Frozen Fantasy: This Year's Best ... and Worst

There have been a lot of great -- and not-so-great -- performances this season. So why wait until June to hand out some awards. Let's do it now.

And the winner is ...

But before I look at some of the traditional categories, I'm going to look at the sour suckers that have dragged down both the league and our fantasy teams this year.

All players on Canadian teams who aren't named Erik Karlsson or Johnny Gaudreau - Canadian teams have SUCKED this season and so have the performances of their players. I don't need to test the coefficient of correlation between those two items to see the connection is pretty bloody high. Karlsson and Gaudreau are top-seven scorers in the league. But there are only seven others from Canadian teams in the top 50! And four of those are in the bottom 10 (41st, 43rd, 47th and 49th). SPIT.

Late bloomers - Investments in some big-name players pretty much screwed owners in standard leagues this season. Second-half or fourth-quarter bursts work out great in head-to-head formats because of H2H playoffs. But Phil Kessel, Jakub Voracek, Ryan Getzlaf, Tuukka Rask, Pekka Rinne and Sidney Crosby (to a certain degree) needed to be better a whole lot sooner to help everyone else. So did the likes of Dougie Hamilton, Steven Stamkos and ... crap, let me quit before I get any angrier. ARGH.

The weather is too beautiful to stay mad long. And I need to shake off my broken bracket for the Final Four. Just like you. So, on to the good.

Hart Trophy -Patrick Kane is the man -- he just isn't slowing down -- but with a big nod to Drew Doughty for second. Third? Either Jamie Benn or Alex Ovechkin. Great seasons all-round.

Norris Trophy - Drew Doughty. Drew Doughty. And Drew Doughty. He's the reason the Kings are even in the hunt. Erik Karlsson will get a nom; Ryan Suter and Duncan Keith might, too. But it isn't even close. It'll be Doughty's first.

Vezina Trophy - Braden Holtby. Hands down. Cory Schneider should get a nom, but his injury might take him out of the running. Roberto Luongo has slowed down, so he's out. Jonathan Quick might get a sniff -- the Kings go as he and Doughty go. But Corey Crawford's name should be there -- he's been the underrated exoskeleton of that squad.

Selke Trophy -Patrice Bergeron over Jonathan Toews. What a season for both, but Bergeron has been otherworldly. Too bad the Bruins weren't a bit better overall.

Lady Byng Trophy -Johnny Gaudreau. Point-per-game and just over a dozen PIM? Anze Kopitar will get it if they insist on a guy on a playoff bound team. But they shouldn't. Could Gaudreau be the next Pavel Datsyuk?

Calder Trophy - I've been pumping Connor McDavid's tires all season, but I think he finishes a slim second. Artemi Panarin gets it -- he was tied with Vladimir Tarasenko for 15th in league scoring heading into Saturday's games. Shayne Gostisbehere will scare a few voters with his Erik Karlsson-like play. And McSavior's 27 points in 24 games since return from injury show he'll compete for the Hart next season. Yes, the Hart. But Panarin will hit 70 points. It's his.

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

Brian Dumoulin, D, Pittsburgh (0 percent Yahoo owned) - Dumoulin is the perfect bottom-pairing defender in today's NHL. He has high hockey IQ, great size and skates really well. His game is quiet, but quiet becomes pretty loud when you consider he was plus-6 with six shots in the three games heading into Saturday. