Frozen Fantasy: Two Up, One Down

What a week. Team Canada flamed out at the World Juniors. Auston Matthews (100 percent Yahoo!) returned after Saturday's roster deadline. And Alex Ovechkin (98 percent Yahoo!) shaved his beard… and kept scoring.

Two out of three ain't bad. 

First, Team Canada. The underachievement is on the adults in the room, not the kids in uniform. Discipline and preparation are on the coaches. So is in-game deployment - who puts Oliver Bonk out as the QB on PP1 when he plays the bumper with his OHL team? 

And while the roster had talent, too many players weren't considered. Zayne Parekh is a PP specialist who could have filled in for Matthew Schaefer after his devastating injury. Beckett Sennecke could have solved some of the team's issues getting to the middle of the ice. 

The politics of Hockey Canada is a bit much. The roster construction smacked of it, yet there's a bigger issue under it all - two straight national junior disappointments provide cover for things that the organization doesn't seem to want to meaningfully address. But I digress.

Matthews looked fantastic Saturday night. Whatever ailed him didn't slow him down one bit. And look at what he did for Matthew Knies (44 percent Yahoo!). The superstar makes the kid. AM34 needs rest days, and that hurts one of my rosters. But a bit of Matthews is better than none.  

I wish I got pinged about Matthews' availability a few minutes earlier. I had to play Nick Schmaltz (24 percent Yahoo!) in his spot. I would have won the match with AM34 (spit). 

I do worry about John Tavares (93 percent Yahoo!) as Mitch Marner (100 percent Yahoo!) has been reunited with Matthews, and JT is a better performer with Marner on his wing. Though William Nylander (100 percent Yahoo!) is a beast himself. 

Now to Ovechkin, who has gone full beast mode since coming back from a busted fibular with four goals in five games and one away from hitting 20 during every NHL season. And he's only 23 from a new record. 

You might get sick of me talking about Ovie this season, but I think we should soak in this excellence. Matthews might get there some day. Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes (both 100 percent Yahoo!) might get to Ray Bourque's 1,579 points. But Ovechkin is pretty much a lock, even if it doesn't come this year. I think it will. 

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

Viktor Arvidsson, LW/RW, Edmonton (16 percent Yahoo!) - Arvidsson has six points - including four helpers - and 16 shots across his last six games. He's skating with Leon Draisaitl (100 percent Yahoo!), who's probably the best center he's ever had. Arvidsson will be even more valuable if he can work his way onto PP2. Even a little success gets him there. 

Jonas Brodin, D, Minnesota (5 percent Yahoo!) - Brodin has never tallied more than 30 points in any season, but he's on pace for 35. And about 150 blocked shots. You can do a lot worse with your last roster spot in deep formats, especially with Brodin's recent hot run with two goals and four assists over his last six. He won't keep rolling like this, though the sturdy defender will help.

Ian Cole, D, Utah (6 percent Yahoo!) - Cole is an elite shot blocker (110 in 39 games for second in the NHL), but he's added a touch of offense with an assist from each of his last two outings and four helpers in his last six (16 blocks). He's one of those category specialists who might earn you a point or two in the standings. And the modest offense means Cole's not a complete pylon while doing it. 

Evgenii Dadonov, RW, Dallas (1 percent Yahoo!) - Dadonov comes with risk, yet he's on the Stars' lead trio with Roope Hintz (72 percent Yahoo!) and Jason Robertson (95 percent Yahoo!), who are both finally warming up. He's gone off for seven points - including three two-point efforts - during his last eight appearances (three goals, four assists) alongside 16 shots. Dadonov is a deep-league option based on matchups, but be ready to drop him if the Stars shuffle their units. 

Tanner Pearson, LW, Vegas (0 percent Yahoo!) - Welcome to the first line, Tanner - it looks good on you. Pearson is on a modest two-game, three-point run (one goal, two assists) while joining forces Mark Stone (81 percent Yahoo!) and Jack Eichel (99 percent Yahoo!), and that should keep him there for a few more games. Pearson actually has seven points - three of those goals - and 12 shots over his last seven. He won't get you power-play points, yet is projected for 100 hits overall. Roster Pearson while he's riding shotgun up top.  

