Frozen Fantasy: Predictably Unpredictable or Completely Predictable?

How are your teams doing so far? I don't know about you, but to me this season feels strange. The ups and downs and the sideways skids have my leagues all over the ice. My strong sides have struggled. My rising ones are soaring. And a team built around Auston Matthews, Kirill Kaprizov and Connor Bedard (all 100 percent Yahoo!) is last in that league. 

A league that overweights goals. Nothing makes sense. 

My home dynasty league started strong as I was well ahead of everyone for weeks. And now I'm in fourth (of six). It sort of validates my belief I'd prefer to start slow and get better than to overperform early and get too attached. Another dynasty team began hot and has gone off the rails. I expected this as I was way too good after selling off last season to rebuild.

Another dynasty team barely made the postseason last year, and I was out quickly. Suddenly I'm surging at the top of the league. And not even because I traded up at the free agent/junior draft to get Mackenzie Blackwood (97 percent Yahoo!) second overall. 

With him, my team can only get stronger.

The team built around Matthews, Kaprizov and Bedard has taught me a lesson. Depth is everything. It's a three-player keeper league, but I absorbed some stiff penalties for failing to get my roster set too many times. I forfeited several critical draft picks, so my team is far too top-heavy and not deep enough to compete. 

But I haven't missed a single roster deadline. I'll be selling at some point. Maybe not those players, but Jakob Chychrun (99 percent Yahoo!) and Carter Hart (36 percent Yahoo!) will bring extra draft picks back before the deadline. Next season will be better. 

All this to say that fantasy hockey is predictably unpredictable. And that makes every year fun. Unless Auston Matthews isn't scoring goals. And then that simply makes me mad. Very mad. 

I realized Saturday night he's 28 and the Leafs are wasting his best years like the Oilers are with Connor McDavid (100 percent Yahoo!). Honestly, I shut off the game in the middle of the second period when I looked up his age. Pffffft. No Cup for me. Ever. 

Let's take a look at who else caught my eye this week.  

Ivan Barbashev, LW, Vegas (38 percent Yahoo!) -- Barbashev had his modest, two-game, three-point scoring streak snapped Sunday. But that came after 10 contests where he only produced one goal and three assists. Here's the thing. Managers started to dump Barbashev during that stretch, so go get him. Even with that slump, he's on a 70-point pace. Yes, you read that right. And at some point, Barbashev will see more power-play time. He's available in far too many leagues, and that's to your advantage. 

Brandon Bussi, G, Carolina (18 percent Yahoo!) -- Bussi is a 27-year-old "rookie" goalie excelling in a strong system. He's started three of the Canes' last five and won all of them, including one by shutout. Bussi is also the only Carolina netminder with a victory since Nov. 19 (4-0-0). Frederik Andersen (46 percent Yahoo!) hasn't done so since Nov. 6 and 1-6-2 since Oct. 28. And Pyotr Kochetkov (59 percent Yahoo!) lost Sunday in his first appearance after being out for three weeks. Bussi will likely get sent down, though Andersen has been abysmal. Keep an eye on this situation as he carries value when Andersen gets hurt (because he always does) and when the Canes come to their senses about their blue paint. 

Ian Cole, D, Utah (7 percent Yahoo!) -- Need blocks? Cole was a bruise monster this week by laying out five hits while getting his body in front of 13 shots. That's category domination. Cole added a goal and assist while delivering a plus-8 rating. He's actually on pace for his first-ever 30-point campaign and all those blocks makes him a power pylon in the bottom of some fantasy rosters. 

Dennis Hildeby, G, Toronto (20 percent Yahoo!) -- Leafs fans are currently apoplectic about their team's bizarre play. And a popular subreddit continues to tout Anthony Stolarz (70 percent Yahoo!) trade scenarios so Hildeby can get his due in the NHL. It's typical blue and white - get such-and-such star with a bag of pucks, handful of fortune cookies and an injured player. That said, Hildeby was sharp on Saturday. And with Joseph Woll (51 percent Yahoo!) clutching some kind of invisible lower-body ailment, the big man is the starter for at least a week. And there's value in that even if the team is struggling. 

Joel Hofer, G, St Louis (7 percent Yahoo!) -- Jordan Binnington (67 percent Yahoo!) continues to underperform. Hofer hasn't, at least lately winning two - including one by shutout - while only allowing one goal in the other outing. And just one puck got past him in 48 minutes in relief in between. Heading into Sunday, St. Louis listed the worst goal differential (minus-28), so neither goalie is a guarantee. But remember St. Louis went from worst-to-first between Jan. 3 and Jun. 11, 2019. They may turn around that stat and make the postseason. And Hofer could get more starts if he stays hot. Stash him. 

