Frozen Fantasy: Lunchbag Letdown

Trade deadline day used to be almost a national holiday north of the 49th. Some of us – yes, me included – have taken a vacation day just to follow the antics. 

Not this year.  

Vladimir Tarasenko (89 percent Yahoo!) went off the board a week ago. Ryan O'Reilly (52 percent Yahoo!) switched teams late Friday night. Bo Horvat (92 percent Yahoo!) is but a distant memory in Vancouver. So who's left to make a splash?

Timo Meier (99 percent Yahoo!) may or may not move – the Sharks may truly want to keep the star. Erik Karlsson (97 percent Yahoo!) is on his way to the century mark in points, but how the heck does anyone take on his $11.5 AAV for four more years? Ditto John Gibson (38 percent Yahoo!) and his $6.4 mil AAV over the same time frame. 

Patrick Kane (89 percent Yahoo!) may or may not even agree to a trade. He seems frustrated with the team's trajectory, but he's a man who deeply values legacy. And more than a few people think he wants to be known as the best Hawk ever. And that means one uniform all-time. 

No offense, Stan Mikita, but Patty already is the best. 

Tyler Bertuzzi (21 percent Yahoo!) may be off the market with the Red Wings in the hunt for a Wild Card. Jakob Chychrun (74 percent Yahoo!) will move, but who knows if it'll be now or right before the draft. The 'Yotes may get a lot more serious suitors for him then. 

So who's left? 

It feels like a lunch bag letdown, and no offense to Brock Boeser (44 percent Yahoo!), John Klingberg (37 percent Yahoo!) or even my beloved Jonathan Toews (10 percent Yahoo! – ouch that number hurts). The trade deadline could be about Luke Schenn (54 percent Yahoo!) and James Reimer (17 percent Yahoo!) unless there's a Thatcher Demko (64 percent Yahoo!) deal. Or someone mortgages their future to convince someone to take on half of Karlsson's contract.

And don't get me started about the so-called fantasy upgrades when big names move. We really need to manage expectations. Horvat has four points in seven games on Long Island. O'Reilly's supporting cast needs to touch the puck a lot, so how many will he get? And Tarasenko has three points in five games since his move to Broadway.

We expect so much, but rarely - if ever - hit a home run. 

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

Noel Acciari, LW/C, Toronto (11 percent Yahoo!) – What? No Ryan O'Reilly upgrade? Fantasy managers are already flocking to the pride of Clinton, Ontario like moths to a light, and the ROI may not be there - especially if he ultimately lands on the third line. But his trade mate is worth a look, especially if you need hits without an anchor. Acciari is the only player in the NHL's top-10 hitter list with at least 10 goals this season. He delivered five hits Saturday in his Leafs' debut, and there are a lot more where those came from. Acciari plays with edge and knows his role. And Leafs' fans love his kind of game. Watch for his hits-per-game to climb and for a few gritty goals. 

Adam Boqvist, D, Columbus (8 percent Yahoo!) – Boqvist's star may finally be rising. Heading into Sunday night, he was on a three-game, four-point (two goals, two assists) streak that included two PPP. And if you look closer, you'll see that eight of his 14 points this year have come in his last eight games (14 shots). And again, half of those have been on the power play. Boqvist has never fulfilled his immense draft potential because of injuries, so beware the band aid. But this may be different. It's a dice roll I'm willing to take, especially as the Jackets play out a season without pressure – guys can really blossom under that kind of freedom. 

William Carrier, LW, Vegas (4 percent Yahoo!) – Lost in the Vegas chaos is Carrier, a hard-hitting winger on a surprising run. He's missed time recently, but take a look at his game log. Carrier has nine points - including five goals - in his last nine games played and has delivered 24 shots and 17 hits during that span. Three of those five goals were game winners. In fact, seven of his 15 markers this season were GWG. I had no clue. And one last thing – Carrier is skating on the port side of Chandler Stephenson's (74 percent Yahoo!) line. As in the Golden Knights' top scorer Chandler Stephenson. Carrier is a hidden gem for those of you in banger leagues. 

Jordan Eberle, RW, Seattle (18 percent Yahoo!) – Eberle is a first-line winger on PP1 with output in the NHL's top-80 scorers. So I'm kind of confused why managers have been dropping him, but that's what happened this weekend. Maybe their leagues are shallow with stronger options than someone on a two-game, five-point streak and has seven points (three goals) over his last four. It's more likely it's just really bad timing on their part and they missed this run. The Kraken play the Sharks, Blues and Wings in their next five. Eberle has points for the taking. 

Robby Fabbri, LW/RW, Detroit (11 percent Yahoo!) – The book on Fabbri doesn't change – electric goal scorer, fast feet and always injured. In fact, the offensive winger has never played a full season of hockey since before his hockeydb.com days. Most recently, Fabbri missed time rehabbing his third ACL reconstruction. Yes, third. It took him about 15 games to get back up to speed and then boom – a move up the lineup and he went into Saturday night on a four-game, seven-point streak. It included a three-game goal streak. The streak was snapped, but Fabbri needs to be rostered even with his injury risk. Detroit is surprisingly competitive right now. 

