Frozen Fantasy: Stupid, Strange and Silly

I usually wait to the quarter pole to start poking holes in the season, but there's enough stupid, strange and silly now that I can't bite my tongue any longer.

Like I'd start doing that anyway. Seriously.

I'm going to depart from my usual format to poke at a few things that have caught my eye. Then you tell me what's stuck in your craw.

So, heading into play Friday night:

• There were 15 players who had more points this season than the Ducks had goals. Bruce Boudreau is pâté, no matter how much his GM endorses him.

•Evgeny Kuznetsov had pushed Nicklas Backstrom – arguably the NHL's best playmaker – to the Caps' second line. That changed Friday, but whodathunk?

• The 2014–15 Flames really were all smoke and mirrors. David Copperfield must be so proud. #ReversionToMean.

• The Leafs have to be perfect to win. They're also perfectly unwatchable.

•Sidney Crosby still didn't have a wingman. And like Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Steven Stamkos, he wasn't in the top–50 scorers.

• Arizona was in a playoff spot. Chicago was not. But the latter would be leading the Pacific if they were only a time zone West. What?

There are just so many things happening that I didn't expect. Like Marc–Andre Fleury's excellence – the puck looks like a beach ball to him. How'd that happen? But, that rubber disc has looked like a piece of rice to Sergei Bobrovsky, Semyon Varlamov and Tuukka Rask (no Vezina for you!). And I'm pretty sure that was Mike Babcock I saw stress eating at the same hot dog stand that Phil Kessel used to snack at every afternoon ...

Has inconsistency become the new consistency in the NHL?

I heard a clip from an NHL coach the other day; I can't remember which one and I honestly don't think that matters. He actually said – out loud – that he had to find a way to get his guys to stay focused over a full shift.

What? Those shifts are just 45 freaking seconds long. And they lose focus in the last 10–15 seconds? No wonder there's weird – no, WEIRD – crap happening this season.

Squirrel!

Maybe Babs should invite Gabby over for some street meat. But I digress.

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

Mikkel Boedker, LW/RW, Arizona (8 percent Yahoo owned) – Boedker's yet another former high–upside first–round pick who missed the boat in the new youth–driven NHL. It's not that he's a failure. But Boedker has slipped into the next tier of players – he's soon to be 26 and his best tally has been 51 points. He could still be a 55–60 point guy, and his six points (three goals, three assists) in the four games heading into Saturday certainly show his offensive potential. The talented Dane isn't the elite guy the Yotes thought he was when they drafted him eighth overall in 2008. But a homegrown, 60–point winger isn't a bad alternative.

Leon Draisaitl, C, Edmonton (7 percent) – One game, two goals – it's little wonder Drai is a blue–chip prospect. The Oilers blew it with him last season – he should have been back in junior after nine games, not toiling in that dysfunction. Draisaitl has the potential to be Anze Kopitar, but in a system that emphasizes offense, not defense. Yum, yum. He skated with Ryan Nugent–Hopkins and Taylor Hall on Thursday night and they electrified the Rexall Centre. He won't continue to score like this, and it'll probably take a couple seasons for him to hit his full stride. But Drai's a first–line player who'll hopefully get a RW designation. And he's only owned in seven percent of leagues.

Frans Nielsen, C, NY Islander (13 percent) – Nielsen is the boy next door. He's a solid NHL citizen who does exactly what his coach wants. He can deliver it all, but often assumes the role of penalty killer and defensive pest for his squad. But it was just a full season ago that Nielsen delivered 58 points. This year, he's the Islanders' second–line center and is on a three–game, five–point streak heading into the weekend. His eight points in 10 games could project to 65 over the season and that squarely puts him in to the 60–75 percent ownership category. I've jumped on board now (yah, yah – you know I'm desperate given my struggling squad, but I'd pick him up regardless).

Kyle Palmieri, LW/RW, New Jersey (8 percent) – I'm not really sure clicking with Travis Zajac is a good thing or a bad thing, but it's working for Palmieri. Zajac's cap hit and age could put him on a train out of Penn Station at some point soon enough. But now, Palmieri's skills are emerging like never before alongside the responsible center. He had a second–star performance Thursday with a goal and two power–play assists. He's never delivered more than 31 points in a season, but that's about to change.

Luca Sbisa, D, Vancouver (0 percent) – Sbisa isn't the brightest bulb in the tanning bed – he kind of lives in the moment and doesn't think the game ahead. Nothing wrong with that – I don't judge ... at least outwardly. Sbisa won't get power–play time, but he does hit hard, block shots and can deliver cheap, second assists at even strength. He's the kind of guy who brings low–end value to owners in specialty leagues when his team gets on a roll. That's because he'll end up with points by his mates' doing, not his. Yes, I know this sounds harsh, but sometimes the truth hurts. But it doesn't make him any less useful, particularly to a desperate owner.

Brendan Smith, D, Detroit (1 percent Yahoo! owned) – Dynasty owners know this guy only too well. Smith was one of those so–called high–potential prospects once coveted by keeper owners. He could do it all. But he's a Red Wing and they take forever to ripen. Smith is now 26 and has never delivered more than 19 points. But his talent hasn't changed and opportunity has knocked with yet another Mike Green injury. The D pool is shallow – what have you got to lose, especially if you have an easily–dumpable pylon sitting on your roster.

Joel Ward, RW, San Jose (14 percent) – Wardo's ownership took a big spike – think eight percent – after last Saturday's hattie. Sure – he's a big guy who's hard to miss. But Ward has good hands and net–front presence. And he's leading the Sharkies in goals heading into the weekend. I'm sticking him in. You should, too, until he proves he doesn't belong.

Travis Zajac, C, New Jersey (7 percent) – Zajac was here last week, so I'll keep this short and sweet. He has six points, including four goals, in the five games leading into the weekend. He seems to be jelling with the aforementioned Kyle Palmieri and my gut says this little outburst will continue for another week or so. He's a gamble, but you may need to roll the dice to recover from a sluggish start. OK, maybe that's just me. But still.

Jason Zucker, RW/LW, Minnesota (9 percent) – Five games and six points – Zucker's streak is for real. He's a second–line winger in a solid system and has picked right up where he left off last season. And that was squarely in a #breakout. Zuck had 18 goals last February when he busted his collarbone. He ultimately finished with 21, but I have no doubt he would have flirted with 30 had he been healthy the whole way through. He's already on my roster.

Back to stupid, strange and silly.

Has the Pacific division become the old Southeast? Remember them – Washington, Winnipeg, Carolina, Tampa Bay and Carolina. And in 2012–13, just the division winner advanced to the postseason.

Will that be the same this year for the Pacific?

I don't think it'll be that bad. But I do think the silliness we've seen already this season will be amplified by April. And the Central division will produce six of the West's eight best teams. But only five them have a shot at the playoffs.

And that means my Hawks may not make the postseason, especially with Duncan Keith's absence until December.

Silly just became stupid. I'm starting to get mad now.