Frozen Fantasy: Fantasy Desert

The Arizona Coyotes now have a long-term plan. And an injection of cash. Yep, they've had it since Dec. 31 when the NHL approved Andrew Barroway's purchase of 51 percent of the Desert Dawgs.

Now, go ahead and blow this team up.

General manager Don Maloney admitted he was up to as much – he said there are going to be some "long nights ahead" for fans. This past week, he jettisoned Devan Dubnyk, the only goalie who actually stopped pucks for them this season, for a draft pick. Antoine Vermette will be the next guy out the door. Then Keith Yandle.

Fantasy freedom. At last.

Now, it's not like many of you are even rolling Coyotes on your fantasy squads. Just three guys – Yandle, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Mike Smith – are owned in more than half of Yahoo! leagues. And Smith's 56 percent ownership is just pure desperation – you and I both know a one-armed goalie would have similar ownership numbers. And play better, for that matter.

But after that, the highest ownership is 28 percent. And it's not like Martin Hanzal is going to win you (or lose you) a title any time soon.

I'll admit I'm happy that my Keith Yandle will get paroled – it's about time his value might actually match his ownership. And every guy who leaves the desert will see his fantasy value go up, so be ready to pounce on the wire (or pursue them in trade – I'm looking at you, Vermette). But I'll also admit that I'm worried sick that a future fantasy stud could be irreparably harmed in the process. That stud's name is Connor McDavid.

The Next One in the desert? Say it isn't so.

The Yotes are fourth-last in the NHL right now (36 points) and unofficially tanking for McDavid. Carolina is third-last with 33 points, followed by Buffalo (31) and Edmonton (29). I'm not a fan of any of these teams. But c'mon – McDavid and his future fantasy owners deserve better than to be banished to the desert.

Sure, other young studs (Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Taylor Hall) went to crummy teams. But those other teams – Pittsburgh, Chicago and even Edmonton – all had storied histories. Not a sour one.

A conspiracy theorist might say the NHL is behind it and that it's all designed to keep the Yotes in Glendale. I'm not one of those. I think it's actually the opposite.

Could McDavid sell tickets in a market that doesn't really understand hockey? Can the Yotes develop him properly and surround him with the right pieces for success, both as a team and an individual? Would they even make money with him in a Desert Dawg uni? Remember – Barroway's deal still has that escape clause. You know, the one the allows them to move the team if their losses reach or exceed $50 million in five years…

Hmmmm….so maybe his stay in the desert will be relatively short if that's where he ends up. His career couldn't take THAT much of a hit in five years, could it?

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

Josh Bailey, LW, NY Islanders (2 percent Yahoo! owned): Go get Bailey right now. Don't wait. Seriously. He's a fantastic playmaker who just got a gig on the Isles' top line with – you guessed it – John Tavares and Kyle Okposo, two guys with elite sniping skills. That trio schooled the Penguins on Friday night – Okposo had four goals and Bailey and Tavares each had three helpers. I can see that smile. You're welcome.

Zach Bogosian, D, Winnipeg (8 percent Yahoo! owned): Once upon a time, Bogey was hyped as the next Chris Pronger, and that got him drafted third overall in 2008 behind only Steven Stamkos and Drew Doughty. And yes, ahead of Erik Karlsson and John Carlson. D'oh! Injuries have taken away most of that lofty potential and fantasy owners now tend to just avoid him. You shouldn't. I snagged him Friday around the supper hour and man, am I glad I did. His two points against the 'Hawks give him five points in five games, along with a plus-7 rating and 17 hits. Yeah, I'm sure he'll get hurt again. But I'm going to milk this for every ounce I can. You should, too.

Lance Bouma, LW/C, Calgary (1 percent Yahoo! owned): Bouma doesn't have much of an upside. But he's a battering ram on the forecheck and that makes opposing defenders rush plays in their own zone. And he knows exactly what to do with the puck when it pops loose. Bouma has a remarkable five assists in his last three games. No, that won't last. But there might be some value here when you add those hits (he has averaged 5.6 of those in the last five games).

