Frozen Fantasy: Patience, Please

It's Thanksgiving weekend north of the 49th, so my apologies for the late post. Tryptophan is an easy blame, but that's an old wives' tale.

Turkey isn't the culprit. Don't tell the Oilers that, though.

At least they're consistent - they don't like October. The Oilers are 0-3 already, having been outscored 15-3. And their PK in the first two games was horrendous as they've allowed five goals. That's one more then in 25 games during the Stanley Cup playoffs last season.

Their start reminds me of a buddy's message on Saturday morning. He was down, saying "trailing last year's (last) place finisher by 20 points proves that I am already in midseason fantasy hockey form".

Hang on a minute. A week one loss is a week one loss. Nothing more. Nothing less.

I'd rather drop one early and get it out of my system than start fast and cough up games as the playoffs approach.

Call me cynical, but if goalies can't stop beach balls in the first few weeks, then fantasy teams can also be forgiven a slow start. 

There have been some high scores and bizarre outcomes the first 10 days. Take a breath, and let things settle. Be patient. You can't have four or five bad weeks right away, though you can certainly absorb a couple. 

Look at where the Oilers got last season after a dismal beginning. 

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

Ivan Barbashev, LW/C, Vegas (58 percent Yahoo!) - Barbashev posted four points on Opening Night and sits with six (three goals, three assists) through three games. He's not this good, though he's playing alongside Jack Eichel (99 percent Yahoo!) and Mark Stone (73 percent Yahoo!). That's a ticket for fantasy production for, as long as Barbashev's partners stay healthy. He could settle into a 60-point season - which he's done before - and maybe more. 

Anthony Beauvillier, LW, Pittsburgh (4 percent Yahoo!) - Beauvillier is a first-round pick whose offense never translated to the NHL. He's bounced around since his best season (2022-23) when he registered 40 points. Beauvillier was a lethal scorer in junior with poise, speed and hockey sense. And he's never played with someone as talented as Sidney Crosby (100 percent Yahoo!). Beauvillier offers the hockey smarts to play with Sid, so he could set a career-mark in scoring. Don't count on power-play production as he's not on either unit. 

Philip Broberg, D, St. Louis (6 percent Yahoo!) - Broberg is the poster child for poor player development and deployment. He's a gifted skater with strong two-way skills, offensive talent and top-four upside. That's the kind of defender the Oilers need right now. But I digress. Broberg is now in St. Louis with three points (one goal, two assists) in three contests. He's on the second man-advantage, but could be elevated to the lead group if Justin Faulk (53 percent Yahoo!) falters. Broberg could be this season's Thomas Harley (89 percent Yahoo!). 

Laurent Brossoit, G, Chicago (3 percent Yahoo!) - On Saturday, I stashed Brossoit in a deep daily league. Yes, it's a hunch. And yes, he's a long shot. But stranger things have happened. Brossoit pushed Connor Hellebuyck (100 percent Yahoo!) last season all the way to the Vezina and Jennings trophies. He's produced two consecutive great seasons and could battle Mrazek for starts once he returns in a week or so. And Brossoit could go on a run if Mrazek can't rise to that challenge. The Hawks won't win a lot, yet they'll be competitive on a lot of nights. 

Max Domi, LW/C, Toronto (14 percent Yahoo!) - The best part of Saturday night was seeing the bromance developing between Domi and William Nylander (100 percent Yahoo!). They were dancing on several early shifts, including one that delivered a second-period Willie snipe. Domi has always clicked with creative offensive players, and Nylander is the best he's ever played beside. Domi could net 55-60 points in this situation. And maybe win a Cup. OK, OK. One can dream. 

Anthony Duclair, LW, NY Islanders (15 percent Yahoo!) - Duclair was brought to the Island to snipe. And snipe he will as he's on the top line with Mathew Barzal (92 percent Yahoo!) and Bo Horvat (75 percent Yahoo!). He's also on the second power play. Duclair was in a similar spot during 2020-21 with Florida, and he delivered 31 goals (and 58 points). He's unrostered in more than five of every six Yahoo! Leagues… for now.

Dylan Guenther, RW, Utah (62 percent Yahoo!) - Three games. Five goals. Guenther is a Utah/Arizona development success story - who knew that was even possible? This 21-year-old is on a rocket this season, and 30-35 goals is within reach. Maybe more. His star is rising right now, and he'll be out of reach soon. Jump on fast. 

Barrett Hayton, C, Utah (18 percent Yahoo!) - I chirped about Hayton last week, and look what he's done. He's on a three-game, five-point streak with a goal in each game, 11 shots and 31 faceoff wins (56.4 percent). Hayton's a late bloomer in an envious role between Clayton Keller (96 percent Yahoo!) and Nick Schmaltz (30 percent Yahoo!) on Utah's top trio. I wish he had more positional eligibility, but you can't have everything. 

