Frozen Fantasy: Going All In

What's better: a suddenly hot guy with no previous track record or an underperforming stud who might be warming up?

Tough call. But I know where my money sits.

Call me old school, but I'm going to take a 33-year-old Ryan Getzlaf with something to prove over a short-term hottie like Jared McCann. Or Roope Hintz.

Yah – I hear you. I recommended those guys. Last week.

You need to ride hot hands, just to stay competitive. Trust me from experience – falling too far behind is hard to overcome. And those guys were hot.

But at this point in the season, you have to be all in, especially when there's big money at stake. Or pride. That's often bigger.

So, imagine my surprise Monday to find Ryan Getzlaf sitting on the wire. After a two-game, five-point weekend.

Sure, the Ducks have been bad. But the coaching change has brought new life to the team. And guys like Getzlaf have something to prove.

I'll take him 10 times out of 10. All in. Remember?

Troll your wire. See what's sitting out there. You might find that Anders Lee, who has four goals and 20 shots in his last six games, is there for the taking. He's available in three-of-every-10 leagues.

Ditto Evgenii Dadonov – he's out there in the same number of leagues. He has 12 points (three games, nine assists) in his last eight games. And David Perron, who just happens to be riding a 17-game scoring streak.

I kid you not. He has 22 points in that span. And is available in a lot more leagues.

Yes, there's still room for short-term hotties. I'm about to give you a few. I just don't want you to miss out on some real gold by only focusing on the last seven days.

So, let's take a look at who caught my eye this week. Perron included.

Erik Cernak, D, Tampa Bay (15 percent Yahoo! owned) – Cernak has been a revelation in his rookie season. He's chewing up big, important minutes on the best team the NHL has seen in a couple decades. He won't overwhelm you with offence, but he's no stiff. He's actually pretty solid. Cernak has five points (two goals, three assists) in his last 10 games. And he's plus-nine in the same span. He can fill a gap. For sure.

Thatcher Demko, G, Vancouver (3 percent Yahoo! owned) – The goalie of Vancouver's future has something to prove. There's lots of conversation about the Orcas locking up Jacob Markstrom long term (he has just a year left on his deal). I think it's all hot air – the Orcas will want to see what Demko can do before the season ends. To see if he can channel a little Carter Hart or even Jordan Binnington.  So, a split of the remaining games is entirely possible. He's a gamble. But one that may be worth taking.

Michael Frolik, LW/RW, Calgary (4 percent Yahoo! owned) – Frolik is hot. Again. He has 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in his last six games. That includes an explosive four-helper night against Vegas on March 10. I thought that game was an outlier, but Frolik has kept the Flames burning. Quite literally. He could ignite a charge for you. OK, that was bad. I cringed, too.

Andreas Johnsson, LW/RW, Toronto (21 percent Yahoo! owned) – The Leafs may have been brutal of late, but that hasn't stopped this sharp Swede from scoring. Johnsson's chemistry with Auston Matthews is real. And it has delivered five points (one goal, four assists) and 14 shots in his last six games. I don't think Johnsson expected to finish his rookie season with at least 20 goals. Or to be on a line with Matthews. But he is living the dream right now. There's fantasy value here.

Patrick Maroon, LW/RW, St. Louis (5 percent Yahoo! owned) – Whoa. Maroon is on a four-game, five-point scoring streak heading into the weekend. And it includes a goal-a-game. Go figure. He's also plus-4 with 10 shots and a major penalty. Multi-category value? I don't know how much longer it'll last, but he's certainly on a roll.

David Perron, LW/RW, St. Louis (33 percent Yahoo! owned) – On Thursday night, Perron extended his current point streak to 17 games. And became just the fourth time a Blues player had done that. Brett Hull did it twice; Blake Dunlop was the other. Perron isn't Hull by any means, but he's one of the hottest players in the league right now. I used my last available waiver move to get him. I'm all in.

Craig Smith, RW, Nashville (15 percent Yahoo! owned) – I was about to slot Smith into one of my previous articles. But he got hurt the night it was due. Smith is healthy and has picked up right where he left off. He has five points, including three goals, in his last eight games. And he's fired 25 shots. Smith can help you if you have games to give at RW. Especially if you need a guy who likes to pound pucks.

Paul Stastny, C, Vegas (27 percent Yahoo! owned) – Yes, again. Stastny continues to live up to his genetics. Over the last 30 days, he has three goals, 10 assists, a plus-8 rating and 23 shots. And he's riding a two-game, three-point streak (one goal, two assists). He's no Peter. Or Anton. But he is better than uncle Marian. I'd rather have Stastny than Matt Duchene right now. Just saying.

Malcolm Subban, G, Vegas (9 percent Yahoo! owned) – Meet the hottest Subban of the 2018-19 season. Maybe brother P.K. is simply spending too much time with Lindsay Vonn. I dunno. Malcolm has thrown down three straight wins, the last by shutout over the Jets. Before that, it was the Oil and Sharks. The Knights will make darn sure that Marc-Andre Fleury is healthy for the playoffs. Pluck Subban off the wire if he's out there. He can certainly boost your wins.  

Back to going all in.

So, to be clear, I had already snagged Getzlaf before Evan Berofsky called him out in his weekly column.

Look, I love Evan, but I have to chirp him. Even when he's my editor, LOL.

Smart owners never make assumptions. There's treasure out there. So it could be Getzlaf, Dadonov or Perron. Or even (cough) Mikko Koskinen.

There's not much left of this season. Go all in no matter who you grab.

And good luck.

Until next week.