Frozen Fantasy: Snub or Relief?

What a week - snubs, snubs, everywhere a snub. First, Team Canada made ripples with World Junior snubs and then the same thing happened with the 4 Nations Face-Off. 

There's nothing like hockey outrage north of the 49th. 

Top-10 players from the 2024 Draft were overlooked on the junior squad. Beckett Sennecke (third), Tij Iginla (sixth), Carter Yakemchuk (seventh) and Zayne Parekh (ninth) failed to get an invite, though Iginla's injury and subsequent surgery likely had a lot to do with it. 

Oh, the interweb chatter. The horror of it all. 

Then the Canadian braintrust put their faith in Sam Montembeault (53 percent Yahoo!) over a hot Logan Thompson (74 percent Yahoo!) to accompany Jordan Binnington (85 percent Yahoo!) and Adin Hill (84 percent Yahoo!) in net. 

Stuart Skinner (94 percent Yahoo!) was also left off. But we all kinda all get that one. 

Toronto fans raged that Morgan Rielly (91 percent Yahoo!) and John Tavares (92 percent Yahoo!) should be on the ice, not a beach. Robert Thomas (75 percent Yahoo!) and Zach Hyman (93 percent Yahoo!) also didn't get the call.

Honestly, I bet there was more conversation about Team USA picks up here than down south. Articles were written about Tage Thompson's (98 percent Yahoo!) and John Carlson's (95 percent Yahoo!) absences from the 4 Nations roster. Even Quentin Musty not making the US WJC squad got pixels up here. 

And then there's the discussion that Team USA is actually better on paper than Canada for the big game. This analysis (subscription required) says it best, even if it sparked outrage. 309 comments and counting is awesome. 

Plus it's absolutely correct (said by someone who bleeds red and white). 

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

Haydn Fleury, D, Winnipeg (0 percent Yahoo!) - Fleury has really stepped up since sliding up into Dylan Samberg's (2 percent Yahoo!) spot on the second pair. Sure, he was an overdraft when the Canes nabbed him seventh in 2014. But Fleury has always been an exceptional skater who makes a good first pass and closes gaps fast. Heading into Sunday, he recorded points in four of his last five games (four assists) along with 11 blocks and seven hits. Don't overestimate Fleury, but remember sometimes it takes a while for the right fit and opportunity to come. Sometimes a gap-filler like him is your best option. 

Trent Frederic, RW/C, Boston (5 percent Yahoo!) - Frederic has frustrated fans and managers this season. He looked like one of the breakouts of 2023-24 with a 40-point campaign, and 50 seemed like a reasonable target. Going into Saturday night, Frederic was on a nine-game goal drought with nine points overall. A great game and two goals doesn't change his fantasy complexion all that much, yet it did give me pause. Frederic has been a lot more engaged in his last five with five points (two goals, three assists), 26 hits, 10 shots and two PPPs. Maybe he's to Joe Sacco what Dylan Holloway (below) is to Jim Montgomery. I grabbed him just in case.

Dylan Holloway, LW/C, St. Louis (19 percent Yahoo!) - I flagged him last week, and I hope you got on board. Holloway hasn't stopped with nine points - including five goals - and 20 shots on a six-game run. Fit matters, and Holloway clearly fits a Jim Montgomery system. 

Blake Lizotte, C, Pittsburgh (0 percent Yahoo!) - Lizotte isn't valuable in leagues that roll centers, though he could help if you stack forwards. He's on a four-game, six-point streak heading into Tuesday. It won't last, but don't discount someone with nine points across 13 appearances. Lizotte may prove to be sneaky-valuable in very deep formats, and no one is looking at him now. 

Aliaksei Protas, LW/C, Washington (16 percent Yahoo!) - Protas has been dropped off a number of rosters, perhaps by managers who thought his value was being lifted by Alex Ovechkin (98 percent Yahoo!). But the monstrous winger has continued to produce with six points (two goals, four assists) from his last six matchups and 24 - with a career-high nine goals. Protas won't give you power-play points and doesn't add hits or blocked shots, yet he's upped his shooting of late with 13 shots in his last four. His 19.6 shooting percentage remains far too high, but he continues to deliver anyway.

Damon Severson, D, Columbus (16 percent Yahoo!) - I've always loved Severson, to my own peril. I think it was all the early comps as a Shea Weber-lite that got me hooked. He's no Weber, but he does have skill and is on pace for a near-career offensive campaign. Severson heads into Sunday with a two-game, two-goal run with five points (two goals, three assists) during his last four. And his 15 points and 50 blocks have lifted the floor on one of my teams for a while. The only drawbacks? His lack of man-advantage minutes and injury risk from blocking shots. But sometimes boosting your roster with a stable defender like Severson can help a lot more than the variability that comes with the next shiny toy. 

