Frozen Fantasy: West is No Longer Best

West is no longer best. I'm not sure when it happened, but it's painfully obvious right now.

Did it sneak up on you, too?

True, four of the last five Cup winners are from the West. But the quality of hockey has swung east. Hard east.

I mentioned last week that I think the Metropolitan might be the best division in hockey. Even better than the Central where my Blackhawks toil.

The numbers bear that out.

On Sunday, just one team in the top three in the Central had a positive goal differential (Chicago at plus-6). Second-place St. Louis had allowed one more goal than it had scored, and they're also a putrid 3-6-1 on the road.

Close only counts in horseshoes.

Winnipeg has allowed seven more than they've scored, yet they sit third in the Central. Philly sits in the first wild card spot in the east, but they're ninth overall in the NHL.

Ninth. Overall.

Goal differential is an interesting way to weigh fantasy value. Teams that outscore their opponents have been historically the best in the league. Year after year. And those that don't?

Just ask Dallas, Calgary, Vancouver, Arizona and Colorado.

Minus-19, 16, 17, 16 and 20, respectively. Ugh.

Yahoo owners can suffer miserably because of negative goal differential. Own too many guys on teams in the red and your team will yo-yo too many categories.

And you'll be behind the pack so far that it's hard to make up. Maybe that's my problem with owing Matt Duchene, Jaden Schwartz, Kyle Palmieri, Tyson Barrie, Colton Parayko and Petr Mrazek on the same roster.

It still doesn't explain Evgeny Kuznetsov's suckage, though. But I digress.

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

Ian Cole, D, Pittsburgh (6 percent Yahoo owned) – Way back when, Cole was a first-round draft pick. But he was slow to develop, just like so many blue liners. Cole has offensive skills and he can skate. Plus he can smother guys defensively, too. Cole has developed into a solid, top-four guy and he's on a three-game, five-point streak skating into Monday's action. I dumped Nick Leddy for him. #noregrets

Mike Condon, G, Ottawa (16 percent) - Condon will be the top dog in Ottawa's blue paint while Craig Anderson is away from the team. There's no timetable for Anderson's return (and rightfully so), so stash Condon and be ready to activate him when you can. His stats aren't perfect, but he has dished two shutouts in his three wins in Canada's capital.

Scott Darling, G, Chicago (29 percent) - Darling's ownership is headed through the roof and rightfully so. He's good and an appendectomy has made him the starter for one of the best teams in hockey. Scan your wire for Darling and grab him if he's there.

Kevin Fiala, LW/RW, Nashville (2 percent) - Fiala is a shifty skater with speed and skill. And he's super creative – he often looks like he has the puck on string. Fiala looked every part a stud while on a line with Mike Ribeiro and Craig Smith on Saturday night, and was rewarded with two goals. Lines got shuffled Sunday, but his skill will be hard to suppress.

Viktor Stalberg, LW/RW, Carolina (3 percent) - Two points in 15 games. Then six, including five goals, in eight. Wow. Stalberg's shooting percentage (17.5) is completely unsustainable, but goals are goals and he's pumping them in like crazy right now. Stalberg also has 19 hits in those eight productive games, so he's delivering in multiple categories. Use him for a couple games and then discard him when he loses steam. Which he will.

Kris Versteeg, LW/RW, Calgary (3 percent) - Hello, old friend – I knew you'd be in my crosshairs at some point this season. Versteeg remains sorely underrated and that's great for you right now. He was on a three-game, three-point streak heading into Sunday's match with the quacks and he added two more helpers in an impressive 8-3 smackdown. More importantly, Versteeg is getting top-six ice time. Add him. NOW.

Jakub Vrana, LW/RW, Washington (2 percent) - Vrana is the next jewel in the Caps' crown and he just got called up. Go grab him. I'll wait. At minimum, you can leverage his prospect status into a trade that will really help you. But maybe you'll benefit directly from his talent. So far, Vrana hasn't hit the score sheet, but he's getting ice and ripping pucks, so points will come. He had an NHL-quality shot on draft day and he's had a couple years to hone that skill. It's only gotten better.

Patrick Wiercioch, D, Colorado (1 percent) - Wiercioch hasn't shown much ... yet. But Erik Johnson's cracked fibula opens the door to more ice time for this offensive-minded defender. Make a speculative bid – you can't win if you don't play.

Travis Zajac, C, New Jersey (21 percent) - Zajac ownership took a 10-point leap Saturday night when owners realized he'd rung up five points in his last two games. Zajac has four multi-point games in his last six and 10 points in that span. That's half of his 20 points in a week-and-a-half. Booyah!

Jason Zucker, LW/RW, Minnesota (4 percent) - Zucker hit the ice Sunday on a five-game, six-point streak (one goal, five assists) and a plus-5 rating. He's fast and like a terrier on the puck, which is important for a sub six-foot guy. Zucker's offensive consistency wavers occasionally, but he has second-line skill. And he has really responded to playing for Bruce Boudreau. He's now on my roster; I'm expecting big things.

Back to goal differential.

You can't draft on team goal differential – it's just not practical. And honestly, it's tough to predict – who would have imagined that both Dallas AND St. Louis would be in the red at this point this year?

Sometimes we just roll snake eyes, whether by teams scuffling in the red or guys hitting the infirmary.

I only WISH I knew what Kuznetsov's excuse was. And is.

Until next week.