Frozen Fantasy: Ditch the Drama

I live in the shadow of Leaf Land. The drama is non-stop on every channel, from old-school radio to rants on social.

Shoot me now.

The sky is falling. No, everything is great. The pendulum swings wide after every game. There's nothing in between.

Then again, there's never been rational thought in Leaf Land.

The Leafs may not make the playoffs this season. They play highly skilled, electric, but dispassionate hockey. Are they good enough? Do they care enough? Can they play hard enough?

ENOUGH! Anyone else hate drama? Sorry, that was rhetorical.

But from a fantasy perspective, owning Leaf skaters is a winning strategy. Since Sheldon Keefe took over behind the bench, the Buds have scored the most goals in the NHL. And their power play is tops, too.

Why else would I stack up three of them – Mitch Marner, John Tavares and William Nylander – on a single team?

Now, the Leafs are top-10 in goals allowed. Even the world-class Frederik Andersen can't fix that.

But the Leafs are one of the youngest teams in the league. Once healthy, their firepower will make them a top-five team.

And my team with Marner, Tavares and Wee Willie will roar.  

Ditch the drama. Listen to opera if need be. OK, that's not reasonable, but you get my drift.

Laugh at the rants because they're irrational. Love hockey because it's great.

But love fantasy because it's even better.

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

Artem Anisimov, LW/C, Ottawa (1 percent Yahoo! owned) – Anisimov's game isn't perfect. He's sketchy five-on-five and toils on the Sens' fourth line. But he's hot right now – four points in five games, with 11 shots, a power-play goal and some bonus faceoff wins heading into Saturday night. And he's getting time on the power play. Anisimov is a huge guy and he's at his best parked in front of the net. His 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame makes a better door than window for goalies, so he could be a sneaky source of PPP. Tight categories like that call for creativity sometimes. I'm buying.

Andrew Copp, LW/C, Winnipeg (5 percent Yahoo! owned) – Copp is a crack filler – a guy who quietly adapts to whatever he's thrown, and glues things together perfectly. Right now, Copp is the Jets' second-line center between Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor, and he's on the second power-play unit. Heading into play Saturday, Copp had seven points (two goals, five assists) in his last eight games. And 63 faceoff wins. All without fanfare or fantasy notice. Go ahead and compare his 14-day performance against your squad and you'll discover what I did. Copp would be my second-best pivot and forward (by a long shot) in the Yahoo! Friends and Family league. And that's without power-play production. Argh.

Jordan Eberle, RW, NY Islanders (16 percent Yahoo! owned) – Eberle put up just the third hattie of his career on Friday night. Sure, it came against the lowly Red Wings, a team he has absolutely shredded this season (six goals and one assist in just three games). But the guy is delivering at a mid-50s pace. Like him or not, Eberle may be able to bolster the bottom of your lineup as you push through the last quarter.

Ondrej Kase, RW, Boston (8 percent Yahoo! owned) – Roll the dice immediately on this guy. The Bruins paid a mint for Kase, but that's fine if he lives up to his potential on their second line. Yes, he's been hit hard by illness and hasn't played since Feb. 4. But Kase has speed and creativity, and plays the kind of tenacious game beloved in Boston. Plus advanced stat heads will tell you this guy is fantastic at driving play. It's rare to see advanced stats align with the old eye test, but that's Kase. Moving to the East Coast is going to show the fantasy world he's a potential star. Get him now, especially in keeper leagues.

Andrew Mangiapane, LW/RW, Calgary (2 percent Yahoo! owned) – Mangiapane has been fighting for respect most of his hockey life. The prolific junior scorer put up two straight 100-plus point seasons for the Barrie Colts (OHL). But he fell to the sixth round in his draft year. Too small, they said. And those feet. But Mangiapane put in the hard work in the AHL and a couple short years later, he's now on the second line with Matthew Tkachuk. And the second power-play unit. On Monday night, Mangiapane looked every part a star – three goals and an assist in a 6-4 win over the Ducks. I think I'm going to troll the Mountain and Pacific Time zones for buried treasures like this more often.

Travis Sanheim, D, Philadelphia (5 percent Yahoo! owned) – Back in his draft year, Sanheim's scouting report spoke of a guy who had Jay Bouwmeester type skills, but a slow development curve. The kind of guy who could be a second-pairing gem for a patient NHL team. I never thought of the Flyers as patient, but fast forward almost six years and Sanheim has become just what scouts described. In today's fantasy world, we need to remember that not every defender is like Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes or Miro Heiskanen. Sanheim has four points (one goal, three helpers) in five games heading into play Saturday. Plus 11 blocked shots and nine hits. That's a pretty well-rounded fantasy game if you need a boost.

Alex Stalock, G, Minnesota (16 percent Yahoo! owned) – This will be quick. Stalock has started four of the Wild's last five games. He's won twice, once by shutout. Wins are wins, even if he's allowed nine goals in the other three games. You can do worse. Way worse.

Gabriel Vilardi, C, Los Angeles (3 percent Yahoo! owned) – What a debut! Try 15:10 in playing time with a goal, assist, plus-2 rating, two shots and 13 faceoff wins. Vilardi's so-called weak spot is supposed to be his foot speed, but his shot is lethal and he just makes everyone around him better. The Kings' young guns will get lots of opportunities as the team jettisons the lifeboats at the deadline. Guys like Vilardi have nothing to lose and everything to gain. We'd both be crazy to not try to benefit from that.  

Cam Talbot, G, Calgary (17 percent Yahoo! owned) – Neither Flames' goalie has been strong in the last couple weeks. The team is an absolute dogfight for a wild card spot and desperation breeds a special intensity. And short leashes. David Rittich is the clear number one, but I have no doubt Geoff Ward will continue to play the hot hand. And that's been Talbot – he's started three of the last four heading into Sunday. And he's delivered a 2-1 record with one shutout. The goals-against isn't pretty, but wins count if you need them.

Back to ditching drama.

Yah, I've had a week. But none of it's fantasy related. Remarkably, a keeper team I bailed on is about to make the playoffs. Another team is ahead of schedule in a massive money league. And another league is about to earn me – worst-case scenario – my choice of Quinton Byfield or Tim Stutzle.

Fantasy hockey IS great. The drama in Toronto continues. I'm just not going to engage.

Until next week.