Frozen Fantasy: When Will We Learn?

By now, you've seen the clips of Connor McDavid's (100 percent Yahoo!) ugly crosscheck to Conor Garland's (34 percent Yahoo!) neck Saturday night. And his sneaky chicken wing on Marcus Johansson (1 percent Yahoo!) on Thursday that put him on IR. 

I understand the frustration - I don't appreciate the actions. 

There's no room for vicious crosschecks to the head. There wasn't when McDavid did it to Nick Leddy (0 percent Yahoo!) in 2019, and there sure isn't now. 

Garland mauled McSavior for at least 15 seconds in the last 30 seconds of play as the Oilers tried to tie the game. It should have been called long before the crosscheck. 

There would have been no retaliation if there'd been a call. Just like Auston Matthews' (100 percent Yahoo!) crosscheck to Rasmus Dahlin's (99 percent Yahoo!) head in the 2022 outdoor game. That was worth two games. McDavid is a repeat offender...

Yes, stars need protection - every player deserves it. But no-one needs a ride-along thug. The refs simply need to call the game on the ice… 

Old-skool fans and former players are yelping that this is why fighting is still needed. To deter situations like this. But the incidents did happen. When they can still fight. 

I get it - it's a fast game. And it's only getting faster. But I still remember a conversation that I had with a buddy who used to ref in the Ontario Hockey League. It was about game management, and how to establish boundaries from the outset.

He didn't let things slide. He said communication with both benches was paramount from pre-game through every whistle break and TV timeout. He let the game flow, yet wasn't afraid to call a tight game. 

And he did. In fact, his effective game management is why I never got into the Oshawa Generals' dressing room to meet the coaches or John Tavares (92 percent Yahoo!) in his draft year. My buddy made a tough call that both coaches knew could come. 

The Gens' coach ripped him a new one because he said my buddy had cost them the game because it came in the last 60 seconds. And we got out of town fast. 

My buddy wasn't afraid to do things right AND do the right thing. Even in the last minute of play. So where there's a will, there's a way.

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

Noah Cates, LW, Philadelphia (2 percent Yahoo!) - I mentioned Cates a while back, and then promptly dropped him when he went a couple games without a point. Bad move as he's produced nine goals and nine assists from his last 19 games. A couple have even come on the power play during that stretch along with 35 shots. And Cates is being trusted in all situations - he was on the PP and fighting off the extra attacker Saturday when the Devils pulled their goalie. He's an in-your-face energy player with offensive skill, and Torts clearly likes him. 

Pavel Dorofeyev, LW/RW, Vegas (26 percent Yahoo!) - Dorofeyev had his three-game, seven-point scoring streak snapped Saturday, though he rang up more than 20 minutes and five shots. And his coaches love him if they're throwing a middle-six winger onto the ice that often. Dorofeyev has burned me before as I had been waiting on him for three years. But his recent run, which included five goals, shows what's possible when his confidence is at its peak. The Knights play the Habs on Monday night for the first of four this week. Confidence plus a heavy schedule? I'm taking those odds. 

Morgan Geekie, C/LW/RW, Boston (5 percent Yahoo!) - Geekie is in a pinch-me time with Boston. He's playing with none other than David Pastrnak (100 percent Yahoo!), and for now is one of the players who's ignited Pasta's game. Geekie is a pure coattail add to your team, but who cares? He's going to stick in this role for a while if Pastrnak keeps scoring, something he'd struggled to do earlier this season. Boston needed to find a way to get their star back into form, and Geekie and Pavel Zacha (below) seem to be a fit. At this point, I think you're as desperate as me for a quick scoring hit. And he comes cheap. 

Kaapo Kakko, RW, Seattle (12 percent Yahoo!) - I've waxed about Kakko before, so this will be quick. He's becoming the player the Rangers gave up on far too soon riding a five-game, eight-scoring streak that includes five helpers and is up to 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 14 games with the Kraken. He creates space for Jaden Schwartz (below) to dart around and finish while Beniers is starting to find them both. Or at least Kakko keeping them sound defensively. I have him in one lineup, but I'm going in for more Special KK. 

Michael Kesselring, D, Utah (9 percent Yahoo!) - I've shared Kesselring's name before, and he's been eerily quiet for a while. But he heads into Monday with three points over his last four games. And Kesselring picked up some of the power play slack Saturday with Mikhail Sergachev (93 percent Yahoo!; upper body) sidelined. It looks like Sergachev might be out Monday, so the young defender will get another chance to strut his stuff. Kesselring will set a new career mark in points soon - his 18 are within three of the mark he set last season. It's tough behind Sergachev, yet his future is bright. And for now, he can help fill in for an injury. 

