Frozen Fantasy: Big Baby or Best Move?

Big baby or smart stuff? Jonathan Drouin slammed the gate on general manager Steve Yzerman's foot earlier this week. Ballsy stuff for a 20-year-old.

Or has he already lost the fight?

Drouin is fantastically talented. There was a time when he was viewed as the top player available in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. But he's also the only top-10 draftee who hasn't carved out a full-time gig in the NHL.

He's 20. His play away from the puck needs work. Everyone knows it. Well, maybe everyone except him. The talent -- the elite playmaking -- is still there. But the once top teenage player in the CHL isn't used to biding his time or being down the depth chart.

Enter Steve Yzerman, the fair, but intense GM who learned the dos and don'ts of his job from the great Scotty Bowman. And there's only one thing you need to know about Scotty to understand Stevie Y's position.

Scotty Bowman broke Stevie Y's youthful arrogance. And Stevie Y will do the same here. It might be by keeping him and forcing the issue. Or it might be through a trade.

Yzerman wanted out of Detroit. He was a high-flying, but somewhat immature young star who couldn't carry a team. That is, until he bought into Bowman's approach and changed his game, so the team became more important than the "I." And then along came the silver chalice. Several times. Plus a ticket straight to the Hall of Fame.

Yzerman won't budge here. He's playing hard, but fair. Today's game has changed and so have the expectations and perceived entitlements of today's players. But hockey is still a team game -- fit in or get out.

Jonathan Drouin won't become a star because he gets traded. Drouin will become a star because he puts in the work ... wherever he lands.

Maybe he should give Kyle Turris a call.

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

Joseph Blandisi, C, New Jersey (0 percent Yahoo! owned) - Blandisi won't help your squad, but I'm a sucker for hard-working glue guys who overachieve. He's a bottom-six pivot who doesn't have an off switch. He picked up his first goal Thursday and just about leapt over the glass in his excitement. He's put up five points (one goal, four helpers) in nine games since his callup and is living his NHL dream. His enthusiasm is fun to watch, but the points are probably gravy. He will bring hits, but that's not enough to fit most formats. So crack a cold one and enjoy watching him play. There's not much else in Jersey that's worth watching.

Alex Killorn, LW/C, Tampa Bay (8 percent) - Killorn's hockey smarts are off the charts and he's blessed with talent, too. That's why coach Jon Cooper has him rolling with Nikita Kucherov and Tyler Johnson. #opportunity. Killorn has six points in the six games heading into weekend play and the Bolts are finally starting to get their game in order. Sounds like the perfect storm for some solid production. Get thee to the wire.

Adam Larsson, D, New Jersey (6 percent) - Vilken lättnad -- that's Swedish for "what a relief!" Larsson was supposed to be the second coming of Victor Hedman, but he's been an offensive dud so far in his career. This season hasn't been much different and I fear he's nothing more than a smooth-skating number four who's better on the ice than in the fantasy arena. But I'm not ready to give up just yet. And his five points (one goal, four assists) in his last seven games has made me re-consider. This streak might be the beginning of something vacker. That's Swedish again for beeeeautiful.

Vincent Lecavalier, LW/C, Los Angeles (15 percent) - Vinny is back on the radar of fantasy owners and in a massive way - his ownership jumped 14 percent from Friday to Saturday alone! Is it warranted? No bloody way -- his career is tailing off and he's more a part-time bottom-six guy at this point. But La-La-Land might be the perfect place for him. He can fit into a solid group of veterans and Darryl Sutter will use him in the perfect way. And that means Vinny is poised to deliver solid, yet unspectacular production for the Kings and you ... as long as you roll him at wing. Center is too deep for you to absorb his aging game at pivot.

Ryan Murray, D, Columbus (4 percent) - Murray is a dreamy skater and a high-end talent. But he has struggled in Columbus to both stay healthy and produce. But let's be real -- the Jackets hung the tag of savior around the kid's neck at the draft and then saddled him with a defense corps that included the illustrious Jack Johnson, the boring Fedor Tyutin and the inert Dalton Prout. Good luck. But Murray can finally settle -- and shine -- now that Seth Jones has arrived to stabilize the back end. And that he has. Murray is on a three-game, three-point (plus-4) streak heading Saturday and I think this is the beginning of his ascension. He may never be a 50-point guy, but there's real value to being the Jay Bouwmeester to St. Louis' Alex Pietrangelo. Or to being the Brent Seabrook to Chicago's Duncan Keith. Think partner in crime, not big, burly boy on that last one. But you get the point.

Teddy Purcell, RW/LW, Edmonton (11 percent) - Teddy turns my stomach. He disappears every time I pick him up, and then produces again once I drop his butt. But he can help far more patient owners than I, so that's why he's back on this list. Fifty-point wingers are valuable in a whole lot of formats, just not my beloved head-to-heads. He's put up four points in four games and has 29 on the season. And he can help those of you in deep formats that can afford to plug him and leave him there.

Alex Tanguay, RW/LW, Colorado (5 percent) - Mr. Forgotten in Mile High has five points in his last seven games. The 36-year-old isn't shiny or sexy, but he's still fantasy relevant. And that can help your squad. Remember -- he delivered 55 points last season. His veteran guile could deliver a solid second half.

Travis Zajac, C, New Jersey (8 percent) - Thanks for finally showing up, Travis -- where the eff have you been the last two seasons? Thursday night's four-point game was a dominant performance, but it was the first sign of life in his game since October. But maybe that was in 2014. Yah, it's been that long. I'm not sure one game is enough to resurrect his flagging confidence. But it might be enough to change his perspective just a little. And he could start to find the score sheet a lot more once he realizes he's still a 45-50 point guy. Center is deep, but he could help you short-term if Thursday night's spark ignites his game.

Back to Jonathan Drouin.

Drouin can still be a very good NHLer and maybe even a star. But do not expect a change of scenery to immediately inject new life into his fantasy value.

He's not Seth Jones or Ryan Johansen -- those guys both understand what 200-foot-game actually means. Drouin still needs to develop his game away from the puck and that's going to take commitment and hard work, regardless of where he plays. And those two things often result in a lower-line role until they snap into place.

If they ever do.

Kyle Turris figured it out, but it took until he was 24 years old. Mr. Drouin is only 20. There's still time. But not for your single-year leagues.

And maybe not for your keeper league, either, depending on your keeper rules. Or your patience.

Until next week.