There were so many things in my hockey brain this week. But that changed Sunday when it was confirmed that Minnesota hockey reporter Jessi Pierce and her three children died in a house fire early Saturday.
There are no words. Not for the tragedy. And not to console the grief of her husband, who was away on business.
I did not know Jessi, but I wish I did. From all accounts, she was the kind of person whose irrepressible energy drew you in, no matter who you were, what you brought to the conversation or how crusty you were.
The hockey community is small, even when it seems like it isn't. We're all human. Tears flowed. Mine sure did. This piece is worth the read. Get a tissue. Or three. Jessi was one of the good ones.
No. She was one of the great ones.
Here are the guys who caught my eye this week.
Connor Brown, RW, New Jersey (2 percent Yahoo!) -- Brown has flirted with fantasy managers for years. And he has disappointed every time. It's not his fault. It's rare for a sixth-round pick - let alone one made by the incompetent Leafs - to succeed. But Brown is talented enough to skate in the top-six, at least in bursts - and that's exactly where he is right now. The redhead has 12 points (three goals, nine assists; one PPG, two PPA) and 20 shots in his last 10 games heading into Tuesday. Brown is
There were so many things in my hockey brain this week. But that changed Sunday when it was confirmed that Minnesota hockey reporter Jessi Pierce and her three children died in a house fire early Saturday.
There are no words. Not for the tragedy. And not to console the grief of her husband, who was away on business.
I did not know Jessi, but I wish I did. From all accounts, she was the kind of person whose irrepressible energy drew you in, no matter who you were, what you brought to the conversation or how crusty you were.
The hockey community is small, even when it seems like it isn't. We're all human. Tears flowed. Mine sure did. This piece is worth the read. Get a tissue. Or three. Jessi was one of the good ones.
No. She was one of the great ones.
Here are the guys who caught my eye this week.
Connor Brown, RW, New Jersey (2 percent Yahoo!) -- Brown has flirted with fantasy managers for years. And he has disappointed every time. It's not his fault. It's rare for a sixth-round pick - let alone one made by the incompetent Leafs - to succeed. But Brown is talented enough to skate in the top-six, at least in bursts - and that's exactly where he is right now. The redhead has 12 points (three goals, nine assists; one PPG, two PPA) and 20 shots in his last 10 games heading into Tuesday. Brown is skating with Jack Hughes (98 percent Yahoo!) and Jesper Bratt (88 percent Yahoo!) at even strength. Nuff said?
Noah Cates, C, Philadelphia (5 percent Yahoo!) -- Cates is underrated, probably because he's on Philly's third line. He's no star, yet offers enough skill and smarts to deliver results that could lift the floor of your team. Cates is on a three-game goal streak (three plus one assist) with 21 faceoff wins, eight shots, seven PIM, five blocks and two hits going into Tuesday. Yes, it's modest. But look back a bit, and you'll discover Cates has been on a roll since returning from the break with 12 points (five goals, seven assists), 68 faceoff wins, 18 shots, 16 hits, 11 blocks and two power-play assists from 13 contests. That means he needs to be rostered in more than one in every 20 fantasy leagues.
Jakub Dobes, G, and Jacob Fowler, G, Montreal (32 and 15 percent Yahoo!, respectively) -- Montreal will do whatever is necessary to keep a playoff spot alive, so head coach Marty St. Louis is rolling the team's two youngest netminders over Sam Montembeault (28 percent Yahoo!). Both are solid options right now. Dobes is 3-2-0 with a .917 save percentage over his last five starts. Fowler is 2-1-0 with a .893 save percentage during three appearance since being called up, and his ceiling is high. Montembeault may still get an outing here and there, but I like the Dobes-Fowler duo. The last time the Habs had two youngsters in net was 2009-10. Those two were Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak when Montreal got to the Eastern Conference Final, which was their best finish in 17 years. Look, I'm not saying they'll get that far. But…
Anton Frondell, C, Chicago (2 percent Yahoo!) -- Frondell is expected to join the Hawks this week after Djurgardens was eliminated from the SHL playoffs. He was just the fourth 18-year-old to pot 20 goals in that league and the first since Hall-of-Famer Daniel Sedin did it during 1998-99. Frondell is great, though he'll have a hard time adjusting to NHL physicality. He could still quickly get LW eligibility given that's where he played in the SHL. And if he hops the boards with Connor Bedard (99 percent Yahoo!) at even-strength and on the top power play? That's a roll of the dice I'm willing to take.