David Jones, RW, Calgary (0 percent Yahoo! owned): This guy gets hurt flipping pancakes – sorry, that was Dustin Penner. But you get the point. He almost always ends up in the infirmary when he starts to go on an offensive spurt. So the next ouch is coming – after all, he's on a four-game, five-point streak right now. But it'll probably take a few more games for the injury bug to hit, so you might as well take advantage of his current run.

Marek Mazanec, G, Nashville (2 percent Yahoo! owned): Pekka Rinne is injured. Again. So the twine tent in Tennessee now belongs to Carter Hutton and Mazanec. Hutton will likely get the majority of the starts, but Mazanec will probably play a handful of games before Rinne returns. He's still developing, but he's big and unbelievably athletic. Stash him and play the matchups. Those Preds are surging and they don't need their goalies to steal wins any more. It's not that he couldn't do that, per se – he just has to be solid. And I know he can do that.

Milan Michalek, LW/RW, Ottawa (3 percent Yahoo! owned): Michalek used to be fantasy relevant. He used to be decent…good, even. Remember that sophomore season? That offense was real. So were the 35 goals he potted in 2011-12. But he's an incredibly old 30, if you know what I mean. This season has been particularly tough – he's almost Dany Heatley slow (or at least it seems like that). And he's been in a scoring drought all season. But the Sens recently started juggling lines and low and behold, Double M has a three-game point streak (two goals, two assists). He's dirt-cheap and has multi-position eligibility. Adding him might be like biting a lemon. Sour as hell, but you might just get a wicked boost of Vitamin C. And remember – there's a reason we add lemon to things. They can bring out the best in the things around them. You can always spit him back out if you can't stand the pucker.

Benoit Pouliot, LW, Edmonton (2 percent Yahoo! owned): Four seasons and four teams – what the heck is wrong with this guy? OK, so his brain sometimes takes a shift off here and there (and there and there and there). But the last five goals scored by the Oil came from his stick. Yes, you read that right. Not Taylor Hall or Jordan Eberle. Or any other hotshot sniper. Pouliot has six goals in his last four games and seven in the seven since his return from injury. Plug him in. I'm all for cheap and cheerful at this point in the season.

Mark Stone, LW, Ottawa (2 percent Yahoo! owned): Stone is the higher-upside half of the Sens' dynamic rookie duo (Mike Hoffman is other half). Both men have 23 points this season, but Stone is a few years younger and is (surprisingly) the team's best possession player (check out his Corsi Rel.). I underrated his versatility at the beginning of the season; I shouldn't have. He can play anywhere in the lineup, from the top line to both special teams units. And right now, he's on a four-game, five-point scoring streak (one goal, four assists). I'm buying now for the short term AND I'm investing in keeper formats. A guy like this might deliver 70 points on the top line in a couple years time. I want that.

Rob Zepp, G, Philadelphia (4 percent Yahoo! owned): Zepp is living the dream. After nine years in Europe, including the last seven in the German league (puke), the 33-year-old signed a minor league deal for 2014-15 with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He made his NHL debut this season and the guy is actually bringing it. Hey, maybe I shouldn't have been so glib about the German league – he did backstop his Berlin team to five consecutive German league titles. I snagged him early this week and I've been treated to a win over the Bolts, and two whole goals against in a 1-0 loss to the Caps and two periods of relief against the Orcas. It's a great story for a guy who might just end up ousting Ray Emery as the number two guy when Steve Mason returns. And that means he'll get playing time – you and I both know Mason is an injury just waiting to happen.

Back to the Coyotes.

Who am I to argue the team's long-term plan? Maloney says, "… the goal is to get where L.A. and Anaheim and Chicago are – to become a perennial playoff team."

The Yotes are in rebuild mode. There will be long, long nights in the desert. And they will jettison a lot more guys before the trade deadline and the draft.

But nights in the desert are dangerous enough without making them any longer. And like I said earlier, I'm not convinced a rebuilding team – even if it gets McDavid or Mr. Jack Eichel – will pull people out of their golf carts and into the stands.

Oh yeah. This is for you, Oliver Ekman-Larsson owners. So sorry about your luck. OEL will be part of the rebuild along with Max Domi, Henrik Samuelsson, Brandon Gormley and Connor Murphy. The sand will continue to drag down his game. This team will be young for a long time.

Until next week.