Frozen Fantasy: Just Desserts

The playoff structure in the East is all locked up. But the Pacific and Central are still the Wild West. And some good teams will soon be trading sticks for golf clubs far too soon.

Vegas, I'm worried about you.

In five years, the Golden Knights have gone from fan darling to most hated in the league. The team seems entitled. Its management has no loyalty. And the 'welcome back Evgenii' tweet was as cold as they come.

Like a "Sorry, but" apology. No accountability in that.

The cap hamstrings Vegas, but they're just playing bad hockey. Injuries to Robin Lehner, Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty and Alec Martinez have really hurt. Jack Eichel is a superstar, but he can't carry the team.

No single player can.

Vegas is chasing Dallas, Edmonton and Nashville for a playoff spot. All of them have at least two games in hand on the boys from the strip. Dallas has a four-game buffer.

Gulp.

This season, the path to a Cup win by a Western team has never been easier. The East's best will grind each other into the ice, with the hope they have enough left to get a 16th win.

The 'just-get-in' mantra is alive and well in the West. Remember the 2012 Kings? They scored just 194 goals all season long, but got hot at the right time. They took down the top-three seeds in the West before taking their first Cup in six.

Just like in a head-to-head fantasy league. I took home a cash prize last season after a sub-.500 season.

Too bad the Golden Knights won't get that same chance. Maybe it's their just desserts.

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

Sean Durzi, D, Los Angeles (6 percent Yahoo!) – Durzi is having an outstanding rookie season on the left coast. His three-assist game Thursday was a standout, even if the Kings lost. He has five helpers in four games heading into Saturday night, and quietly sits fourth in rookie scoring from the blueline. But more impressively, Durzi's P/GP this season (0.46) is behind only Moritz Seider among rookie defenders. Yes, he's produced better than Jamie Drysdale and Bowen Byram (when he was healthy). Durzi is a sneaky play over the last 20 games, especially if Drew Doughty is done for the rest of the regular season.

Joel Farabee, LW/RW, Philadelphia (18 percent Yahoo!) – Farabee rides a four-game, six-point streak (two goals, four assists) into Sunday's game in Nashville. And he's been held off the scoresheet just once over his last seven games. Farabee moved up the lineup with the trade of Claude Giroux and the time is now for this future star. Farabee has the skills to be a top-line player in the NHL. And he might be as good as Mark Stone if his two-way game keeps improving. File that away, but don't miss out on what he might do for your current squad short term.

Keegan Kolesar, RW/C, Vegas (2 percent Yahoo!) – Need hits? Kolesar topped the list this week with 26, but he's more than a one-category wonder. He was a 20-goal scorer in the AHL and Vegas currently has him in a top-six role. It's not a recipe for massive scoring, but Kolesar can be more than muscle as long as he's playing up the lineup.

Travis Konecny, LW/RW, Philadelphia (25 percent Yahoo!) – Konecny missed Friday with a lower-body injury, but he was on a three-game, six-point streak before that. And he had 27 shots and 10 points, including three on the PP, in his previous nine games. If healthy, Konecny is a volume shooter who gets time on the PP, and that's a profile that fits on a lot of rosters.

Kevin Lankinen, G, Chicago (30 percent Yahoo!) – The Flower is gone and someone has to fill the net. Lankinen is starting Saturday with something to prove. He went 1-1 this week with just four goals allowed. He kept his squad in the game against a strong Wild team last weekend and was sharp in a win over the Ducks on Wednesday. The Hawks aren't going down without a fight this season – pride is a powerful motivator. Lankinen is worth a gamble in that situation.

Trevor Moore, LW/RW, Los Angeles (12 percent Yahoo!) – Moore is back on this list on the strength of a four-game, five-point scoring streak (two goals, three assists). He won't help with power-play production or significant category coverage. But he does shoot the puck and is on pace for a massive 50-point season while playing on the second line. Moore is a quiet contributor who can help stabilize your roster.

Brock Nelson, C, NY Islanders (37 percent Yahoo!) – No one told the Isles they're out of it. The team is playing for pride and some of their vets have stepped it up in big ways. Like Nelson. Heading into Saturday, he had 16 points, including 10 goals, in 13 March appearances. He's producing on the PP (five points) and delivering decent secondary stats (100 FW, 37 SOG and 13 blocks). Honestly, I'd drop Mathew Barzal (71 percent) for a piece of Nelson right now.

Taylor Raddysh, RW, Chicago (2 percent Yahoo!) – Raddysh went from a bottom-six role in Tampa to a top-six one with power-play time in Chicago. His shot is special and he's now reunited on the Hawks with two of his best Erie Otters buddies – Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome. Raddysh is playing on the second line with Jonathan Toews and Henrik Borgstrom, and he's currently on a three-game, four-point roll heading into Saturday. And two of those points came on the power play. Raddysh is a must-add. Period. It feels like his moment has come.

Dylan Strome, RW/C, Chicago (28 percent Yahoo!) – The trade deadline came and went, and Strome is still in the Windy City. And all he does is keep scoring. He heads into Saturday's game against Vegas on a four-game, six-point scoring streak and he has points in 10 of 11 games this month (nine goals, eight assists). Maybe, just maybe, Strome is becoming the guy the Coyotes thought they were getting when they called his name third overall. The added team chemistry with another Erie Otter (see Raddysh, above) will likely help too.

Back to just desserts.

This is not on Evgenii Dadonov. The poor guy is ripping it up right now for a team that clearly doesn't want him.

This management team approached building a roster like hiring mercenaries. Cold and impersonal. Who lets the reigning Vezina winner know he was traded on Twitter? And they "forgot" a no-trade list? More like ignored.

At some point, owner Bill Foley might decide that changes are needed in his management team. But he might not care if George McPhee and Kelly McCrimmon make him money. Even if they embarrass him.

The playoff run in the West will be fun to watch. We'll all be drawn to the mounting desperation in cities like Vegas just like moths to a light, starting with Saturday's tilt with the Hawks.

And my gut says more of us will be rooting against them than for them.

Until next week.