Frozen Fantasy: The Cup Goes To...

It's time to dream about our fan teams now that most fantasy trade deadlines have passed. I'm not talking about you, Toronto, though maybe I am.

It's hard not to be a moth to a light.

I don't know about you, but I'm awed by Vegas and what they do to win. Tomas Hertl (38 percent Yahoo!) was a mindblowing move, especially with Noah Hanifin (69 percent Yahoo!) already in the room. And their man in stone will be back. Again. Wow. 

The moves in the West were impressive. Winnipeg. Colorado. Vancouver. Edmonton. Dallas. Even Nashville. It wasn't that long ago that the best teams were in the East. Not anymore. And like fantasy, some that loaded up won't be there after the first round. 

They've given themselves a proverbial fighting chance. I need get extra rest now so I can stay up and watch every single Western playoff series. 

Top of my watch list is Colorado and especially with Sunday's news that Gabriel Landeskog (10 percent Yahoo!) is on track to return during the postseason. Yes, you read that right. And you can read all about it here. 

I like Landy and how he plays. But I also have a vested interest in his return. I shattered my patella five years ago. It was rebuilt with screws and wires, but you can't rebuild cartilage. But apparently you CAN transplant it. So maybe I can dream. 

Enough about that. I've already started watching more left coast hockey. And I've also started to wonder if one of the East teams will win the Cup. 

These Western squads are going to be exhausted. Maybe this is the Leafs' year. Right. Stop laughing. Now let's take a look at who caught my eye this week. 

Pure Offense

Anthony Duclair, LW, Tampa Bay (7 percent Yahoo!) – Sure, last week I said that most traded guys aren't worth targeting. But I grabbed Duke the moment my tweet machine chirped on trade day. He went from the night shift at Walmart to the C-suite – a gig beside Steven Stamkos (98 percent Yahoo!) on a team trying to cement a playoff spot. Duclair's speed was on display Saturday in a 7-0 win over Philly, and he tapped in an easy goal. It will be hard for him to get a lot of power-play time, but even-strength production in the top-six on a strong team is gold off the wire.

Vladimir Tarasenko, LW/RW, Florida (62 percent Yahoo!) – Check the wire now. Go! Tarasenko scored twice and added an assist Saturday while skating with Sam Reinhart (97 percent Yahoo!) and Aleksander Barkov (95 percent Yahoo!). Florida is a place where Russian players excel, and he's off to a great start. Pre-deadline, Tarasenko was rostered in fewer than half of fantasy leagues. He'll be gone in almost all soon enough. 

Pavel Zacha, C, Boston (35 percent Yahoo!) – Zacha and Pasta sitting in a tree. S-C-O-R-I-N-G. Smarmy schoolyard taunt aside, Zacha has exploded for five goals and two assists in his last four games after slumping through 11 with just three assists. And he sits 35th overall in faceoff wins (434) and 30th in percentage (54.4). Something has clicked, and I'd be happy for it to continue on my roster. Boston is real, yet again. And anyone playing with David Pastrnak (100 percent Yahoo!) at even-strength has punched a ticket to fantasy paradise.

Hail Mary Offense

Adam Lowry, C, Winnipeg (14 percent Yahoo!) – Lowry has finally found his edges post-Sean Monahan (35 percent Yahoo!) arriving, and he might bring some value going forward. He had a four-game, five-point (two goals, three assists) scoring streak snapped Saturday, which included 12 shots, nine hits and 35 faceoff wins. Lowry won't excel in any single category, yet he might help if you need a little bit of a bunch of things. Other than power-play production. 

David Perron, LW/RW, Detroit (31 percent Yahoo!) – Perron has been especially productive the last couple weeks. In six games heading into Tuesday, he's racked up six points - including five helpers - 21 hits, 20 shots and six PIM - all from the third line. Detroit is in the final Eastern Wild Card spot and Perron's been one of their hottest hands of late. He also offers postseason and Cup experience from St. Louis in 2018-19. That background brings perspective and a stabilizing force to a team that desperately needs to snap a five-game slump. 

Fabian Zetterlund, LW, San Jose (2 percent Yahoo!) – I'm not sold on Zetterlund long-term. But for now, I do like his opportunity and edge and that could net you some offense and hits the next few weeks. Zetterlund has a strong shot, and he's happy to work in tight and along the wall to dig out pucks. Avoid him if your league counts plus-minus. But if not, he's a shooter who skates more than 20 minutes a night, and someone in San Jose has to score. Zetterlund heads into Tuesday on a three-game, five-point streak that includes four power-play points and 12 shots. And his 15 pucks on net last week (four games) matched Auston Matthews (100 percent Yahoo!) during the same period. He's not Auston, but he can snipe. 

Goalies

Laurent Brossoit, G, Winnipeg (21 percent Yahoo!) – Brossoit plays about every three games behind one of the league's best teams. And all he does is win. Since Feb. 20, Brossoit is 4-0-0 with only seven goals allowed and a shutout. The Jets believe in him and so does head coach Rick Bowness, and that means two things to me. First, every start Brossoit gets is a chance for a W. And those appearances could increase if Bowness decides to rest Connor Hellebuyck (99 percent Yahoo!). I really like these odds. Brossoit is the kind of backup you need to win in a fantasy postseason. 

Charlie Lindgren, G, Washington (36 percent Yahoo!) – Lindgren is having the best season of his career. And when you look under the hood, he's one of the big reasons the Caps are only three points out of a Wild Card with two games in hand. Lindgren put that eight-goal debacle in late February behind him, and since then has gone 3-1-0 with a shutout of the Pens. His overall stat line, including a .912 save percentage and 2.71 GAA, is black-and-white better than Darcy Kuemper (50 percent Yahoo!). And Washington will roll their hottest hand in net. They have no choice. The Caps face a tough schedule this week, so he's a risk. But sometimes that's the only option you have. 

Hits

Brenden Dillon, D, Winnipeg (22 percent Yahoo!) – Dillon is one of those classic better-on-ice-than-in-fantasy players. But sometimes, players like that have one facet in their game that can help in a specific situation. Enter Dillon. He produced 12 hits and four blocks in three games this past week. Your D spots are great places to top-up hits or blocked shots without sacrificing offense. And especially when they play on a high-level team.

Garnet Hathaway, RW, Philadelphia (12 percent Yahoo!) – Hathaway has been a muscle machine the last couple weeks with 39 hits and 26 PIM and got lucky with a goal and assist. He even managed a couple eight-hit efforts. Hathaway can help if you need meathead points and can afford to get them up front. 

Ryan Reaves, RW, Toronto (1 percent Yahoo!) – Reaves led the league last week in hits with 17 and 34 over two weeks. And since Feb. 29, he's delivered eight hits in two of six contests. Reaves has gone from being an afterthought on the Leafs to an important role player. And he can help you if you can't get Hathaway (above). 

Back to your fan team.

I can't stop myself from cheering for the Leafs. But lately, I've been tuning them out more and more. Auston Matthews (100 percent Yahoo!) is worth watching. I don't want to miss out on history in the making.

Who are you cheering for? And who do you think is going to line up against each other? Who will emerge victorious? I'm checking this weekly to see who might take on who. 

Right now, I'm leaning toward Florida-Carolina in the East and Dallas-Vegas in the West. And wouldn't a rematch be fun?

Until next week.