Frozen Fantasy: Be Ruthless, Now

Some things just don't go together.

Peanut butter on garlic bread. Vine and popularity (RIP). And Andrew Ladd and the New York Islanders.

Is he the $38.5 million mistake?

Sure, I'm picking on Ladd. But his slow start has more than a few worried. Including fantasy owners.

This so-called complementary first-line winger is mired in the same muck as fantasy stars James Neal in Nashville, Keith Yandle in Florida and Brian Elliott in Calgary.

And even Pekka Rinne in Nashville.

Sure, some guys will bounce back. Just look at what Phil Kessel did in the postseason last year. But then again, he was probably the most expensive third-line winger in recent history.

How long do you wait for guys to rebound?

In the past, I'd hold on until almost the quarter pole to pull the trigger on a deal. Give them a chance to shake off the rust.

Not anymore.

Last Monday, I had a (highly) motivated Jonathan Quick owner on my hands with a 7 p.m. roster deadline looming. And pretty soon, he had surrendered top-five fantasy defender John Klingberg for my declining Pekka asset. In a keeper league, no less.

How could I say no? Bah-ha-ha-HA.

Take a long – and I mean LONG – look at your roster. Be ruthless and start now.

Guys like Andrew Ladd will rebound a bit. But are you confident the bounce back will approach the level you forecasted on draft day?

In today's NHL, I have a short leash on a whole bunch of guys. You should, too.

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

Tyler Bozak, C, Toronto (4 percent Yahoo owned) - Two words: Mitch Marner. The teenager is seriously elevating the play of both Bozak and James van Riemsdyk in the Leafs' first few weeks. Don't believe me? Just take a look at the highlights from the Leafs' win Thursday. Marner is getting Bozak and JVR the puck in ways and places they've never seen before. And Bozak is capitalizing. He snagged two Thursday night and has three in his last three games. Cheap and easy. And the pressure is off with Auston Matthews in the house. Win-win.

Chris Driedger, G, Ottawa (0 percent) - Uh oh. The Hamburglar hurt himself Friday night and Driedger was forced into action in the third. He's no great shakes, but with Craig Anderson also away from the team, he's the one to don the tools of hockey ignorance. I'm stashing him until I know when Anderson is back.

Kevin Fiala, LW/RW, Nashville (1 percent) - Fiala can be an impact player when given premium ice. And that's just what we saw last weekend when so many Preds were praying to the porcelain gods after some bad seafood. Fiala notched two goals, including the game winner against the Pens last Saturday. His talent is elite. And if he might just end up as the cheapest option on a scoring line with – wait for it – Filip Forsberg. He'll get points just by getting dressed for those games.

Travis Konecny, LW/C, Philadelphia (18 percent) - Konecny has become an impact player in Philly in just eight games. And at age 19. His speed, tenacity and vision are a match made in heaven for Sean Couturier and Jakub Voracek on the team's first line, and he's showing no signs of slowing down. His seven points, including six helpers, put him among the league's best scoring rookies. This is the year of the teenager and T.K. is already close to the head of the class.

Philip Larsen, D, Vancouver (1 percent) - What's a power-play QB worth, even on a crap team? Larsen arrived in Vancouver a bit over-hyped, but the guy does know how to run the PP. And at some point, the Sedins are going to start to score. Larsen will be serving up some tasty taters to those two soon enough.

Brandon Pirri, RW/C, NY Rangers (10 percent) - Pirri struggled to get into a groove in his stops in Chicago, Florida and Anaheim, but the bright lights of Broadway seem to suit him just fine. Really fine, in fact. Pirri was riding a three-game, four-point streak (three goals) heading into action Friday night. And He's getting good ice time and opportunity on the power play. Maybe his time has finally come. He's ready to help if you let him.

Ryan Sproul, D, Detroit (0 percent) - Sproul has an absolute cannon of a shot and he fires right, something of a rarity on the blue line. Case in point? When he suited up for his first game his season, it had been almost 5,000 days since the Wings had iced three righties on the back end. That was 2002-03! Sproul has two helpers and 10 shots in four games, and is poised to be a Red Wing regular at just 23. My, how times have changed.

Mark Streit, D, Philadelphia (16 percent) - Streit was the forgotten man in Philly after the Ghost arrived. You know how it is – shiny new toys tend to distract and Gostisbehere sure put in a shiny performance last season. Wow. But Streit is the top performing defender in Philly right now, particularly on the power play. Streit has four points in his last two games, all of which came with the man advantage. And he has two goals and four assists in eight games overall. Check your wire. Now.

Ryan Strome, RW/C, NY Islanders (4 percent) - Keep an eye on this guy. The Isles are starting to get desperate to find solid line combos at the top of their lineup. As I said above, Andrew Ladd just hasn't clicked with that Tavares guy. Yet. So there's a chance he could slot on and off a big line, and that all but guarantees him points. Remember – this Strome came off the draft board a few years ago in the number five spot. The talent is there; he just needs to consolidate it.

Back to a short leash.

It's not easy dropping or trading guys we've drafted.

We fall in love. We think they'll rebound. But will it be enough?

Don't get left behind. Don't wait too long on a declining asset. You might just be left with a liability. And a big one at that.

Until next week.