Frozen Fantasy: Pull All the Levers

The end is near. Your fantasy medal is in sight. But you're still a couple points behind that jerk sitting in first. I get it.

You want to kick him in the …

I'm not advocating violence (although, I know you liked the image). But you do need to do what it takes. You're working the wire with precision. But are you levering other owners into helping keep the race honest right to the end?

It's all in "the ask." You sound cocky and selfish if you try to get another owner to conspire to take down the leader. But there's real merit to selecting a few active owners and subtly encouraging them to keep both of you honest right to the end.

Especially if they're right behind or ahead of the leader in a couple key categories.

I'll give you an example. In the Yahoo Friends and Family league, at least two owners can take away points from the current leader. I'm one (11th place) and the fifth-place owner is the other. Between us, we can influence at least three categories and perhaps four, and could force a three-point drop for the leader.

There's five points between first and second, and six between first and third. Three points could really change the finish, especially if the No. two and three owners were focused on gaining one or two points from their next closest competitor.

I'll be clear – nobody has used this approach with me. I'm already doing this to keep the leaders honest.

I'm 11th. I have to do something to help feel better about my finish.

In the Friends and Family league, YCN-Mak is in first. He has finished first or second in each of the last three years. And it's about to be a fourth.

I've gotta make it hard for him. Find someone in your league that feels the same.

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

Ivan Barbashev, LW/C, St. Louis (0 percent Yahoo owned) - Barbashev has taken a while to adjust to the pace of the NHL. My faith in his talent is unwavering, but he wasn't worth owning in single-year formats. Until now. The talented forward with the filthy wrist shot showed real growth in his game this season in the AHL. And now he's warming up in St. Loo. Barbashev is riding a three-game, three-point (one goal, two helpers) scoring streak heading into Monday. And five of his eight points (22 games) have come in his last six. Give him a look.

Brock Boeser, RW, Vancouver (0 percent) - Boeser sniped the game-winning goal in his NHL debut Saturday. And he did it in his hometown with his parents and family packed into the Orcas box. It's a great story for the talented Boeser, who's a big part of the team's future. They're going to let the kid play – they've already burned a year of his contract because Boeser is playing in the NHL as a 20-year-old. They've got nothing to lose and neither do you.

Sean Couturier, C, Philadelphia (9 percent) - Couturier is among the top-25 fantasy producers in the last week. And in fact, he's been there for the last two. Yah, I was surprised by that, too. He has two goals, five assists and 22 shots, with a plus-7 rating over his last two weeks. Couturier won't get power-play points, but nobody's perfect. I'm buying.

Michael Hutchinson, G, Winnipeg (5 percent) - He's between the pipes on Sunday, which will be the fourth time in the Jets last five. Sure, one was in relief, but Hutchinson seems to be "the man" at Portage and Main these days. Forget about GAA and save percentage – those categories can really only move by 1/100th of a point anyway. But if you're throwing darts at a board for wins, you need to take a risk on this guy.

Eddie Lack, G, Carolina (7 percent) - See Michael Hutchinson above if you're trolling for wins. Lack has gone from being a pariah, at least in coach Bill Peters' mind, to Mr. Popular in the blue paint. Go figure. He has started four of the Canes last six and is 4-0 with just five goals allowed.

Elias Lindholm, RW/C, Carolina (23 percent) - I mentioned him last week, so I won't spend much time. Other than to say his ownership jumped 13 percent this weekend, probably because of his 10-game – YES, 10-game scoring streak.

Curtis McElhinney, G, Toronto (4 percent) - Frederick Andersen is out with a so-called mystery injury and the crease is now McElhinney's. Freddie yelped loudly when Evander Kane landed on him late in the first period Saturday night. But I'm more concerned with what looked like a hit to the head from William Carrier in the same period. Sabres' doctors told the team that Andersen should be pulled from the game and out he came. The Leafs are still pushing hard for a playoff spot and there's little room for error. McElhinney is a wily veteran with decent numbers. The team is good. Wins might be here for the taking.

Craig Smith, RW, Nashville (4 percent) - Smith and Colin Wilson (below) have been playing keep-away with opponents these days. Both are playmaking machines and Smith is riding a three-game, six-assist scoring streak. Smith is also plus-8 in that span. And this outburst came after a healthy scratch – sometimes that's all it takes to light a fire. Go ahead and fan the flames.

Lee Stempniak, LW/RW, Carolina (8 percent) - The Canes are pulling all the levers to influence the wild card race and Stempy is right in the heart of that push. Like Couturier (above), Stempniak has been zipping along in the last 14 days with two goals, five helpers, 19 shots and a plus-4 rating. He even got a penalty. He's a top-45 skater in Yahoo production. What do you have to lose at this point? You're either active on the wire or you've given up. Go for it.

Colin Wilson, LW, Nashville (1 percent) - Wilson and Craig Smith (above) have been playmaking machines in their last few games. Wilson has five assists in games against Calgary and San Jose this week, two tough Western opponents. The Preds next three games are against the Isles, Bruins and Leafs – they're good, but they're arguably still a step behind some of their Western peers. Wilson has a shot at serving up some pretty sweet taters in the coming days. P.S. he's also plus-8 in the last week, which is a significant swing in that category.

Back to pulling all the levers.

It's tough at this time of year. Hockey owner down the standings have already turned their eyes to planning playoff pools and to baseball.

If it's too late to pull levers in your own league, then plan to use this strategy for next season. Or your next league in another sport.

Know your other owners. Build relationships through friendly banter right from the start. Then they'll be a whole lot more willing to listen when you start pulling levers like the ones I described above.

RotoWire's own late Dan Pennucci was a master at working relationships. He chatted with people all the time to just talk hockey, ask for opinions and banter trades. And because of that, he would have been able to sincerely ask me or any other league owner to keep the winners honest.

We would have done it for him because his ask was sincere. And it wouldn't just be out of the blue.

That's a lesson I think we can all learn.

Until next week.