Frozen Fantasy: Is Hockey Dying?

Did you stream or tune into Frozen Frenzy last Tuesday? Me, either. And we both love hockey. 

Does that make us bad humans? Or distracted ones?

It didn't help that it was Opening Night in the NBA. ESPN's ratings weren't great - there was an 11 percent drop in viewership on their triple-header. Opening night viewership was down 39 percent on ESPN and was eclipsed by the WNBA playoffs.

No sizzle here. You know things have gone south when there are subReddits on the topic.

There was a time when basketball seemed doomed to die. In the late 80s, things got so bad CBS even broadcast games on tape delay. 

In 2024, average viewership for the NBA finals outstripped the Cup Finals by four-to-five times in the U.S. But in Canada, the total reach of Rogers Sportsnet, CBC and CITY-TV was a whopping 38.4 percent of the Canadian population. And playoff viewership was up 128 percent on Rogers year-over-year. 

Is hockey dying? Not even close. Look at the cost of new franchises. Heck, look at how much Rogers paid for 37.5 percent of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment. $4.7 billion Canadian is about $3.6 U.S. 

Hockey IS changing. We watch games to see who scores, not who wins. TVs are used more for streaming than live TV. Team revenue is coming from digital content. And sports are one of the last places where we will all watch advertising. The Super Bowl is the ultimate testament to that. 

Streaming services actually need live sports to get those advertising eyes. And they want to be at the front of the line when zero latency internet arrives. It's the ticket to live in-game gambling.

The cap is going to go up. And hockey on TV may whither away. That's OK. I have Amazon Prime Mondays. And I can always do appointment streaming of the Cupless Laffs on Saturday nights, like I've done all my life. 

Now, let's take a look at who caught my eye this week. (Stats and rostering current to 7 p.m. EDT on Sunday Oct. 27)

Filip Chytil, C, New York Rangers (2 percent Yahoo!) - Chytil is a deep-league alert. I took a flyer on him late in one draft, much to the clucks of a couple of Rangers fans. They did the same last season when I nabbed Alexis Lafreniere (89 percent Yahoo!), and look how that turned out. I'm not suggesting Chytil has Lafreniere's talent or upside, though he's no slouch with six points (three goals, three assists), 20 shots, one PPG and a plus-9 rating in eight games. The Rangers have the deepest top-nine in hockey, so there's fantasy value on the third line. Beware of Chytil in leagues with hits, blocks or faceoff wins as he's still a work in progress at the dot and may never give you help in the dirtier categories. 

Pavel Dorofeyev, LW, Vegas (4 percent Yahoo!) - Dorofeyev has been on my long-range radar for a while. So much so that I've had him stashed on a deep dynasty roster for about three years. Dorofeyev got my attention with nine shots Saturday. Sure, it was against the Sharks, but skill is skill. Dorofeyev racked up two goals, three assists, one PPG and 15 shots this week. He's found real chemistry with Tomas Hertl (69 percent Yahoo!) on the second trio and participates on PP1. Dorofeyev may hit the 60-point mark - including 30 goals - on a powerhouse team. That four percent needs to be 40, and maybe even more. 

Ryker Evans, D, Seattle (5 percent Yahoo!) - Evans is a smart, two-way defender whose game has a bit of a bite. He'll need it as he's stepped into the skates of Vince Dunn (84 percent) on the top pairing and PP1. Evans is excellent in transition, an elite skater and his hockey sense is strong. Dunn's injury is unknown, but he's already been moved to LTIR and remember he missed 19 of the Kraken's last 21 games last year with a neck issue. And this setback came after he lost his feet and fell hard on his rear. Evans could hold down this gig for a while - the spine is a mechanical wonder, yet it can take a lot of work to keep it in balance. Especially if there's an underlying issue. 

Kaapo Kahkonen, G, Colorado (1 percent Yahoo!) - We can debate all we want about why the Avs didn't shore up their net during the offseason, but it will do no good. Alexandar Georgiev (86 percent Yahoo!) is a sieve with a hole. Justus Annunen (45 percent Yahoo!) is performing well as the sudden starter, though he's going to need help. Enter Kahkonen, the man who flashed a bit of brilliance in Minnesota over 2021-22, but has never been able to repeat his 2.87/.910 line. KK was sent to the AHL for conditioning this past Thursday, and he'll be back in a flash. He could find himself in a platoon when he gets back up, with Georgiev going to the press box. He might even play in spurts while hot. Either way, you need to get Kahkonen on your roster before someone else hedges their bets with him. 

William Karlsson, C, Vegas (30 percent Yahoo!) - Karlsson debuted Saturday night with a shorthanded goal and assist. He's on the third line and PP2, and his ice time was a shade under 14 minutes. Karlsson is a faceoff monster who put up 60 points in 70 games last season. Sean Couturier (13 percent Yahoo!) is in the center spotlight after Saturday's outburst, but Karlsson is the smarter pickup. 

