Frozen Fantasy: No Time to Waste

The season is coming to a close. Standings are tight. Head-to-head playoffs are underway. You're still in the hunt. 

There's no time to waste.

You're wringing every ounce of production out of your fantasy roster. You're stressing about lineup moves. Who to play. Who to sit. Who to add or drop.

I won't waste time going on too long. I will say that you know what you're doing, so don't doubt your approach. You got this far. Soldier on with confidence.

Any change you make needs to be strategic. There's no point adding the hottest playmaker from the wire if you need some penalty minutes. Or goals. 

I've divided this list into categories. It's hard to move on big cumulative categories like GAA or save percentage. But you might move the needle on wins. Or score a lucky shutout.

I'm close in several categories in the Friends and Family league. They're all attainable before season's end. Hey – I've climbed all the way to seventh in the last three weeks by focusing my attention like this. And I can even take points away from the top three teams in the next few weeks. 

Like I've said for weeks, I won't make their wins easy.

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

GOALIE POINTS

Casey DeSmith, G, Pittsburgh (22 percent Yahoo! owned) – DeSmith rung up a 26-save shutout on Thursday night. Sure, it was over the Sabres. But with the Pens in a back-to-back this weekend, the backup's big game will earn him another start right away. With his supporting stats, DeSmith is worth the gamble. 

MULTIPLE CATEGORIES

Vinnie Hinostroza, LW/RW/C, Arizona (3 percent Yahoo! owned) – My cousin Vinnie has been a revelation in the desert. Even before his hattie Thursday night. Since Jan. 20, Hinostroza has 20 points, including 11 goals, in his last 24 games. Yup, that's close to a 70-point pace. Sure, his shooting percentage is above his career norm, but he is firing more shots this season than in the past. I've been sitting on Hinostroza in a big keeper league, waiting for this kind of growth. It's still a moment in time, but I like what I see from the Desert Dawgs. He can help – goals are hard to come by.

Damon Severson, D, New Jersey (16 percent Yahoo! owned) – Severson headed into Friday's game against Vancouver on a three-game, four-point streak (two goals, two assists). He actually has seven points in his last seven games. And last game, he put in a goal and assist, both on the power play. Severson is on the Devils' first unit. He's on pace for his first 40-plus point season and finally looks like he's becoming my Shea Weber-lite. His development curve is a little slower than Weber's. But there should be room for 40-45 point defenders in just about every league. 

GOALS

Roope Hintz, LW, Dallas (3 percent Yahoo! owned) – Introducing the new top-line left winger in the Lone Star State. Yes, this longhaired Finn is flashing his skill beside Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov, and he had his first career two-goal game on Tuesday. Dallas has been desperate to add a different threat to their top six and it looks like Hintz does just that. He has elite speed and an offensive touch – his shot is sharp. He can play on the power play. And like all responsible Finns, Hintz can play in all zones … enough to even be trusted on the PK. Do the Stars have a homegrown scorer on their hands? I'm not sure. But he does have six goals in his last nine games. I'm glad I have him stashed on one of my keeper leagues. He might help me offset a couple of injuries.

Jared McCann, LW/C, Pittsburgh (34 percent Yahoo! owned) – I hope you snagged him when I last called him out. I didn't and now I'm kicking myself. McCann has 10 points, including six goals, in his last nine games. Pittsburgh is finally the fit he needed. 

Brendan Perlini, LW/RW, Chicago (4 percent Yahoo! owned) – Perlini hit the jackpot with a promotion to the Hawks' second line – he's been a perfect fit with Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome. Perlini is a big guy with speed who is fantastic in possession. His speed offsets Strome's slow feet and his skill complements both of his linemates. I'm all-in on Perlini and not just because I missed out on the other two guys. The guy has six points in his last two games and nine points, including six goals, in his last seven. Perlini is going to help me in a few leagues the rest of the way. And I'm filing his name away for next year, too.

ASSISTS

Danton Heinen, LW/RW/C, Boston (14 percent Yahoo! owned) – Need assists? Heinen has been bagging apples at close to one a game for a while now. He has 13 points, including 12 assists, in his last 15 games. Three have even come on the power play. He's hot … he had just nine helpers in his previous 52 games.  Get him before someone like me comes along and grabs him. 

Dmitry Orlov, D, Washington (6 percent Yahoo! owned) – Like Heinen, Orlov has been bagging a lot of apples. He has eight in his last nine games and is plus-7 in that span. Orlov does see time on the Caps' second unit, but hasn't picked up a point there since mid-January. Still, his even-strength production is enough to make him a worthy add. I grabbed him when Thomas Chabot got hurt. I am hoping Orlov will help heal a lot of that pain.

Marc-Edouard Vlasic, D, San Jose (6 percent Yahoo! owned) – Pickles' offense has gotten sweet with Erik Karlsson out. It won't last – Karlsson is due back soon. But you might be able to catch a ride on Vlasic's coattails this weekend. He's on a three-game, five-point streak (one goal, four assists) and he has eight points, including seven assists, in his last nine games. He's worth a short-term ride. 

PIM

Brendan Lemieux, LW, NY Rangers  (4 percent Yahoo! owned) – Lemieux has always had a bit of grit in his game. But he's taking it to a whole new level on Broadway. And it's making him a real fan fave. Wednesday's incident with Antoine Roussel was debatable, however Lemieux did extend his elbow to brace himself as Roussel fell into him. He has 15 PIM in his last two games and 39 in his last nine. He's not just an agitator – he also has five points (two goals, three assists) in his last seven outings. Smart owners are snapping him up. 

TAKE A FLYER

Christian Wolanin, D, Ottawa (0 percent Yahoo! owned) – Wolanin has big skates to fill. He's stepped into Thomas Chabot's boots on the Sens' top power play and skated more than 19 minutes Thursday. Wolanin has 26 points in 35 AHL games this year as a rookie. That's top-10 for first-year defenders, but third-best in points-per-game production. He's not the long-term prospect that newcomer Erik Brannstrom is, but he might help you if you're struggling with injuries. 

Back to soldiering on with confidence.

Yes, you have an injury you wish you didn't have. And no, your guys aren't all peaking at the right time. 

But neither are your opponent's. You've learned from your roster choices all season long. Like I said earlier, you got yourself to a spot where you're in the hunt. 

Don't waver. Make smart choices. And don't overthink your decisions. Drop Thomas Chabot – he's week-to-week with three to go. Josh Morrisey is out until at least April's Fools Day. And we both know that's a joke. 

Who cares if you drop an injured stud when you need a no-points, plus-minus beast? Go forward with confidence. 

There's no time to waste.

Until next week.