Philipp Grubauer, G, Seattle (29 percent Yahoo!) – Grubauer hasn't been able to live up to his big AAV ($5.9 mil through 2026-27), so lots of people have written him off. But that's to your advantage right now. My Little Schnitzel is the hot hand in Seattle's blue paint right now with three wins in four consecutive starts. He's only allowed more than two goals once over that stretch and only once in his last eight starts. Grubauer is dialed in, and coach Dave Hakstol will do whatever it takes to preserve the Kraken's playoff position. Get him. 

Jordan Harris, D, Montreal (1 percent Yahoo!) – Harris had a great week. Last weekend, he inked a two-year contract extension and then followed that up with four points in four games, including two snipes last Sunday against the Oilers. Harris is smart, mobile and moves the puck well and is already showing signs he's one of the more stable defenders on a really young Montreal squad. His production won't be spectacular, but steady is enough if you're hurting in your last D spot. Harris could be a well-rounded, top-four defender for a long time.

Rafael Harvey-Pinard, LW, Montreal (11 percent Yahoo!) – HP Sauce is a great story. After being passed over at the draft table, the small, skilled winger dug in with 40 goals and a Memorial Cup win as an overager. And at 20, his childhood dreams came true when his name was called by his home-province Habs in the seventh round. Harvey-Pinard is a below-average skater, but has proven himself as a scorer in the AHL. And now that's translating to the bleu, blanc et rouge with seven goals in his last 10 games (nine points). His skating is still a weak link, but his Brendan Gallagher-esque tenacity is a big hit in Montreal. HP is worth the risk until the clock strikes midnight. Because it will. 

Joonas Korpisalo, G, Columbus (9 percent Yahoo!) – Two convincing wins this week over Dallas and Winnipeg and Korpisalo has gone from meh to wah for teams seeking help in net. He's never lived up to the line from his rookie season, but he has somehow managed a .912 save percentage in 24 starts for a club that's been in and out of a death spiral all season. Korpi is a UFA this summer, and I suspect the Jackets will move him for any asset by Mar. 3. He can clearly handle a lot of rubber. And a move to a contender, even as a backup, will boost his fantasy value a bit. 

Blake Lizotte, C, Los Angeles (1 percent Yahoo!) – Meet Kevin Fiala's center at even strength. That plum gig belongs to Lizotte, a great-skating energy guy who loves to dog pucks. The 25-year-old is having a career year and has picked up the pace with nine points - including seven helpers - in his last nine games. And that includes a three-game, five-point streak heading into Tuesday. Lizotte isn't a point-per-game player, but he's on a 40-point pace and generally wins more faceoffs than not. Center is always deep, but he may carry value in deeper formats that roll forwards rather than separate positions. 

Matias Maccelli, LW, Arizona (2 percent Yahoo!) – Maccelli is back at it. The forgotten early-season rookie point leader has finally returned to game speed after missing a month to a lower-body injury. He's notched four assists - including two on the power play - across his last three games, and his 0.71 P/GP is second only to Matty Beniers on the freshman scoring chase. Yes, Maccelli is ahead of Cole Perfetti (0.58; 14 percent Yahoo!) and Mason McTavish (0.56; 14 percent Yahoo!). He isn't a better player than those two, but he's producing at a stronger rate - even if he's not popping a lot of goals. And he's going to get a lot of ice time as Arizona tanks the rest of the way. Maccelli is going to continue to surprise. And good on him. 

Joseph Woll, G, Toronto (10 percent Yahoo!) – Woll won his first NHL game Saturday night. It may have been against the meek Habs, but he did well. And the Leafs may need to rely on him more than they would like right now with Matt Murray (57 percent Yahoo!) on LTIR. The team went all in with the Ryan O'Reilly/Noel Acciari deal Friday night, and could still pull the trigger for net help. If not, Woll could find himself backing up Ilya Samsonov (85 percent Yahoo!) on a run to the postseason. He boasts pedigree as he was excellent for Boston College before turning pro, but injuries have dulled his development. Woll's a stash-and-hope lottery ticket right now. He may never pay out. But if he does, it could help your stretch run. 

Back to lunchbag letdown.

I hope I'm wrong. Some fireworks would be nice. I play a lot of dynasty and keeper formats, and I'd love to see players with long-term value move. 

Like Demko, who I picked up along with Charlie McAvoy (85 percent Yahoo!) for Sidney Crosby (100 percent Yahoo!) and Brad Marchand (94 percent Yahoo!) in a deep dynasty. 

On a better team, the 27-year-old will soar and my squad will compete for years. Especially with a core of Mitch Marner and Kirill Kaprizov (both 100 percent Yahoo! and both 25), 24-year-old Martin Necas (81 percent Yahoo!) and 21-year-old Trevor Zegras (75 percent Yahoo!). McAvoy is only 25 and Jamie Drysdale (4 percent Yahoo!) at 20 will only get better. 

Call me boring, but I took the same lunch to school from SK to Grade 8. I was never let down. I knew what to expect. And if there was a bonus Wagon Wheel in there, I was ecstatic. 

Key word: bonus. 

Until next week.