Kaapo Kakko, RW, Seattle (1 percent Yahoo!) -- Kakko is maddening at times, but he's also occasionally tantalizing. Like right now. Kakko has racked up six points (two goals, four assists) through his last four games that includes a goal and assist on the man-advantage. He's skating on Seattle's second line and should stay in the top-six with Jaden Schwartz (3 percent Yahoo!) sidelined until early April (face). Kakko could continue to tantalize. Or madden. The cost of entry is low, so he may be worth the chance.
Alex Lyon, G, Buffalo (55 percent Yahoo!) -- Lyon has been one of the best netminders this season. His .915 save percentage on Sunday morning tied him with Andrei Vasilevskiy (100 percent Yahoo!) and Devin Cooley (9 percent Yahoo!) for second among goalies who've played at least 21 games. Lyon was also in a three-way tie for 10th in GAA (2.54). Even his 20 wins put him top-20 despite his platoon status. And he was riding a six-game winning streak heading into Sunday night. I have him in one league; I wish I had him in more. Lyon's consistency in a timeshare is worth far more than inconsistency from an old-skool 55-game starter.
Marco Rossi, C, Vancouver (12 percent Yahoo!) -- Rossi is ripping up the left coast taking a five-game, 10-point run (seven assists) into Tuesday night with three of the helpers coming on the power play. He's been solid at the dot over that span (27-for-45; 60.0 percent) and sitting on top of the center heap in Vancity. Rossi finally seems to have adjusted to the trade. The next few weeks could be fire.
Cole Sillinger, RW/C, Columbus (2 percent Yahoo!) -- It's hard to remember that Sillinger - who's in his fifth full season - is still only 22. I used to think that bad teams that keep their babies in the bigs usually destroy their development, but maybe this is who Sillinger is - a reliable, mid-30s point getter who'll always be in the middle-six. But he was considered one of the best pure goal scorers in his draft class. And one with laser vision and top-end hockey IQ. So a streak like Sillinger took into Sunday night - three games and six points, including five assists - always gives me pause. He also notched eight shots, five blocks and three hits during that stretch. The talent is there. And hot is hot. Test and learn with him in dailies. Sillinger needs to be more consistent to be relevant in weeklies.
Jordan Spence, D, Ottawa (1 percent Yahoo!) -- Spence has always boasted offensive upside and his possession numbers have quietly been elite for a while. He gets the puck out of his zone with ease, and his style suits the Sens' high-tempo transition game especially with Jake Sanderson (91 percent Yahoo!) still out. Spence has contributed four assists from his last four matchups with one of them on the power play. His role may change when Sanderson comes back, yet his ability to move the puck should keep him in the mix for more even-strength helpers.
Vladimir Tarasenko, LW/RW, Minnesota (10 percent Yahoo!) -- Tarasenko is the poster child for the old phrase about a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. Not that anyone other than a history buff even knows that one. Tarasenko's talent is undeniable. So is his disengagement. But heading into Tuesday, he potted four goals in his last four games with seven points - three of those assists - during the last seven alongside 16 shots, 13 hits, one power-play goal and three blocks. Tarasenko can go cold faster than an ex's heart, so buyer beware. But the burn may be worth it. Heck, isn't it always worth it?
Pavel Zacha, LW/C, Boston (41 percent Yahoo!) -- Zacha is the kind of player I like to slot into a wing role as he can score, hit, and maybe get some bonus man-advantage points and at the faceoff dot. He was held off the scoresheet Saturday in Detroit. But prior to that, Zacha had produced a four-game, six-point streak that included four goals - one a PPG - 28 faceoff wins, eight shots and seven hits. Overall, he's registered 51 points - 18 of those PPPs - and is on pace to top 60. That combination alone should have him rostered in a lot more formats. Zacha's value is rising.
Back to perspective. It's everything. We may be heading into the fantasy playoffs, but life is more important.
Until next week.
