino and Brandt Clarke.

Big cost. Big potential.

Those three forwards join Mitch Marner, Kirill Kaprizov, Anze Kopitar and J.T. Miller up front, with Nicklas Backstrom stashed on the IR. And Ellis elevates my D beside Torey Krug, Matt Dumba and Keith Yandle.

And I still have Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale and William Eklund on my minor bench, so I didn't entirely mortgage my future.

I evaluate dynasty and keeper leagues in three-year cycles. Sid has three or four more incredible years. Marchand has this and at least next. Landeksog is a stable top guy for five years. Ellis is close to the same.

The three youngsters I gave up all could be stars, but that won't come for three-to-four years. And the draft pick is a dice roll. Most are.

My friend and trade partner was thrilled. He ended up with Caufield, who he coveted, instead of Eklund, who he had targeted. I need roster flexibility based on games played and Caufield will need to be promoted far sooner than the Shark.

You can't win if you don't take some kind of risk. I've tinkered with some trades, but this was a big shake up. I'll let you know how it goes.

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

Andreas Athanasiou, LW/RW, Los Angeles (8 percent Yahoo!) – Athanasiou has been a rocket on ice since returning from injury. He's on a four-game scoring streak (two goals, three assists) heading into Saturday. AA's speed puts opponents on their heels and he's looked amazing on the second line with Phillip Danault and Alex Iafallo. Get him on your roster. Athanasiou has a 30-goal season. That might not be possible this time around; but then again, it might.

Mackenzie Blackwood, G, New Jersey (62 percent Yahoo!) – Blackwood has only been back for a week and he's already thrown up two wins, including a 42-save shutout of the Islanders on Thursday. Jonathan Bernier has been solid, but Blackwood is the team's designated starter and will be given the leash to prove it. This duo could split the crease, but they're a great combo on an up-and-coming team.  

Evan Bouchard, D, Edmonton (40 percent Yahoo!) – Bouchard's game has taken a major leap forward this season. Long seen as the QB of the future, his stock is soaring. So much so there are murmurs Tyson Barrie could be tradable. That's a bit premature – Bouchard is only 22 with just 33 games under his belt. But he's poised and talented, and just one point behind Darnell Nurse for the scoring lead from the blue line. Bouchard's four-game point streak snapped Friday night, but it's clear the kid's special. He might even be the Oilers' best defender already.

Phillip Danault, C, Los Angeles (19 percent Yahoo!) – Don't dismiss this former Hab too soon. Since the start of November, this Selke-styled pivot has put up six points in five games. He's meshed with Alex Iafallo and new linemate Andreas Athanasiou, and also won double-digit face-offs in six of his last eight games. Danault and Anze Kopitar may be the best one-two duo of two-way centers in the NHL, and the Pacific is as wide open as expected. You might as well take advantage of Danault's current heat, especially in deeper leagues.

Shayne Gostisbehere, D, Arizona (31 percent Yahoo!) – Is this real? Gostisbehere has 11 points in 14 games on a team that can't score. And perhaps more remarkably, he's minus-1 on a team where fellow defender Jakob Chychrun is minus-20. I'm not sure it can last, but maybe it can. After all, he was on a three-game, six-point streak heading into Friday's game. Gostisbehere produced a 65-point campaign when he was with the Flyers. He won't hit that, but he might hit mid-40s. Ghost Bear is fantasy worthy if your format doesn't count plus-minus.

Ryan Hartman, RW/C, Minnesota (30 percent Yahoo!) – In cap leagues, Hartman would be a star as his $1.7 million salary is a total bargain. In standard leagues, he's a complete surprise. Or maybe not. The former first-round pick has always combined skill and sandpaper and is showing a real knack for big-moment goals. Hartman has five goals in his last seven games and leads his team with seven. In the last week, he was 11th on the Yahoo! player list with contributions in every category except PPP. A guy delivering in seven of eight standard categories needs to be rostered in more than three-of-10 leagues.

Adrian Kempe, LW/RW, Los Angeles (25 percent Yahoo!) – Kempe started the season with one point in six games and was promptly dropped. Heading into Saturday, he's riding a six-game, seven-point streak with four goals and is still throwing hits. Which guy is he? Kempe is likely in the middle. But he's hot, and playing on the top line and top PP unit. He'd be on a lot more rosters if he were on the East Coast. Just saying.

Luke Kunin, RW/C, Nashville (3 percent Yahoo!) – Since the start of the month, Kunin has two goals, three assists, a plus-4 rating, 12 SOG, 25 hits and six blocks. In the week ending Friday, this type of strong category coverage earned him a top-10 Yahoo! standing on the player tracker. Kunin is a first-line winger and second-unit PP guy. That alone should drive up his stock. Don't miss out on this kind of production in deeper formats.

Back to big returns.

Calculated risk is what life is all about.

I love Brandt Clarke's potential. And Cole Caufield showed what he could bring as a Hobey Baker winner and then in the Habs' run last year.

But there's a four-figure payout in this league. Yep. That's a lot of steak.

Until next week.