Frozen Fantasy: Down to Single Digits

I thought this article would be about the deadline. And then we hit single digits Sunday afternoon. Nine. And everything changed. 

No. 886. Nine goals from a new record. There are 18 games left…

Alex Ovechkin (98 percent Yahoo!) has been on a goal binge. As in seven from his last eight games, and 11 in 14. And Sunday's goal gave him 1,600 points - the 11th player to reach that mark. 

Ovie has a 51.9 percent shot at setting a record this season. It's must-stream time, folks. 

The Caps head West to play the Ducks (Tuesday), Kings (Thursday) and Sharks (Saturday). Witnessing history seems so much harder in anything these days. Savor it. I sure will. 

And while it wasn't historic, the trade deadline was a blast. Carolina learned its lesson – I love Logan Stankoven (26 percent Yahoo!), yet the team came out with less than they started with.

And Mitch Marner (100 percent Yahoo!) didn't want them either. But he's won the lottery as the projected the top free agent on the market this summer now that Mikko Rantanen (100 percent Yahoo!) is off the board. Chicago will back the Brinks truck up, among others…

Someone will pay handsomely. Rantanen's contract isn't going to be his standard. 

The Bruins learned that Brad Marchand (88 percent Yahoo!) also holds grudges off the ice. It's business, but it's hard for players to see it that way when it feels like they're treated like assets. 

The Stars won the lottery, both player-wise and cap-wise. Boom. That's essentially the same cash Rantanen turned down in Colorado. And boy-o-boy, the Avs should be worried as he'll be out for revenge. And I wouldn't bet against him. 

The Leafs raised their floor, even if fans wanted more. The Oilers? I'm not so sure. Jake Walman (64 percent Yahoo!) was a castoff with Detroit last season, and now he's arguably the best puck mover on the Oilers' back end. 

And I can see Mike Grier's grin all the way from San Jose. He got Detroit's second rounder to take Walman and now has Edmonton's first. For someone who played 50 games in teal.

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

GOALIES

Jaxson Stauber, G, Utah (1 percent Yahoo!) - Get him now. Connor Ingram (26 percent Yahoo!) entered the Player's Assistance Program on Sunday, and there's no timeline for his return. Karel Vejmelka (36 percent Yahoo!) has been playing well of late, but he'll need a break at some time - especially with Utah only four points out of the final Wild Card. Granted, they'd need to jump two more teams to get there, though they're not entirely out of it. So Stauber is going to get some starts. 

Vitek Vanecek, G, Florida (8 percent Yahoo!) - Vanecek went from coast-to-coast and bottom-to-top with his move to the Sunshine State. He delivered a shutout in his Panthers debut and seriously raises the floor for a team hoping for a long playoff run. In an ideal world, Vanecek spells off Sergei Bobrovsky (98 percent Yahoo!) a bit so the Cup winner can be as rested and healthy as possible for the postseason. And behind the Kitties, Vanecek could deliver like he did in his first year with New Jersey (2.45 GAA, .911 save percentage). That would help in any daily or weekly format. 

OFFENSE

William Eklund, LW, San Jose (20 percent Yahoo!) - Eklund had a four-game, six-point run snapped Saturday. But in the 10 games leading into Saturday, he found the scoresheet in nine of them. That streak included four goals, seven assists, four PPPs, 22 shots, 12 hits and six blocks. And remarkably, he was plus-3 over that span when his team went 2-5-3. Eklund can help both of us. 

Casey Mittelstadt, C, Boston (9 percent Yahoo!) - Black and gold may be just what Mittelstadt needs to resurrect his career and rebuild his reputation. Colorado wasn't a fit, but the salty air on the Eastern seaboard could be the ticket he needs. Mittelstadt's ice time jumped to almost 18 minutes on Saturday, mostly at the expense of Elias Lindholm (32 percent Yahoo!) who was dropped to the third unit. The new Bruin delivered an assist, minor penalty, hit, block and shot. Mittelstadt's faceoff work didn't improve, so don't count on him for that. But a second-line gig in Boston for a U.S.-born center? He'll get a big boost of confidence with that love. 