Dennis Hildeby, G, Toronto (5 percent Yahoo!) - The Hildebeast got his first NHL start and win on Thursday courtesy of Joseph Woll's (86 percent Yahoo!) injury status. I like Woll, but I'm worried about his durability past (and present). And that means both Anthony Stolarz (63 percent Yahoo!) and Hildeby could assume more playing time than they ever imagined. Hildeby is a monster of a goalie who's finally figured out how to keep his shape in the net and his long legs inside the crease. I'm thinking of sitting on him in a deep league. Stolarz is the poster child of working his way through injury after injury to where he is now. I hope that's not Woll's arc, though I want to be ready if it is. 

Lane Hutson, D, Montreal (50 percent Yahoo!) – Hutson is looking like a must-roster defender just three games in. The usual caveats apply: he's small and coming out of NCAA, so he'll hit a wall. And for sure someone is going to lay him out after he makes them look silly. But for right now, Hutson is one of the NHL's most entertaining offensive defenders with four assists - including two on the PP - across his first three games. And he's chewing up power-play minutes. I do think Hutson will hit a wall in a few months simply due to fatigue. So roster and trade him when he does. His points will be in your pocket by then. Your trade partner can absorb the slowdown. 

Kaapo Kahkonen, G, Colorado (2 percent Yahoo!) - Once upon a time, Kahkonen got the same number of Calder votes as Ilya Sorokin (96 percent Yahoo!). He's no Sorokin, but the Avs saw something in him when they scoured the waiver wire. Alexandar Georgiev (96 percent Yahoo!) has been more porous this season than last and Justus Annunen (16 percent Yahoo!) has scuffled so far. Kahkonen was the AHL's top goalie in 2019-20, but he's struggled with consistency at the top level. I'm not ready to jump on board yet, but I'm not ignoring him either. Kahkonen will need to clear waivers again, so the Avs have to carry three goalies. The hottest glove hand will get the starts, and Colorado's a win-now team. Kahkonen could be in the blue paint if Georgiev continues his poor play. 

Kevin Lankinen, G, Vancouver (17 percent Yahoo!) - Lankinen and Arturs Silovs (30 percent Yahoo!) are now 1A/1B in Orcaland due to Thatcher Demko's (94 percent Yahoo!) knee injury. The journeyman backup has gotten off to a better start than young Latvian, yet they've only played one game each. Pressure is mounting, so they have to play the hot hand. Short-term, that could be Lankinen as he has put up at least a .908 save percentage in limited duty in three of four seasons. He even won 17 games in 37 starts as a rookie in Chicago, and that was enough for him to get seven votes for the Calder. You and I both need to be ready if Demko's three-to-four week absence becomes a smokescreen for a longer-term injury. 

Max Pacioretty, LW, Toronto (7 percent Yahoo!) - Mad Max not only earned a contract after signing a PTO with the Leafs, but he stepped onto PP1 with not one, not two, but three franchise players. I don't know if Pacioretty has ever had that much firepower on any team. He won't give you much 5v5 on the third line, though skating with Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander (all 100 percent Yahoo!) with the extra man is an offensive bonanza. And let's be honest: that bottom-six gig and its lower ice time might be the ticket to better health. We all know Pacioretty's history. 

Tomas Tatar, LW, New Jersey (1 percent Yahoo!) - Tatar struggled in 2023-24 with only 24 points across 70 outings. And he turns 34 in December. So why is he here? He's on the Devils second line with Nico Hischier (87 percent Yahoo!) and Dawson Mercer (10 percent Yahoo!) at even-strength while skating on the second man-advantage. Tatar offers value in deep formats if he can hit the 50-point mark. Saturday was a good start with a goal and an assist. And New Jersey can score. 

Connor Zary, RW/C, Calgary (14 percent Yahoo!) - Zary extended his season-long scoring run to three games and four points with an empty-netter Sunday. The speedy buzzsaw recorded 34 points in 63 games last season as a rookie - or a 44-point pace. And he's taken a big step forward in his sophomore season as only the most reliable players are sent out in the last minute of play. Are 55 points possible? Yes, and maybe more. Zary is working the point on PP1 and already looks comfortable in the top-six. Zary will be worth the watch this season, even when Yegor Sharangovich (42 percent Yahoo!) returns. 

Back to patience.

I'm not suggesting complacency to start the season. You need to be vigilant. You can't hang onto struggling guys too long, especially those with so-called potential, but nothing to show. 

I've fallen into that trap. It hurts. Potential never wins leagues. 

You also can't fall too far behind in points formats. Some holes can be deep and slippery, and it's hard to get enough grip to climb out. 

But be patient this week. My buddy who sent that message? Yes, he lost the week, but only by 13 points. Jason Robertson (99 percent Yahoo!), Tage Thompson (98 percent Yahoo!), Carter Verhaeghe (97 percent Yahoo!) and Jakob Chychrun (77 percent Yahoo!) were his downfall. Even one more point each - and a few more shots - and he would have earned the W.

Patience, my friend. Your wins will come.

Until next week.