Frozen Fantasy: 50 in 50 for Crosby

Two Stanley Cups, two Olympic gold medals and one World Cup crown. And soon, 50 in 50.

Sidney Crosby is HOT.

In the last 30 weeks, Sid the Kid has carried the Pens through Game 7 in the Eastern Conference final and a Cup-clincher in San Jose, and a best-of-three World Cup final. He won them all. And the Conn Smythe and World Cup MVP, too.

The fire in his belly was stoked by that All-Star snub in early 2016. Seriously, who does that to the best player in the league?

I digress.

Now, after missing the first six games of the season to rest his noggin, Sid has shredded opposing netminders. He has 21 goals in 25 games heading into Toronto on Saturday night.

Fifty in 50 is tough. Steven Stamkos flirted with it a few years back, but that's all it was. A flirtation.

This feels different. Really different.

Sidney Crosby is the best player on the planet right now. Apologies to Connor McDavid. Your time will come, dude. Sid's the better man.

Sid has elevated his game. This goal was incredible. So was this one. His game is heavier. And smarter. And much, much stronger.

He'll need to amp things up to hit 50 by the Pens' 50th game. Only Maurice Richard, Mike Bossy, Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Brett Hull have achieved that feat. Jari Kurri, Alexander Mogilny and Cam Neely hit the mark within 50 games played, just not the first 50 games of the season.

My money is on Sid this year. And on him not only hitting 50 in 50, but also cracking 60 this season.

In the last two decades, only Lemieux, Stamkos and Alexander Ovechkin have hit 60.

Connor McDavid doesn't hit 20 – years of age, that is – for another four weeks. His time will come. Right now, it's Sid's time. He really is hot.

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

Jonas Brodin, D, Minnesota (10 percent Yahoo! owned) - Check your wire. NOW. Brodin is on pace for almost 40 points this season and almost no one is paying attention. He's been a shutdown stalwart since a teen and like everyone else, I forget he's only 23. Brodin's game is taking a jump and he has three points in his last three games. I suspect new coach Bruce Boudreau has something to do with turning him loose offensively. I'm good with that. You should be, too.

Valtteri Filppula, LW/C, Tampa Bay (20 percent) - I've flagged Flip before, so this is the last time. He's riding a four-game, six-point streak heading into Saturday night and his 22 points in 30 games are his best in years. It's a 60-point pace. He should be owned in 80 percent of leagues, not 20. Check your wire.

Jake Gardiner, D, Toronto (16 percent) - Gardiner is an enigma wrapped up in a riddle. His skating is beautiful and reckless, all at the same time. He can pull you out of your seat. And he can also make you yank out your hair. Right now, Gardiner looks like the second coming of the smooth skating Paul Coffey, what with his four-game, four-point streak. Take advantage, but just remember he's not exactly the brightest bulb in the tanning bed. You need to be able to accept the risk (and the brain farts) to take advantage of the gains.

Oscar Lindberg, LW/C, NY Rangers (1 percent) - Lindberg has been a healthy scratch a lot this season, so why is he here? A couple things make him a watch guy for me. The Rangers have had a lot of injuries down the middle, so he's getting a shot. And his faceoff ability isn't just good – it's elite. And that means that coach Alain Vigneault will soon be counting on him as a go-to guy in high-leverage situations in both ends of the ice. Remember, this the same Oscar Lindberg who set a franchise record for rookies by scoring in the first three games of his NHL career. This is a speculative pickup or at least a watch-and-wait. I have a feeling Lindberg is going to sneak up on a lot of people.

Nino Niederreiter, RW/LW, Minnesota (27 percent) - CNN declared El Nino dead in June, but they were only talking about the weather system. This El Nino's heat is white hot. Niederreiter has 10 points in his last 10 games and is plus-6 in that span. He has fired 20 shots and has been held off the score sheet just twice in that span. His ownership is escalating, but there's still a chance he's on the wire in one of your leagues. It's worth a check.

Derek Ryan, C, Carolina (3 percent) - Ryan was 29 when he finally made his NHL debut late last season. He took a bit of a circuitous route – Alberta, Austria, Sweden and then Charlotte – on his way to the bigs. But honestly, very little was expected for Ryan this season, especially when general manager Ron Francis described him as a ''high character, veteran player.'' Ouch. An assist Friday night stretched his current point streak to five games (three goals, five assists). And he has 11 points, including four goals, in his last 10 games. Plug him in and see how far he can take you.

Devin Shore, C, Dallas (1 percent) - What do you get when you combine elite hockey sense and a nose for the net? Devin Shore. The guy is fearless (in a smart way) and that's delivered four goals (five points) in his last eight games heading into this weekend. Shore anticipates puck paths with the best and that means he's in the heart of the play whenever he's on the ice. His luck has sucked until this year because of injuries. But this guy profiles a little like Ryan Kesler. There's value in that. And goals on that blade.

Reilly Smith, RW, Florida (13 percent) - A slow start to the season has kept this guy on the wire, but he shouldn't be there now. Smith has averaged 47 points a season over the last three and he has seriously picked up the pace since the start of the month. Half of his 14 points have come in the last nine games. I added him Friday just in time to get an sweet little boost from his shorthanded goal that won the game. #bonuspoints

Anthony Stolarz, G, Philadelphia (3 percent) - Philly is on fire and so is Steve Mason. The Flyers have finally caught on to Mason's workhorse ability, but that will come with a cost. Mason has a long history of ouches and before long, the Flyers will need to balance out his playing time. That's where Stolarz comes in. He's a massive butterfly specialist whose technical skills are developing well. Most importantly, he's mentally tough – there isn't a fragile thought in his head. That's a great trait for a backup netminder. Couple that with an emerging powerhouse of a team and his starts will almost certainly produce strong stats. Stash him now and roll him in match ups. Need more convincing? He's already owned in both of my expert leagues. And I'm pretty sure those owners know a thing or six about fantasy hockey.

Back to Connor and Sid.

I'd take either in fantasy and be happy as a pig in … well, there's an emoji for that. But dollar-for-dollar, I'd still take Sid over Connor, especially in head-to-head.

Why? Sid has only been held off the score sheet five times in 25 games. And never two games in a row. Connor is getting there, but he's been held pointless 11 times in 32 games. And he's been held pointless two games in a row four times so far.

Don't get me wrong. I actually think that McDavid is going to deliver more points over his career than Sid. He's got it all. But right now, Sid the Kid is the best player in the NHL. Hands down. And I'm going to watch him shred the Maple Leafs on Saturday night.

Until next week.