Bryan Rust, RW, Pittsburgh (42 percent Yahoo!) - It's a longshot, but Rust might be dangling on your wire. In the last four days, he has a goal, four assists, 14 shots and two PPP. The Pens are awful, yet they still have to ice a team. And Rust rolls with Sidney Crosby (99 percent Yahoo!), whose motor NEVER shuts off. Stick down, Rust, and go to the net. 

Will Smith, RW/C, San Jose (10 percent Yahoo!) - Smith is still widely available, though he shouldn't be there - especially with his RW qualification. He goes into Tuesday with points from six of his last seven with nine overall (four goals, five assists). Smith offers up a bit of everything with him tallying four PPPs (two goals, two assists) and 19 shots through this most recent stretch. San Jose is on a miserable 2-5-3 over its last 10 matchups, but Smith is only minus-3 in that time. He'll help you. 

ALL-AROUND

Justin Faulk, D, St. Louis (15 percent Yahoo!) - Faulk is the natural fit to take Colton Parayko's (55 percent Yahoo!) spot, both defensively and offensively. In four appearances last week, he notched nine blocks and six hits along with one assist. I'm in with both feet at this point - Faulk put up a 50-point season two years ago, so he knows what to do with the puck. And he's widely available. 

Darren Raddysh, D, Tampa Bay (12 percent Yahoo!) - It's odd to see Raddysh in an offensive category, yet he's previously shown flashes. And he did it again this week with a three-game, five-point scoring streak that included a goal, eight shots, four blocks and two hits. There was even a power-play assist involved. Raddysh is on pace for as many as 38 points, and maybe more if the Bolts rest Victor Hedman (100 percent Yahoo!) to make sure his lower-body injury is healed for the playoffs. 

HITS

Andreas Englund, D, Nashville (0 percent Yahoo!) - Englund caught my eye last Sunday when he dropped his gloves with Matt Rempe (1 percent Yahoo!) after the winger's dirty head shot to Nick Blankenburg (0 percent Yahoo!). He held his own in the fight and endeared himself to new fans and teammates alike. I don't look to Englund for scoring, but I do like him for secondary categories. Last week, he posted 17 PIM from the Rempe tussle alongside 12 hits and eight blocks. The hits and blocks are more consistent than PIM, and they're almost free. 

Alexei Toropchenko, RW, St. Louis (0 percent Yahoo!) - Toropchenko delivered 11 hits from four games last week. Not bad. But they're great when you combine them with 16 shots during the same stretch - that shot total was the sixth most by anyone over the last seven days when I checked Sunday. This won't continue forever, yet Toropchenko could carry surprising multi-category value during the stretch drive. Who would've thought that?

BLOCKS/HITS

Will Borgen, D, NY Rangers (4 percent Yahoo!) - Bruise Borgen produced 12 hits last week heading into Sunday, one shy of the category lead for the last seven days. And then he added 17 PIM that evening. He and K'Andre Miller have developed into the Rangers' shutdown pair, and they get better with each passing week. Borgen was always a hit machine, though he's upped the body sacrifices on Broadway as his ice time has increased. He'll help you on the cheap if you need to move in blocks. 

Mario Ferraro, D, San Jose (2 percent Yahoo!) - Ferraro's minus-23 hangs like an anchor, yet he's a solid citizen when it comes to blocks and hits - as long as that plus-minus won't hurt you. In his last four games heading into Tuesday, Ferraro registered 11 blocks and eight hits. You could dominate these categories with Borgen or Ferarro, or both.

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Back to single digits. 

Ovie has a real shot at breaking the record this year. Can he do it in fewer games than Gretzky?

The Great One posted 874 goals in 1,487 games. Ovechkin has logged 1,474. Can he really do this in 13 or less? 

At this point, I wouldn't put it past him. After their swing out west, the Caps come home to the Wings, Flyers and Panthers and close out the month with a trip to see the Jets and Wild. Then they end the month at home against the Sabres. 

That's nine. Game 13 is on Sunday, Apr.6 against the Islanders. Gretzky scored his last goal against them back in 1999. Oh, the irony. 

Ilya Sorokin (96 percent Yahoo!) will likely be in net. He's one of the NHL's best goalies. And Russian, too.  More irony.

No netminder wants to have their name in that kind of record book. Sorokin won't have it. But then again, does anyone remember Wade Flaherty for anything else?

Until next week.