Frozen Fantasy: Tough Calls

Trade deadline day is quickly approaching. It's decision day for many teams. Buy. Sell.

Or hold your nose and pray.

Fringe teams, both on the ice and in fantasy, carry the heaviest weights. Can you compete in the playoffs? Do you have a real shot to win? What are you willing to pay to try?

The fantasy trade deadline is well before the NHL's, so there's always risk. Guys who move in real-life often struggle to fit in and their production drops. That can make a huge impact on your success.

But real-life dilemmas are way worse. Case in point? The Columbus Blue Jackets.

I would hate to be Jarmo Kekalainen.

The Jackets cling to the second wild card spot. Their once-elite goaltender clearly wants out. And so it seems does Artemi Panarin, a top-20 scorer who is in the middle of his best NHL career.

Panarin drives offence. He averages more than 20 minutes a game. He's among the league's elite wingers. And he leads Columbus in scoring.

It's a tough call. Kekalainen understands what he faces. The Jackets likely make the playoffs if he keeps both Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky. But losing two elite players with nothing in return at season's end would cripple the franchise long term.

Gulp. I'm glad I only manage fantasy teams.

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

Nick Bjugstad, C, Pittsburgh (16 percent Yahoo! owned) – Big Bjugstad heads north to heaven – the guy scored a massive win in Friday's deal out of Florida. He'll get easy minutes on line three because opponents have no choice but to key off Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. And temporarily, Bjugstad will skate on line two because Geno hurt himself Wednesday in that stupid fight with Steven Stamkos. That means a date with Phil Kessel. Take a look – second line or third, Bjugstad's production will be on an upswing. He was hot after the All-Star break last season, too, so he could be a ticket to a title run for you.

Derick Brassard, C, Florida (5 percent Yahoo! owned) – Call it gut, but I feel like Brassard just scored a get-out-of-jail-free card. He never fit in Pittsburgh – he fizzled every time it looked like his game was waking up. Brassard's single-position qualification at pivot hurts, but he has the potential to score at a 50-point pace. And that makes him a possible value-add in deep formats.

Charlie Coyle, RW/C, Minnesota (10 percent Yahoo! owned) – Two seasons ago, Coyle was on the rise. He finished with 56 points and over 100 hits, and at 25 seemed like part of the solution in the state of lakes. But his game has slipped and this year, Coyle has just 26 points in 50 games despite skating on the top line. The droughts are long for Coyle, but his game may be turning the corner. He's on a three-game, four-point mini-streak (two goals, two assists, plus-5) and has put up 10 points (four goals, six assists) in his last 14 games. That pace would deliver a season like he had in 2016-17. Coyle might be a cheap fix.

Kevin Hayes, C, New York Rangers (25 percent Yahoo! owned) – Hayes missed nine games to injury, so lots of owners dropped or forgot him. You shouldn't. The pivot has 35 points in 41 games – that's a 70-point pace over the course of a full season. Hayes delivered two power-play helpers Thursday night. There's no way he should be available in three-of-every-four leagues.

Vinnie Hinostroza, LW/RW/C, Arizona (2 percent Yahoo! owned) – Hinostroza is on the short list for best hockey name. And right now, he's also on this list for his four points (three goals, one assist) and plus-4 rating in three games heading into the break. Hinostroza oozes talent, but has struggled to find a fit in both Chicago and Arizona. But his three-point game against the Sens before the All-Star Game showcased his talent. Confidence can take you everywhere and Vinnie could parlay that performance into a jump in production.

Curtis McElhinney, G, Carolina (15 percent Yahoo! owned) – It's a sad statement that I was excited Saturday morning to find McElhinney on the wire. My Friends and Family goaltending was supposed to be pretty solid, but Sergei Bobrovsky, Mike Smith and Jake Allen have killed my team. Spit. McElhinney is ranked almost twice as high as any of these other guys. He's just back from injury and with the Canes playing three games in four nights this week, McElhinney will be splitting time with Petr Mrazek. Who knows – he could earn a 60-40 split going forward. Goalies have had it rough this season – see how Curtis compares to your boys.

Corey Perry, RW, Anaheim (35 percent Yahoo! owned) – Some owners never learn. Perry's ownership is on a rocket because he's set to make his season debut Saturday. Sure, there's name value. But he's a slow-footed 33-year-old coming off a major knee surgery in a league that has sped up significantly, even in the time he's been away. You think 22-year-old William Nylander struggled from a layoff? Perry will be a source for PIM, but the struggle for offense will be very real.

Jaccob Slavin, D, Carolina (12 percent Yahoo! owned) – Slavin has always been a fave. He has a strong defensive game (ignoring his plus-minus this year, of course) and is now showing some offensive flair. Slavin is skating on the top pairing with Dougie Hamilton and he's riding a four-game, six-assist streak heading into Sunday. He actually has eight assists in his last eight outings and 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) in his last 14. That's an unsustainable pace, but Slavin is certainly worthy of a roster spot. I'd rather have him than the underperforming Colton Parayko right now. Just saying.

Carl Soderberg, C, Colorado (18 percent Yahoo! owned) – Get him. Now. The Avs are going to split up Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. And Soderberg will get Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog on his flanks. He already has six points, including five goals, in his last five games. More are about to come.

Frank Vatrano, LW/RW/C, Florida (30 percent Yahoo! owned) – Vatrano's ownership skyrocketed 24 percent in one day this week and rightfully so. Desperate owners woke up to his pre-break four-point game against the Sharks. That gave him nine points – including five snipes – in seven games heading into Friday's loss to Boston. Vatrano won't keep this up, but he is skating on the Panthers' top line alongside Aleksander Barkov. He's worth a sniff.

Back to Kekalainen.

Sure, he gets paid the big bucks to make tough decisions. But carrying the weight of a franchise's future on your shoulders can break a man's back.

And his career.

I know what I would do. I'd trade both men. And I'd be open and transparent with the fan base. They're loyal and committed. But in their heart of hearts, they know the Jackets aren't Cup material this season.

Still. It's a really tough call.

Until next week.