Cole Sillinger, C, Columbus (6 percent Yahoo!) - Sillinger is in the same situation as Lizotte. He's an F-only stealth pickup in very deep leagues. His 18 points in 25 games have him flirting with a 60-point pace. And two goals, eight assists and 28 shots over his last 10 games heading into Sunday. The Blue Jackets have been surprisingly persistent and are only four points out of a Wild Card. They've bonded through one of the worst tragedies in recent hockey history, and everyone's boat has been metaphorically lifted as they respond. And Sillinger is still only 21, so his trajectory should continue to rise. 

Jeff Skinner, LW, Edmonton (35 percent Yahoo!) - Kasperi Kapanen (1 percent Yahoo!) is not the answer in the Oilers top-six. But is Skinner? He goes into Tuesday night with a two-game, three-point streak and four points in his last four games. Skinner came to Edmonton to play with the big boys, and he's only two seasons removed from an 82-point effort. At some point, someone has to click with Edmonton's stars. He's worth a look this week. The investment is low. Drop him if he fails (again). 

Logan Stankoven, RW/C, Dallas (35 percent Yahoo!) - Stankoven has first dibs on Tyler Seguin's (27 percent Yahoo!) spot in the top-six. His offense has recently been quiet, yet his speed/skill/motor combination is undeniable. Get on board now if he's on your wire. The Stankoven train is about to leave the station. 

Arvid Soderblom, G, Chicago (2 percent Yahoo!) - Attention Walmart shoppers: There's a price rollback in the sporting goods section. OK, you get the point. Soderblom is pure desperation, if only due to his team. But if you lost Petr Mrazek (27 percent Yahoo!), there's not much available in your league. Under the hood, you'll discover Soderblom has been remarkably strong despite a lack of offensive support and copious defensive breakdowns in front of him with a solid .915 save percentage and a decent 2.60 GAA. Mrazek is theoretically out one-to-two weeks, though groin injuries are easily aggravated. And call-up Drew Commesso (0 percent Yahoo!) is 4-6-0 with a 3.34 GAA and .879 save percentage in the AHL. Soderblom may help in formats that count total saves and other more niche categories. 

Pius Suter, LW/C, Vancouver (8 percent Yahoo!) - Jake DeBrusk (66 percent Yahoo!) is getting all the attention for stepping up his offense while J.T. Miller (96 percent Yahoo!) is out. But Suter has quietly delivered seven points - including five goals -16 shots and 42 faceoff wins in his last six games. He offers positional flexibility, and is widely available. Miller may be back soon, so Suter is a short-term play.

Karel Vejmelka, G, Utah (24 percent Yahoo!) - Vejmelka is currently in the 1A spot in Utah. And while his win-loss record is sketchy, his ratios are elite with a 2.25 GAA and .917 save percentage on the year. As in league top-five in both categories entering Sunday. Who knew? Vejmelka's talent may be real. Two things in his past stand out. Firstly, he was originally drafted by Nashville, a team that knows a thing or six about netminding (and D). And secondly, he boasts a championship pedigree with two Czech league champion rings - albeit as a backup. That speaks to skill, composure and experience. I'm holding Vejmelka right now as he's in the last year of his deal and could end up moving to a place where that talent might flourish (looking at you, Colorado or even Carolina). 

Scott Wedgewood, G, Colorado (26 percent Yahoo!) - Wedgewood went from a stable, predictable gig behind Juuse Saros (99 percent Yahoo!) to a wild and woolly ride alongside Alexandar Georgiev (72 percent Yahoo!) a week ago. He's a decent backup, but he's never started more than 28 games in any season. He could get more action than he should with Georgiev on a long slide, so grab Wedgewood as a stopgap. The offense should gift him a few wins and give him a buffer in games. But don't overinvest or hold too much hope. The Avs will need to properly fix Georgiev or deal with the issue soon. Mikko Rantanen (100 percent Yahoo!) needs a new contract, and the team needs to prove they're serious about their future. They're not with these two in net. 

Back to snubs.

One person being overlooked is another's relief. I'm not talking about the players as I don't think there's a hockey player who doesn't dream of putting on his or her country's jersey. 

I'm talking about fantasy managers. Yes, I'd love to see John Carlson (95 percent Yahoo!) participate in the 4 Nations Face-Off. But I'd rather have him in my fantasy roster for the second half. Injury risks in this format are real as it won't be like the All-Star Game. 

I already have one team that has all nine IR spots filled. Yes, nine - we added more during the pandemic, and never took them away after. Two of those place are long-term hold-and-hope players in Gabriel Landeskog (32 percent Yahoo!) and Torey Krug (1 percent Yahoo!), though the rest are star forwards and second-line wingers. 

Looking at you, Mathew Barzal (70 percent Yahoo!) and J.T. Miller (96 percent Yahoo!). At least I got Thatcher Demko (92 percent Yahoo!) back this weekend. 

My team and injuries/absences have been woven together since we started that league. We all seem to have one team like that, don't we. Sigh.

Until next week.