Joel Kiviranta, LW, Colorado (3 percent Yahoo!) - What's the most dangerous job in hockey? Left wing in Mile High - the position is cursed! Last week, I pumped Ross Colton's (65 percent Yahoo!) tires as LW1 in Colorado, and then he went down with a hand injury. He won't go on the IR, though fellow left wingers Gabriel Landeskog (46 percent Yahoo!), Artturi Lehkonen (50 percent Yahoo!) and Jonathan Drouin (21 percent Yahoo!) are all still there. Enter Kiviranta, who wouldn't otherwise interest me. But anyone skating in the Avs top-six has to be a fantasy friend of mine. Until he gets hurt, of course. He rode a three-game, four-goal scoring streak into Sunday. Maybe he should hang some garlic in his stall to ward off bad spirits. 

Michael Kesselring, D, Utah (14 percent Yahoo!) - Kesselring was drafted due to his size and strength, though he offers some underappreciated skill. And he's going to flash it with Sean Durzi (23 percent Yahoo!) out until late February, at best. Kesselring has notched five points - with two goals - and 14 hits so far. And he's pushed Juuso Valimaki (0 percent Yahoo!) off PP2. Kesselring could deliver 30-35 points with 120 hits and close to 100 shots and blocks this season. Maveric Lamoureux (0 percent Yahoo!) could eventually eat up some of his man-advantage time, but he's still very raw.

Alex Lyon, G, Detroit (28 percent Yahoo!) - Lyon's value went up the moment Ville Husso (2 percent Yahoo!) was waived. His outing Saturday was mid at best. But Lyon is 2-2-0 with a 2.05 GAA and .940 save percentage overall. The Wings need to find their way to the postseason, and they'll use whatever combo they can to do that. Lyon was a surprising 21-18-5 last season, so he's proven he can be effective in a platoon. Scoop him up, especially if you have Cam Talbot (51 percent Yahoo!). 

Connor McMichael, C, Washington (10 percent Yahoo!) - It was only a few weeks ago that I mused on McMichael's slow development curve. And here he is riding shotgun on the second line with Pierre-Luc Dubois (17 percent Yahoo!) and Tom Wilson (47 percent Yahoo!) while his confidence is soaring. McMichael already has eight points in seven games, and that means he was the most productive Connor Mc in the NHL Sunday morning. He had his four-game, seven-point (three goals, four assists) streak snapped Saturday. And McMichael won't move up to PP1 this season. But he could see time on the top group with Dylan Strome (43 percent Yahoo!) and Alex Ovechkin (96 percent Yahoo!) if he can keep scoring. It's only a matter of time before McMichael gets LW eligibility, so stash him before his value increases. 

Jacob Middleton, D, Minnesota (13 percent Yahoo!) - Middleton had quite a week. First, a three-assist performance. Now, a three-game streak (one goal, four assists) going into Tuesday. You and I both know this won't last, yet it's reminded me how good he is at blocking shots with 26, which ties him for third in that category behind Chris Tanev (1 percent Yahoo!) and Brandon Carlo (5 percent Yahoo!). Middleton could hit 30 points and reach 150 each of hits and blocked shots, maybe more. 

Nino Niederreiter, LW/RW, Winnipeg (14 percent Yahoo!) - Niederreiter's rostering jumped from 10 to 14 overnight Saturday, and it's going to go higher soon. He's on a four-game, six-point rip that includes four goals, two PPPs, 13 shots and 12 hits. And it's all from the third line, with the Jets soaring and everyone in the top-nine worth deploying. They're not the same powerhouse as the Rangers' first three lines, yet still worthy. Niederreiter will slow down soon enough, but you need to tap into that streak now. 

Yegor Sharangovich, RW/C, Calgary (36 percent Yahoo!) - Sharangovich debuted under the radar Saturday night. He didn't do much in the defeat to the Jets, though he's still the same sneaky sniper who led the Flames with 31 goals last year. Check your wire, but avoid Sharangovich in formats that count plus-minus as Calgary is going to crash back to Earth soon. 

Alex Vlasic, D, Chicago (1 percent Yahoo!) - Vlasic has quietly supplied four assists and 21 blocks through his first nine games. That brings managers a bit of value in deep multi-category leagues. But it was Vlasic's ascension to PP1 for part of this week that put him on my watch list. He might not stick with Connor Bedard (98 percent Yahoo!) and others as that's Seth Jones' (77 percent Yahoo!) gig. Yet even a short-term tour on PP1 could make Baby Dill viable in dailies. 

Back to Frozen Frenzy.

Hey, Gary: let's start by scheduling major event days so they avoid other sports events. An arbitrary Tuesday night in October seems like bad business. Wednesday is a work day. And a school day. 

You do the Outdoor Classic right; it's in Chicago on Dec. 31. And the Stadium Series is set for Mar. 1 in Ohio. Those days are special because - among many things - there's less competition in the sports landscape. 

And don't forget Hockey Day in Canada, which works on a Saturday in mid-January because it shoots the gap between the NCAA football National Championship and the Super Bowl. 

Let's go, Gary. Let's switch the narrative and bring on the sizzle. 

Until next week.