Spencer Knight, G, Florida (16 percent Yahoo!) - Knight went 2-0-0 with one shutout in two straight starts this week and has won his last three with only three goals allowed. Sergei Bobrovsky (98 percent Yahoo!) needed a break as he had gone 2-4-0 across six starts, most recently getting the yank Thursday after giving up four on 15 shots. The net is still Bob's, and he'll be back in there soon. But Knight is finally showing the skills that made him such a coveted pick when he went 13th overall in 2019. He's 9-6-1 with two shutouts, 2.45 GAA and .905 save percentage thanks to this recent surge. I want him for spot starts. 

Leevi Merilainen, G, Ottawa (30 percent Yahoo!) - The skinny Finn has been a revelation in Canada's capital. Merilainen went 4-1-0 with two shutouts during a five-game stretch. Linus Ullmark (88 percent Yahoo!; back) is traveling with the Sens, so he could play later this week. Anton Forsberg (7 percent Yahoo!) won Sunday in impressive form, though Merilainen's play could help Ottawa pull the trigger on a Forsberg trade - the latter is a UFA come season's end and could help another team at the deadline (or before). Or Merilainen could get sent down. Who knows. But the Finn has shown enough to be the backup and can also start for stretches. Keeper and dynasty managers likely already have him stashed. Short-term, he's a worthy redraft play for the suddenly-hot Sens. 

Darren Raddysh, D, Tampa Bay (2 percent Yahoo!) - Pick Raddysh up. He goes into Monday on a three-game, four-point streak that includes three power-play points (one PPG, two PPA), nine shots, four hits and three blocks. It's not a one-game explosion - his confidence is growing. Compare him to Oliver Ekman-Larsson (17 percent Yahoo!), who went off Saturday for three points in a big Leafs' win after going five without a point. And while the two each list 18 points on the season, it's Raddysh who actually has five PPP to OEL's three. But the latter is on a lot more rosters. This is a case of don't look at the name, simply ride the wave. Raddysh will help right away.

Jaden Schwartz, LW/C, Seattle (12 percent Yahoo!) - Schwartzy went off Saturday night with a six-shot, three-goal performance that started 28 seconds in. He was at his darting best, and it's clear that he, Matty Beniers (10 percent Yahoo!) and Kaapo Kakko (above) have sparks. Since late December, Schwartz has quietly come into his own with 13 points - including seven goals - and 36 shots across 11 games. There's just one PPP in that bunch, but it's only a matter of time. His career goal best is 28, and he's right on pace for that along with close to 60 points. That'd be one of Schwartz's best seasons ever. He's already set a career mark for game winners with five, so there's real value in his profile. And he's pretty much free for the taking in most leagues. 

Pavel Zacha, LW/C, Boston (10 percent Yahoo!) - What a difference a line can make. Zacha has roared to life alongside David Pastrnak (100 percent Yahoo!) and Morgan Geekie (5 percent Yahoo!) with five points (two goals, three assists) in his last two games. Get him now. Why? Pasta has also come to life after scuffling for most of the season. Any combo that can fire up Pastrnak (four goals, five assists in three contests) is one that the Bruins will ride until they can't. Zacha is a huge beneficiary in this situation. Leave him on the wire at your peril. 

Back to learning. 

Effective game management is possible. It can protect the stars without sheltering them. It'll keep players like Garland or Johansson off IR. And superstars like McDavid or Matthews won't end up suspended, missing games that people have paid a lot to see. 

The stars deserve it. The fans deserve it. Every player on the ice deserves it. And it has nothing to do with fighting. I'm not throwing the refs under the bus. I'm merely suggesting that where there's a will, there's a way. 

We all need to find our will on this. Before one of these retaliations ends someone's career. Oh wait - it already did. Mar. 8, 2004. Seven medical professionals worked on Steve Moore on the ice. And Todd Bertuzzi ended up being convicted of criminal charges. The video still makes me sick.

Sure, it was a different time and a different situation. But it was in a game that got way out of hand early and was NEVER reined in. 

Will we ever learn?

Before I go, I want to apologize for not helping you with picks last week. There was a sudden death in my extended family: a person in their early 50s who didn't survive a sudden cardiac arrest, who left a wife and two kids. My head and heart were there, and not with hockey. 

Be in the moment, my friends. Life is far too short.

Until next week.