This article is part of our Frozen Fantasy series.
Calculated risk. Sometimes it works and sometimes it just gets bowled over.
I'm talking about you, John Gibson.
Thursday night at 10:34 p.m. Eastern, I pulled the trigger on an eight-player deal that would ultimately net me Gibson in the Yahoo! Friends and Family league.
I needed goaltending. Bad. Cam Talbot has hung like an anchor around my team's neck – Robin Lehner as my number three has delivered better ratios than that stiff in Edmonton.
Spit.
Gibson was to be my savior. Sure, he has an injury history, but I couldn't move up the goalie categories if I didn't make a move. He was my calculated risk.
Then only 90 minutes later, my plan was shot to pieces, courtesy of Blake Wheeler's speed wobble/toe pick. Gibson had to be helped off the ice. Ugh.
I woke up to the news and had to laugh.
But I'd still make the deal 100 times out of 100. I sit ninth in both wins and GAA, and eighth in save percentage. Gibson's ascension toward excellence this season was going to get me a couple points in GAA and save percentage. And that would have given me a shot at moving up one or maybe two spots in the overall standings.
Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. But you can't get better by waiver play alone. And sometimes, the choices you make can fall apart almost immediately, right in front of your eyes. But usually, those risks will yield you
Calculated risk. Sometimes it works and sometimes it just gets bowled over.
I'm talking about you, John Gibson.
Thursday night at 10:34 p.m. Eastern, I pulled the trigger on an eight-player deal that would ultimately net me Gibson in the Yahoo! Friends and Family league.
I needed goaltending. Bad. Cam Talbot has hung like an anchor around my team's neck – Robin Lehner as my number three has delivered better ratios than that stiff in Edmonton.
Spit.
Gibson was to be my savior. Sure, he has an injury history, but I couldn't move up the goalie categories if I didn't make a move. He was my calculated risk.
Then only 90 minutes later, my plan was shot to pieces, courtesy of Blake Wheeler's speed wobble/toe pick. Gibson had to be helped off the ice. Ugh.
I woke up to the news and had to laugh.
But I'd still make the deal 100 times out of 100. I sit ninth in both wins and GAA, and eighth in save percentage. Gibson's ascension toward excellence this season was going to get me a couple points in GAA and save percentage. And that would have given me a shot at moving up one or maybe two spots in the overall standings.
Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. But you can't get better by waiver play alone. And sometimes, the choices you make can fall apart almost immediately, right in front of your eyes. But usually, those risks will yield you at least a couple of points.
And enough movement to scare the day lights out of my opponents. Heh. Heh. Heh.
Now let's take a look at who caught my eye this week.
Ken Appleby, G, New Jersey (2 percent Yahoo! owned) – I snagged Appleby last Saturday night when Keith Kinkaid went down with an injury. Appleby looked sharp in relief and has been solid while starter Cory Schneider got over his illness. Starts may be few and far between unless Schneids continue his pre-break slide. If he does, Appleby might just deliver some successful spot starts after the break.
Anthony Beauvillier, LW/C, NY Islanders (26 percent Yahoo! owned) – Beauvillier's ownership is rocketing up and appropriately so – the guy has eight goals and two assists in his last eight games. Beau brings an aggressive, buzzsaw skill to the offensive zone and he and Mathew Barzal have really clicked. These two 20-year-olds could be the next dynamic fantasy duo. Seriously. His ownership jumped 15 percent overnight Thursday, but there's still a slim chance he might be lurking out there, waiting for you. Check your wire now.
Paul Byron, LW/RW, Montreal (3 percent Yahoo! owned) – Go get this guy and ride him for all he's worth. Byron is on the Habs' top line and producing beside Max Pacioretty. He rode a six-game, seven-point scoring streak into All-Star weekend, but that won't last if Mad Max is shipped out of town by the deadline. Byron isn't a first-line player – he's a 28-year-old journeyman whose best season (43 points) came last year. Take advantage of his current situation or someone else will. And then drop him at the deadline once Max disappears.
Vince Dunn, D, St. Louis (1 percent Yahoo! owned) – Dunn is a rover from the blue line. He's lightning fast and loves to jump into the fray. And he's fast enough to get back in the defensive zone after his gambles. But Dunn's decision making still needs work – there are a few brain farts in his game. Still, he has four points, including two on the power play, in his last five games. And he's fired 14 shots. Dunn's overall numbers are low, but his value is rising.
Brad Hunt, D, Vegas (1 percent Yahoo! owned) – Last week, this journeyman defender was more valuable in standard Yahoo! formats than Drew Doughty and Brent Burns. Yep. Brad Hunt. The 29-year-old with 58 NHL games under his belt. He needs to take a screenshot of the Yahoo! player ratings because this is a career moment. Hunt has five points, including four assists, in his last four games; three of those points have come on the power play. He even had a three-point game in there! It won't last. It can't. But his confidence is soaring and that could mean a couple more games of lightning shoved in his bottle. And who knows – maybe another screenshot.
Travis Konecny, LW/RW/C, Philadelphia (21 percent Yahoo! owned) – Like Beauvillier, Konecny's ownership exploded some 17 percent overnight Thursday. Little wonder – he's on a five-game, six-point streak (four goals, two assists) and he has 11 points (six goals, five assists) in his last 12 games. And all of those have come after a promotion to the Flyers' top line with Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier. If you're lucky, Konecny is still out there because of his poor start (11 points in 37 games).
Ryan Miller, G, Anaheim (24 percent Yahoo! owned) – The crease will be Miller's, if Gibson can't go. Handcuff him if you can. Miller time is still possible for a couple weeks or so.
Brendan Perlini, LW/RW, Arizona (1 percent Yahoo! owned) – Perlini is a middle-six finisher with an outstanding release – that wrister is Bobby Ryan-esque. Perlini is on a four-game goal-scoring streak (four goals) heading into the All-Star break and he's on pace for a 25-goal season. That kind of production is valuable in most formats, as long as you're not hoping for anything else. Perlini has just six assists in 43 games and he's not going to start dishing a lot if he isn't already doing it.
Dominik Simon, LW/C, Pittsburgh (1 percent Yahoo! owned) – Go get this guy. RUN! Simon is the latest experiment on Sidney Crosby's left side and he looks like he could be a fit. Simon has a wicked shot and good smarts, and he has four goals in his last six games. The All-Star break paused a three-game, four-point streak, but the young man looks comfortable beside the best player in hockey. It's a bit early, but maybe, just maybe, Simon is the wingman they've been seeking for years.
Back to calculated risk.
Only you know your threshold for risk. Mine is high. Really high. Well, at least it is at this point in the season.
Yes, I pulled that deal two weeks into the season and got Leon Draisaitl. But I need to take a bit of my own advice and find a way to take more calculated risk earlier in the season.
Before I slip to ninth and have to take more drastic measures. Gulp.
Until next week.
