Frozen Fantasy: Drop Eric Staal. Now.

Last week, a reader asked if they should drop Eric Staal. He'll be 35 in 10 days and he's managed just one point in seven games.

Seems obvious. And it is.

Four years ago, Ken Campbell of The Hockey News talked about NHL players getting faster, stronger and more skilled. Fast forward to 2019 and that trend continues.

Training is better. So are nutrition and recovery.

Another cohort of rookies arrives every season. They've been training and eating properly since they were barely in school. They've also had skill coaches and conditioning gurus from that age.

And their skills at 20-to-23 or 24 – even the guys destined for lower lines – are better than 30-something aging stars. Sometimes you just have to let go to the guys you've loved forever.

Like Eric Staal.

There's a reason he's only owned in 20 per cent of leagues.

Here are a few other guys who, like Staal, have gotten off to a slow start. Some will be fine, while some simply should not be owned. Others need to be weighed carefully. Let's take a look.

No worries here

Sebastian Aho (22) – three points in nine games

Timo Meier (23) – two points in seven games

Tyler Seguin (27) – five points in 10 games

Should pick things up, but best behind them

Jamie Benn (30) – four points in 10 games

Anders Lee (29) – three points in eight games

Jonathan Toews (31) – two points in five games

Mats Zuccarello (32) – no points in four games

Gulp – not sure they'll rebound

Joe Pavelski (35) – two points in 10 games

Alexander Radulov (33) – four points in 10 games

"Might" be valuable in certain circumstances/streaming

Ryan Getzlaf (34) – three points in eight games

Don't bother … seriously

Zach Parise (35) – two points in seven games

Eric Staal (soon-to-be 35) – one point in seven games

Joe Thornton (40) – two points in seven games

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

Josh Bailey, LW/RW, NY Islanders (20 percent Yahoo! owned) – Bailey took a step back last season – his 56 points were 15 fewer than his career mark set in 2017-18. But heading into Saturday, he had six points (three goals, three assists) in his first six games. Bailey won't continue to score at this pace, but will provide cheap, secondary scoring for smart fantasy owners.

Johnny Boychuk, D, NY Islanders (2 percent Yahoo! owned) – Boychuk is nothing special, but he's surprisingly warm right now. He had three points (one goal, two assists) in his last four games heading into play Saturday. There's even a power-play goal in there. You won't get too attached – Boychuk is perfectly dumpable when this little streak ends. But exploit this while it lasts.

Andre Burakovsky, LW/RW, Colorado (15 percent Yahoo! owned) – Burakovsky has long teased with his talent, but the poor guy just can't get out of his own head. He'd just beat himself up so badly that his performance would plummet. Not for one game, but sometimes a dozen at a time. He exploded Friday night with two goals and an assist, and that gave him seven points - including four goals - in his last five games. Burakovsky's confidence is soaring and that's great news for the Avs and fantasy owners.

Thatcher Demko, G, Vancouver (15 percent Yahoo! owned) – Demko was pressed into starter's duty this week with Jacob Markstrom away from the team. Markstrom is back, so Demko will go back to the end of the bench. But don't let that stop you from stashing him. Demko has been outstanding. Just check out the 1.64 GAA and .943 save percentage in three games played. Markstrom is on the last year of his contract and I wouldn't be surprised if the Orcas deal him later this season. Especially if Demko continues to perform like this. Call him future-proofing for your squad.

Adam Henrique, C, Anaheim (20 percent Yahoo! owned) – Go get this guy. The Ducks are retooling on the fly and he's found real chemistry with Rickard Rakell and Jakob Silfverberg. Henrique has four goals and one assist in his last three games. And he's plus-7 in that span. He'd be long gone if he played on the East coast. Ride him hard.

Brock Nelson, LW/C, NY Islanders (21 percent Yahoo! owned) – Nelson's career year in 2018-19 has continued into 2019-20. He has seven points, including four goals, in eight games so far – that's a 72-point pace. And Nelson is a beast if your league counts stuff like face-off wins. Evan Berofsky extolled his virtues here, so I won't bore you with a repeat. Other than to say go get him.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau, C, Ottawa (1 percent Yahoo! owned) – Pageau's game is all about pressure – on the forecheck, PK and just about everywhere else. Top that up with some real offensive flair and you get five points in his last six games – that's good enough to make him the 17th best pivot over the last week. The Sens are experimenting with Pageau on the power play, so that pushes his potential value up even more.  Players on crummy teams can help drive your fantasy success. Check him out.

Marcus Pettersson, D, Pittsburgh (3 percent Yahoo! owned) – I've been pitched this guy in a trade package at least a half-dozen times in the last 10 days. And I said no every single time. Of course, Pettersson then went out and put up four points and a plus-six rating this past week. I'm still not sold, but he's a solid, stay-at-home defender who can skate. Pettersson will have a strong plus-minus and deliver 25-30 points. His upside is limited, but he may deliver value in deep leagues.

Paul Stastny, C, Vegas (35 percent Yahoo! owned) – Stastny just doesn't get the respect he deserves. Yes, he'd had a slow start. But he exploded for four points (two goals, two assists) against the Kings last Sunday and his ownership is on the rise. Stastny won't have another four-point game soon, but will provide solid secondary scoring. Remember – he put up 42 points in 50 games last season. He might just be the quietest 65-point player in the league this year.

MacKenzie Weegar, D, Florida (1 percent Yahoo! owned) – Weegar was already a reliable, top-four defender at the ripe age of 25. Now, he's adding offense to the mix. He was riding a three-game, four-point streak heading into Saturday's game and he had five points in his last five games. Weegar's ice time has spiked to more than 21 minutes a game in the last three games and he's skating with defensive stud Aaron Ekblad. Suddenly, he's looking like a top-pairing blueliner. I'm picking him up on pure speculation.

Back to guys in their mid-30s.

Now, there are natural exceptions. Alex Ovechkin is 35. Sidney Crosby is 32. Marc-Andre Fleury will be 35 in December.

But there are a lot more aging guys holding on by their fingernails than studs like Ovie, Sid and the Flower.

In general, you should always avoid guys who suddenly go on a scoring rampage in their 30s. There's no way to sustain it. Enjoy the run if you happen to hold them. But avoid them at draft – let someone else eat those misguided expectations.

You don't want to be left holding the proverbial bag. And you will, because few owners will pay to take on a quasi-solid guy.

Until next week.