Jonathan Quick, G, NY Rangers (26 percent Yahoo!) - Quickie loves being a Ranger, and he now has his chance to channel his three Stanley Cup rings into a starting role on Broadway. Igor Shesterkin (99 percent Yahoo!) is out with an upper-body injury, and Quick is their go-to goalie - at least for the next few matchups. The Rangers have been really struggling this season, so there's nowhere to go but up at this point. And Quick's game remains sharp - the about-to-turn 39-year-old posted 18 wins, a 2.62 GAA and .911 save percentage last season. There's still risk, though you don't have much to lose if you're trolling for netminders at this point in the season. 

Marco Rossi, C, Minnesota (33 percent Yahoo!) - Rossi set-up all four Minny goals in Carolina Saturday to extend his scoring streak to three and eight points (three goals, five assists). He's emerged this season as a true 1C who also delivers on the man-advantage and is improving at the dot (49.0 percent this season vs. career 46.3 percent). It wasn't that long ago that Rossi's career was in question following myocarditis from a COVID-19 infection. He's already registered 37 points in 40 games and is only three away from equaling his career high, which he managed last season across 82 appearances. Rossi is smart, strong on the puck and a great skater. His shot is deadly, and he's a great two-way player. Get Rossi and enjoy his output, and you'll be able to say you had one of the league's next young stars on your team. 

Jaden Schwartz, LW/C, Seattle (10 percent Yahoo!) - Schwartz put up three goals, two assists and 10 shots during a pair of games right before New Year's. The outburst coincided with Kaapo Kakko's (4 percent Yahoo!) jump to the top line. The Kraken want to give the newcomer the best chance to shine, and he's starting to find his edges. Schwartz will benefit if this chemistry is real (I'm starting to believe it is). And he could hit his first 50-plus point campaign since 2019-20. Schwartz picked up a sharp snipe Saturday against the Oilers with five goals and two assists in his last six. Opportunity is knocking for him to keep sniping. The Kraken play the lowly Blue Jackets and Sabres this week after Monday's meeting with the Devils. 

Ryan Strome, LW/C, Anaheim (9 percent Yahoo!) - Strome finds himself on the Quacks' lead trio and on a five-game, seven-point streak (two goals, five assists) heading into Tuesday. He's also added nine blocks and four hits over that stretch, so you'll get a little category coverage. But Strome's been schooled at the dot (33-for-81 or 40.7 percent), and Anaheim's still a bad team. You may find value in leagues where you can use him at either F or LW where his faceoff wins would be bonus. But be ready to walk - no, run - the moment Strome's scoring stops. 

Dmitri Voronkov, LW, Columbus (30 percent Yahoo!) - Voronkov has racked up 14 points (eight goals, six assists) in his last 10 games, so check your wire immediately. This run also includes four PPPs and 27 shots. Voronkov has really clicked with Sean Monahan (58 percent Yahoo!) and Kirill Marchenko (77 percent Yahoo!) on the Jackets' first line, and he's closing in on a point-per-game pace (26 across 31). As a sophomore. Yeah, go get him. 

Jason Zucker, LW, Buffalo (21 percent Yahoo!) - Zucker exploded with a hattie plus an apple against the Avs on Thursday while adding another goal Saturday. That gave him eight points, including a four-game goal streak (six). Along with seven goals and three assists in his last seven contests (16 shots). On Saturday, those tallies made him the top standard-league Yahoo! player for the previous seven days. Yes, Jason Zucker. The almost 33-year-old winger sits second on the Sabres with 31 points, with 15 of those goals. And also leads the club with eight PPGs, five more than three others. Zucker had a 33-goal, 64-point season long, long ago (2017-18), though his next-best was only 48. Right now, he's on a near-career pace with a 20.3 shooting percentage that's way too high. Zucker is still a fantasy find given his power-play production, especially this deep in the year. 

Back to the ups, not the downs. 

Honestly, there have been some great junior games this tourney. And getting to see James Hagens, Porter Martone and Matthew Schaefer - three of the elite four for the 2025 NHL Entry Draft - was a blast. They all showed why they'll each be considered as the top pick. 

Congratulations to both the USA and Finland. Sunday's gold medal game was an overtime epic, and the hockey was great. I lost a bet (again) with the US win - we only pay out if either Canada or the US wins. That's OK. There's always next year (or the year after). 

Until next week.