Frozen Fantasy: Fear the Wear-and-Tear

I love Auston Matthews. Who doesn't? But I don't love his injuries.

Then again, who does?

Matthews is a big boy. He plays the game fast, so there's a lot of force behind the hits he absorbs. So injuries seem inevitable. Does that make him injury prone?

I spend over an hour commuting each way to work. I have a lot of time to think. And every time I thought about Matthews this week, another guy popped into my head. And it scared me. Every time.

Evgeni Malkin.

Gulp. Malkin is an all-world player. He's easily in the 10 best players in the world…when he's on the ice. But he misses an average of about 20 games a season. And those absences weren't for broken bones, food poisoning or the flu. They were for shoulders and knees. And that elbow.

Those are wear-and-tear injuries. They're the kind that can linger. Remind you of anyone?

I hope not. But like I said, I have a lot of time to think. And I just can't shake images of Malkin in my head.

Sure, Matthews needed surgery for a broken femur as a young teen. No issues there. But that was followed by a back injury with the ZSC Lions in Switzerland. Again as a teenager. And then a concussion and injuries to both shoulders in the NHL. The shoulder may be the same one he hurt in high school. And he's only 21.

Malkin is a brilliant offensive player. Matthews is, too. But Malkin is also a hard guy to own in fantasy because he's impossible to replace when he gets hurt.

I hope I'm overthinking the parallels. I hope I'm dead wrong. I don't want to come to expect Auston Matthews will miss 20 games every season.

Sadly, that's exactly what has happened last season. And it looks like this one will be the same.

Hockey pundits are quick to discount the injury effect for Matthews. I'm going to do my best to ignore my thoughts on him and enjoy his game. Once he gets back, that is.

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

Pontus Aberg, LW/RW, Anaheim (4 percent Yahoo! owned) – Aberg pulled me off my couch Sunday night. He stripped Kevin Labanc in the neutral zone and then toe-dragged Joakim Ryan. Ryan couldn't get turned around and Aberg slipped the puck between the defender's feet, onto his forehand and up past a bewildered Martin Jones. Take a moment and watch it here. Then he showed off his hands again against the Flyers on Tuesday night. Aberg is an offensive talent who has clicked with Ryan Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell. To the tune of four goals on four shots. He's always had the talent; now he has the opportunity. Snap. Him. UP.

Peter Budaj, G, Los Angeles (1 percent Yahoo! owned) – Jonathan Quick is hurt (again). Jack Campbell is now the starter, but I can't help but think he's on a short leash. I'm desperate for goaltending, so I'm seriously weighing Budaj. Remember 2016-17? He took over when Quick was sidelined and delivered a 27-20-3 record with a 2.12 GAA and .917 save percentage in 51 starts. The Kings have aged overnight, but they have to win sometime soon. And that could be on Budaj's back. I would speculate and hope just for that. I know it's not a strategy, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

Dennis Cholowski, D, Detroit (12 percent Yahoo! owned) – I wish I'd moved faster on this guy. Cholowski is no longer available in any league I'm in. Damn. The talented rookie has eight points, six of which have come on the power play, in 11 games. Five of his points – four of them on the PP – have come in the last six games. Cholowski's ice time is on the serious decline with the return of Mike Green, but that's a good – no, GREAT thing. Managing his ice time will allow for more effective deployment, even if it's on a struggling team. Protection will help Cholowski. Now I want him even more. Argh.

Olli Maatta, D, Pittsburgh (4 percent Yahoo! owned) – So, Mike Sullivan finally pushed Maatta's ice time over 20 minutes in his last four games. And look what happened – the guy put up three assists in those games after starting the season on a six-game point drought. Maatta hasn't put up more than 29 points in a season. But last year, his 131 hits and 115 blocked shots helped in deep formats. So, far, he has 16 of each of those through 10 games. Maatta has sneaky fantasy value.

Brock Nelson, LW/C, New York Islanders (10 percent Yahoo! owned) – Nelson has five goals in his last six games. My buddy Evan Berofsky flagged him in his Waiver Wire article Thursday, so I won't spend much time here. Other than to say go get him. And read Evan's stuff.

Tobias Rieder, LW/RW, Edmonton (1 percent owned) – I've been watching Rieder for two weeks now. I'm not certain he's a long-term addition to my roster, but he could serve a short-term purpose. Since October 23, Rieder has seven assists in six games while toiling on the second line. That's the one with Leon Draisaitl. And he's playing on the Oil's second power-play unit. I'm not buying yet, but only because I need other categories a lot more. But Rieder might help you.

Zach Sanford, LW/C, St. Louis (3 percent Yahoo! owned) – Sanford caught my eye last Saturday night after a three-point performance. It earned him the player of the game from his own teammates. Then his name popped up in my feed from The Athletic with the headline, "Zach Sanford had a heart-breaking decision: See his dying dad or do him proud by making the Blues' roster" and I was hooked. It's a compelling, but sad story. And his rise to the Blues' second line is even that more impressive. Read the article (if you subscribe). But pick him up before you do. Sanford is on a five-game, seven-point, plus-seven streak heading into the weekend. He can – and will – help.

Devin Shore, LW/RW/C, Dallas (2 percent Yahoo! owned) – The Stars are the epitome of a one-line team. There's the trio of Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov – they're among the class of the NHL. After that, the drop-off is steep. Or it has been. But Tuesday, Shore was the best Star on the ice. He was everywhere – even-strength, with the man advantage and shorthanded. And he drove the offence. Shore had a goal and two assists, and followed that up with a goal the next game. He's worth grabbing. Worst case, you can drop him if he disappears again. But you might just reap some sweet rewards.

Dominik Simon, LW/C, Pittsburgh (7 percent Yahoo! owned) – I will keep this short. Simon is riding shotgun with Sidney Crosby and he's on a five-game, six-point scoring streak. That streak includes two goals and four helpers, and he's plus-7 in that span. Simon's career has been unremarkable until now, but who cares? He has figured out how to play with Sid the Kid! Grab him and bag skate the guy. I am.

Alex Tuch, RW, Vegas (20 percent Yahoo! owned) – Go get him. I will wait. Tuch's ownership is riding the rocket and for good reason. He has three goals and two assists in five games so far and he's seeing time on the power play. Tuch has also fired 25 shots in those five games while skating on the second line. Add in a possible 100-hit season for the big guy and you've struck gold off the wire. He could be a guy you keep all season. I was only able to snag him in one league, but I am glad I did. He won't last long on the wire.

Back to injuries.

Wear and tear prematurely ended the career of my all-time favorite player, Mr. Bobby Orr. I finally got to meet him in person at a book signing Thursday night. What a thrill.

I don't remember him specifically. But the stories are amazing. As a kid, I coveted his hockey cards – he and the Bruins became the focal point of every collection, even though I grew up a Leafs' fan.

And I'll maintain forever – or until Connor McDavid or another young franchise player comes along – that Orr is the best player to have ever played the game.

He changed it forever. But those wear-and tear injuries severely reduced the number of games he played. Today's medical treatment would have certainly prolonged his career.

Maybe wear-and-tear injuries aren't that bad given the improvements in medical treatment. I'm going to keep telling myself that. As I read my new Bobby Orr book.

Until next week.