Jared McCann, LW/C, Seattle (29 percent Yahoo!) -- Go get him. McCann is back after five weeks of injury absence, and he's back in the team's top-six. This is someone who should be rostered in more than 75 percent of leagues. McCann has scored 118 goals the last four seasons while averaging 65 points during the last three. You don't need any other info at this point. Go now. 

Bobby McMann, LW, Toronto (5 percent Yahoo!) -- The third line of McMann, Dakota Joshua (2 percent Yahoo!) and Nicolas Roy (1 percent Yahoo!; below) lit things up this week. McMann's three-game, six-point streak (three goals, three assists) ended Saturday, but I still like what he's doing. And especially since the Leafs' top-six can't seem to score. McMann is worth scooping up short-term as he potted 20 goals last season, so his hands are good. He won't get much minutes on the power play, but that's OK. McMann also hits (10 from his last three). Goals and bruises? That's rare, old-skool hockey that helps in a lot of formats. 

Ivan Provorov, D, Columbus (13 percent Yahoo!) -- Provorov was a lifesaver for me last week. He went into Sunday on a three-game, four-point run that included three assists, two power-play helpers, five each of hits and blocks, and a plus-5. Provorov remains paired with Zach Werenski (100 percent Yahoo!) at even-strength and hops the boards on the second man-advantage. Will this surge last? Not a chance as he only managed six points from his first 25 matchups. But maybe you can also catch a little bit of this lightning. 

Aatu Raty, C, Vancouver (1 percent Yahoo!) -- Raty slid up the lineup Saturday with Elias Pettersson (90 percent Yahoo!) out with an upper-body injury. And his performance was delicious as he notched two goals (including the game winner), an assist, 14 faceoff wins (87.5 percent), four hits, two shots and a first-star selection in a win over Minny. Raty's Saturday special stretched his point streak to three (two goals, three assists), 24 faceoff wins (82.8 percent) and seven hits. I have no idea how long Pettersson will be sidelined, but Raty showed he can play with talented linemates. And that might help solidify his role in the middle-six. If so, Raty might provide a short-term bump. 

Nicolas Roy, RW/C, Toronto (1 percent Yahoo!) -- OK, so I watch a lot of Leafs hockey. And yes, it's depressing. But Roy and his linemates (see Bobby McMann, above) have been some of the only bright lights of late (I say this as an Auston Matthews manager). Roy has registered six points - including five assists and one PPG - across five appearances going into Monday. And he's won 38 faceoffs (63.3 percent). Yes, Matthews will wake up. So will John Tavares (95 percent Yahoo!). But Roy has a 41-point, hit-per-game pedigree. You may have a spot for him at RW. 

Matt Savoie, RW/C, Edmonton (2 percent Yahoo!) -- Savoie is skating beside Leon Draisaitl (100 percent Yahoo!) at five-on-five. I'll wait while you go get him. It's a gig that'll keep on giving if he can stick there. And so far, so good as Savoie has three goals and seven shots from his last two heading into Tuesday with his marker on Saturday the game-winner. He's a tiny offensive talent who doesn't turn 22 until New Year's Day. And a star like Draisaitl can surely make space for him. Savoie may be a diamond in the rough. Or droppable. You need to check him out if you're active on the wire. 

Miles Wood, LW, Columbus (1 percent Yahoo!) -- Wood woke up last week and delivered a top-60 Yahoo! performance. I know, I didn't expect that either. He tallied two, two-point efforts in his last three outings and six points (two goals, four assists) with 10 hits from the last five. Wood is fast and aggressive and an ideal bottom-six spark plug. His finishing is hit-and-miss, so his 20.5 shooting percentage is best described as bloated. This heat will end. Until then, Wood could help if you're streaming. 

Back to predictably unpredictable. 

Or maybe it's just completely predictable. Ironically, I found a web source called Chumps or Champs, and guess who was at the top of the longest NHL drought list. 

Yep, the Leafs. At least the franchise has won before, but it's been 58 years. The Sabres and Canucks are still nowhere near a win, and they never have. Both joined the NHL in 1971. Philly was part of the original expansion in 1967 and won the Cup in 1975.

The Arizona Coyotes/Utah Mammoth are next as they haven't won since entering the league in 1980. 

All predictable. Sigh. Even the Yankees won after their long decade of misery in the 80s and early 90s. In 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2009. 

Does anyone know of a group for recovering Leafs fans?

Until next week.