Frozen Fantasy: Watching History

2020 has gotten off to a rough start. I'm not talking hockey; it's the rest of the world that's seen too many bad things. I won't list them. You know them all.

At least there's Ovie.

He's been a great escape from all that's bad. Friday night was no different.

Two goals. They put him past Mark Messier into eighth on the all-time list. And Sens' fans stood and roared.

That's class. For a class act.

The Great 8's January has been a month for the ages. And like I said, a welcome distraction. In case you missed it:

• 13 goals in 10 games, tops in the NHL last month
• 11 of those goals came on a five-game streak to end the month
• Back-to-back hatties for the third time in his career (only two others have ever done that and just two – Ovie and Wayne Gretzky – have done it in the last 98 years)
• Three straight multi-goal games
• 15 points in January, good for fifth in the NHL
• First Star (NHL) for the month

And Ovie passed four Hall-of-Famers on the all-time goals list in the process. Next up, Mike Gartner – he needs 13 to get to that Capital's 708.

And seventh-most in history.

Three more goals means he will have 11 seasons with at least 40 goals – only Gretzky (12) has done it before. In fact, Ovechkin is on track to be the second-fastest player ever to hit 700 goals.

He has 695.

Ovechkin is 200 goals from Wayne Gretzky's record. We should be savoring every game. Sometimes we all forget that we are witnessing history. One of the best of all time.

Does he have four more seasons of 50 goals in him? Or five more of 40?

Anything's possible, as long as he stays in North America.

Congrats, @ovi8. You've earned every accolade.

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

Drake Batherson, RW/C, Ottawa (1 percent Yahoo! owned) – Batherson's game has been stewing at the AHL level for a couple seasons and that's good news – the Sens gave him top-line experience there rather than low-line time in the bigs. Batherson still sits fourth in AHL scoring with 46 points in 37 games even though he's now getting regular minutes in the NHL. Heading into Saturday, he has three points in three games since coming back from the break. The Sens are going nowhere, but their roster is filled with hungry youngsters with nothing to lose. Batherson could put on a show from this point forward - relatively speaking, of course.

Connor Brown, LW/RW, Ottawa (9 percent Yahoo! owned) – Yes, he's here again. But maybe the third time's a charm? Brown has been on and off this list a number of time – this time, it's because of an eight-points-in-six-games run heading into Saturday's tilt with his former squad. He's streaky, but he's on a mid-50s pace. That's valuable in activate-and-forget leagues. Take a look. Again.

Matt Niskanen, D, Philadelphia (20 percent Yahoo! owned) – I don't think Niskanen was ever a true 40-point defender – his strong decision-making made some opportunistic offense play up. But he's not an offensive pylon, either. Right now, Niskanen is warming up with four assists - half of which have come on the power play - in his last five games. He's on pace for a mid-30s finish and this is the first time in a half-decade he's hit double-digits in power-play production. The boring guy can help if you've been hit with injuries.

Zach Sanford, LW/C, St. Louis (2 percent Yahoo! owned) – Sanford has been too hot of late to be unowned in 98 percent of leagues. How hot? He has seven points (three goals, four assists), a plus-6 rating, 12 SOG, 16 hits and five blocks over his last seven games heading into weekend play. Sanford has put up a top-10 performance in the last two weeks. In fact, it's top-three in the Yahoo! Friends and Family format. The journeyman's offense will likely dry up a little, but he can still deliver in other categories. 

Igor Shesterkin, G, NY Rangers (21 percent Yahoo! owned) – Shesterkin is part of the three-headed hound of hell that guards the gates of the Rangers' net. I guess it might as well be the gates to the underworld, just like in Greek mythology, because three goalies to guard one net is a dark, dark recipe for disaster. Shesterkin is considered the heir apparent to King Henrik Lundqvist and he's already showing why. He's 3-1 with a 2.51 GAA and .927 save percentage in the Blueshirts' last nine starts heading into the weekend. His four starts foreshadow where the balance of power is tipping, even with King Henrik's huge contract. Like Batherson above, he'll push hard to show off why he deserves a permanent gig. And his play has made Alexandar Georgiev tradable. Shesterkin's focus and talent will certainly help your team.

Jake Virtanen, RW, Vancouver (16 percent Yahoo! owned) – Virtanen hit this list just after New Year's and he's back again – that seems to be a trend this week. He had a four-game, six-point streak (10 SOG) snapped Saturday, but there's still value here. Especially skating with J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson. Virtanen is already on a career pace.

Dale Weise, LW/RW, Montreal (0 percent Yahoo! owned) – Need hits? Weise has something to prove after being banished to Laval of the AHL this season. He's not going to give much offense, but he is motivated. That's likely why he's delivered three points in his last three games. But it's his ability to pound that really stands out. Weise has delivered 14 hits in his last four games and even blocked three shots. His ice time is limited, but his impact isn't, at least so far.

Justin Williams, RW, Carolina (8 percent Yahoo! owned) – The old man has come out of hibernation. Williams is clutch, especially in the postseason, but he's already looking sharp in just three games. He has three points, including a two-goal game against the Jets, and he's seeing power-play time. Need anything else to make your decision? Thought not.

Kailer Yamamoto, RW, Edmonton (6 percent Yahoo! owned) – I think Yamamoto is here to stay. And for once, the Oil didn't ruin a young player (yes, I've said that before, but it's rare with this team). He has eight points - including four goals - in 10 games. And Yamamoto is on a three-game, three-point streak heading into the weekend and skating with studs. More points will come. They might as well be counting for your roster.

Filip Zadina, LW/RW, Detroit (5 percent Yahoo! owned) – Twelve – that's the number of shots in his last three games heading into the weekend. And two goals plus one assist. Zadina's shot is lethal, no matter what foot he shoots off. His future is bright. And I think he's finally ready. The explosive offense won't come right away – Zadina is still learning how he can bring creativity to the pro game. But he does have five goals and one assist in his last 10 games. Pick him up as long as you can absorb that plus-minus.

Back to Alexander the Gr8.

Fantasy owners tend to jettison guys who are his age (34). But it's time to rethink that with the very best.

I took a chance on Max Scherzer in my baseball keeper league when he was 31 (he's now 35). What did it get me?

League-leading wins, starts and Ks pretty much each year except the last one. A couple of league titles. And two Cy Youngs for him.

He's still ranked 14th on Rotowire's dynasty rankings.  And fourth overall in redraft leagues. Elite guys CAN retain their value.

So, Ovie may have five more seasons of 40 goals (or four more of 50) in him. And that's a lot more than just about everyone else in the league.

At minimum, I hope you get a chance to own Ovechkin at least once in your fantasy career. I have him in one league this year and I think it's just the second time I've ever owned him.

It might actually be the first.

I can now say I owned a little piece of history. And from now on, I'm going to savor every game I can watch. I hope you do, too.

Until next week.