The Tea
Everyone Is Good Now, Unfortunately
Week 15 arrived with a subtle but important shift: the standings tightened, the waiver wire stayed busy, and several teams quietly made statements while pretending they weren't. This is the point in the season where no one is rebuilding, everyone is "monitoring matchups," and you feel every loss hard.
By Nina Rivera • Staff Writer
The Matchups
McDaddy Issues (138.0) def. The Em-VPs (93.5)
This one was over early and stayed that way.
McDaddy Issues didn't rely on one nuclear performance, they stacked efficient ones. Zach Hyman was the clear driver with 18.7 points on six goals, two assists, and relentless shot volume. Kirill Marchenko added 9.4, while Gabriel Vilardi chipped in 7.7 with power-play work that quietly padded the gap.
The Em-VPs weren't disastrous, they were just outpaced. Oliver Ekman-Larsson led their skaters at 10.3, and Mark Scheifele followed with 9.6, but once McDaddy hit stride mid-week, there was no path back.
Verdict: McDaddy Issues played like a team that planned this win days in advance and executed it calmly.
Don't Trust Aho (127.2) def. My Little Kraklings (112.6)
This was the best "good loss" of the week.
Don't Trust Aho won by spreading the damage. Sebastian Aho delivered 10.4 points, Brandon Raddysh surprised with 11.9, and Charlie McAvoy quietly anchored the blue line with 8.4 across blocks, shots, and assists. Nothing flashy, everything useful.
The Kraklings didn't fold. Mitch Marner (11.2), Mark Stone (11.0), and Mikael Backlund (9.9) all showed up, but the difference came down to timing: Don't Trust Aho simply had more players peaking at the right moments.
Verdict: A narrow loss, but also a warning. The Kraklings can be beaten.
Smashville Puckheads (117.2) def. Strome Alone (90.3)
This was Smashville at full rhythm.
Juraj Slafkovský led the way with 12.8 points (three goals, two assists), Ryan O'Reilly followed at 12.3, and Zach Werenski added 9.7 with multi-category production that kept the floor high all week. Smashville didn't spike, they sustained.
Strome Alone had effort, but not enough overlap. Noah Dobson (12.0) and Rasmus Dahlin (11.8) did their jobs, but too much of the roster cooled at once, and Smashville never gave ground.
Verdict: This wasn't dramatic. It was decisive.
Honorable Mentions (a.k.a. Games That Still Mattered)
DeMan DeSmith DeLegend (105.4) over Candy Canes for Hurricanes (99.8): A tight, well-played matchup that came down to Jack Eichel (12.8) and Evan Bouchard (12.0) just not being quite enough.
Tkachuk Around And Find Out (109.4) over Lachimolala (61.2): Efficient, professional, and exactly what a first-place team should do to a struggling opponent.
Team of the Week
McDaddy Issues earns it without debate. They put up 138.0 points, the highest total of Week 15, and did it with depth, timing, and zero panic. Zach Hyman's 18.7-point week set the tone, but this wasn't a one-man operation. Kirill Marchenko (9.4) and Gabriel Vilardi (7.7) kept the pressure steady, and the roster never went quiet. January dominance without chaos is rare. McDaddy Issues made it look boring, which is the highest compliment.
Coldest Team of the Week
Delaney's Daring Team sadly holds the title again, unfortunately with witnesses. They finished at 67.9 points, despite Brady Tkachuk's 12.7-point effort trying to drag things back into relevance. The rest of the lineup simply didn't keep pace. This was not a bad roster. This was a bad week. Unfortunately, it happened loudly, publicly, and at exactly the wrong time.
Transactions & Trades
The Delaney Draft, Live and Unfiltered
Week 15's waiver wire activity deserves applause because, at one point, it looked less like roster management and more like a coordinated response to Delaney's Daring Team having a moment.
Once the results started slipping, the league circled.
Don't Trust Aho, Strome Alone, McDaddy Issues, and others all dipped into the waiver pool, but the common thread was clear: players were coming off Delaney's roster. This wasn't malicious. This was opportunistic. Fantasy hockey rewards attention, not sentiment.
While Delaney's Daring Team tried to stabilize, the rest of the league adjusted quickly, scooping up newly available pieces and reshaping depth charts midweek. It wasn't personal. It was efficient.
Elsewhere, contenders stayed active without flailing. Don't Trust Aho continued to fine-tune around the edges, McDaddy Issues resisted the urge to overreact after a big week, and Smashville Puckheads stayed disciplined, making only necessary moves.
Translation: The league noticed. Everyone acted accordingly.
League Landscape After Week 15
Overall, the standings are compressing. The top of both divisions is crowded, and the middle is one good week away from chaos.
East: Tkachuk Around And Find Out holds the top spot at 12-3, but Don't Trust Aho and Net Results are close at 11-4, keeping things uncomfortable. Smashville Puckheads and DeMan DeSmith DeLegend are right there at 10-5, making every matchup feel like a playoff preview.
West: My Little Kraklings still lead at 12-3, but the gap is shrinking. McDaddy Issues is playing like a team that wants that spot at 11-4, and Candy Canes are hanging around at 10-5 with real intent. No one is safe, but everyone is pretending they are.
Moral of the Week
Patience matters more than panic. Depth wins weeks. Preparation beats vibes. The teams still making smart, boring moves are usually the ones still standing in March.
Haiku of the Week
January hockey
Everyone is "one move away"
No one sleeps well now
Current Standings
East Division
Tkachuk Around And Find Out
12-3-0
Don't Trust Aho
11-4-0
Net Results
11-4-0
Smashville Puckheads
10-5-0
DeMan DeSmith DeLegend
10-5-0
The Em-VPs
8-7-0
What's Dunn is Dunn
8-7-0
The Spoked Bae
4-11-0
Delaney's Daring Team
4-11-0
Papi's Princesses
2-13-0
West Division
My Little Kraklings
12-3-0
McDaddy Issues
11-4-0
Candy Canes for Hurricanes
10-5-0
Teenage Mutant Ninja Hertl
8-7-0
Stay in the Net
7-8-0
Strome Alone
7-8-0
Lachimolala
5-10-0
Hughes Your Daddy
4-11-0
Nose Face Killah Crew
3-12-0
Panarin Bread
3-12-0