Frozen Fantasy: Going for Greatness

Last week, I went on at length about Alex Ovechkin's (98 percent Yahoo!) pursuit of Gretzky's record. He's now just eight goals from passing the Great One. But it's not the only Gretzky record about to fall. 

Who knew?

Sidney Crosby (99 percent Yahoo!) is about to move ahead of the Great One for consecutive seasons averaging a point-per-game. He already has 73 points in 67 games, and he's just seven points from his 20th straight season.

Gretzky had 19. 

Sid will be quick to shrug off an individual honor. His 1,669 points put him ninth all-time with a lot of clicks left on the odometer. Imagine if injuries hadn't derailed him in the early 2010s.

This era of the NHL is something else. Yes, we all know of the greats from the past. But we're witnessing the best two players of the last 20 years move into greatest-of-all-time territory. 

And another in Connor McDavid (100 percent Yahoo!), whose individual talent/speed combo might be the best ever seen. He already has 10 straight point-per-game (min.) seasons. 

Plus Cale Makar (100 percent Yahoo!) was one point shy of Bobby Orr's fastest defender to 300 points record. Orr only played nine full seasons, plus tiny bits of the next three. With luck, we may get to see Makar do what Orr could have if injuries hadn't derailed him.  

The key word is witnessing. Enjoy it to the fullest, whether you're 22 or 82. These moments? They're going to be in those "I was there when.." stories we hear from old timers.

At minimum, take them in, so we can irritate younger gens with the same uphill-to-school-both-ways stories when we get old. 

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

Michael Bunting, LW, Nashville (7 percent Yahoo!) - Bunting finally made his Nashville debut this weekend. It wasn't anything spectacular, but he did see some time on the power play. Remember he's just one year removed from a 54-point season. Bunting is great at getting into the zone as the F1 and pressuring the puck. And he's going to want to show the Preds they made the right decision to bring him in. Players trying to prove themselves might add an extra 10 percent to their game, and that can translate into fantasy gravy this late in the season.

Pavel Dorofeyev, LW/RW, Vegas (42 percent Yahoo!) - I picked Dorofeyev up for a Sunday daily play based on his four-game, five-point scoring streak. He was shut out, though he still has 27 snipes, which ties him with the likes of Nathan MacKinnon (100 percent Yahoo!), Brady Tkachuk (100 percent Yahoo!) and Dylan Larkin (94 percent Yahoo!). No, Dorofeyev is not those players. Yet he fires a lot of pucks (200 in 67 games) and 11 of his goals have come while up a man. At 24, there's still room for a bit of growth, and fantasy managers are catching on. Check your wire. Goal scorers are the rarest of rare. 

Jordan Eberle, RW, Seattle (5 percent Yahoo!) - Eberle went into Sunday's late game on a three-game, six-point heater (one goal, five assists). He already tallied a PPA Sunday when this was filed. And a couple came on the PP as he's deployed on the top unit. It takes time to get in a groove after missing 40 games following surgery. Eberle might be a sneaky fantasy option as he plays himself back this season. 

Taylor Hall, LW, Carolina (5 percent Yahoo!) - Hall skates into Thursday on a three-game, four-point streak that includes two goals on nine shots. He even fired a PPG Saturday against Philly. Hall is on the Canes' second line and first power play, so that means plenty of opportunity to put up offense. It seems like he's finally found his footing in Raleigh. That's good news for managers trolling for skill players.

Drew Helleson, D, Anaheim (2 percent Yahoo!) - I've been half-in, half-out on Helleson all season long. I keep hoping for more offense than I think he can give, though he's a solid defender who plays with an edge. And if Thomson can develop into a Josh Manson (6 percent Yahoo!) type, he can bring fantasy value in formats that use extended categories like hits and blocks. This past week, he produced a surprising three points (two goals) over four games heading into Sunday along with a plus-6 rating, 12 hits and seven blocks.

Tristan Jarry, G, Pittsburgh (20 percent Yahoo!) - Jarry heads into this week with four straight starts and four straight wins and a sparkling .931 save percentage. He's not this goalie, though he's also not the one who went 3-5-3 with a .878 save percentage over his previous 11 starts. The Pens need Jarry - who's signed until 2027-28 - to step into a place between these two extremes. The pressure is off right now for him to try to do just that, and that freedom could yield results for you.

David Perron, LW/RW, Ottawa (2 percent Yahoo!) - Perron is finally starting to warm up after missing a big chunk of this year. He's registered five points - including three goals - eight hits and a plus-6 rating from his last six with four markers in eight. Nothing really stands out in Perron's game, but he's been remarkably consistent the last six or seven seasons. It's that consistency that I'm looking at as he knows when to bring it. And he's going to bring it for my team. 

Mackie Samoskevich, RW, Florida (24 percent Yahoo!) - Samoskevich is a top-10 rookie scorer in the NHL, and he's impressing right in his second-line audition with Matthew Tkachuk and Brad Marchand (both 86 percent Yahoo!) both on the IR. He skated into Sunday on a scoring streak of eight points - five of those goals - during his last nine contests. Samoskevich also posted 23 shots and 27 hits over that span and five points on the power play (two PPG, three PPA). He added another hit and shot on Sunday night. Ride Samoskevich until the infirmary closes. 

Conor Timmins, D, Pittsburgh (0 percent Yahoo!) - Timmins is a must-add. Seriously. He's always been able to produce offense - it was the other side of the puck that kept him out of the lineup. There are no such limitations in Pittsburgh now where the team simply needs live bodies on the ice. Sorry to offend, Pens fans, but am I wrong? Timmins put up 61 points over 67 games during his draft year (2017). Those skills don't go away. In four outings with the Pens, Timmins has a goal and two assists to go with seven hits. He hasn't moved onto the PP yet, yet he offers those skills. You may find some real value in his game. 

Philip Tomasino, RW/C, Pittsburgh (0 percent Yahoo!) - Tomasino has never played with a better player than Evgeni Malkin (40 percent Yahoo!)... even a 38-year-old Geno. He's also never lived up to his first-round draft position, but this could be his moment. Or it needs to be. Tomasino needs a new contract and hasn't done much to prove he's worth more than a two-way deal. He's currently on a modest two-game, three-point run heading into Tuesday. He also has four hits and seven shots in those two. Tomasino is getting a shot to see if can be a bit of Michael Bunting (above) for the Pens. If so, he may be worth streaming short-term. 

Scott Wedgewood, G, Colorado (16 percent Yahoo!) - Wedgewood's performance in Colorado has made him a must-activate when in the blue paint as he's 9-4-0 with two shutouts, a 2.10 GAA and .917 save percentage across 13 starts. Mackenzie Blackwood (83 percent Yahoo!) is the undeniable starter. And like Blacky, Wedge is showing he can elevate his game behind an elite squad. Daily streamers need to dive in.

Back to going for greatness. Or not.

At this point in your fantasy season, you're either striving for greatness or waiting for first pitch (and all these records to fall). 

I have feet in both camps. I've sold off in a few leagues. In another, a buddy asked me last Monday if I needed to make any deals. I responded honestly that I hadn't even noodled it tbh. "That's how championships are lost" was his response. That stung. 

So right before my trade deadline Sunday, I added Roope Hintz (82 percent Yahoo!) and Sam Montembeault (67 percent Yahoo!) for insurance on a push for the title. I have a real shot. I'm going for greatness. 

Until next week.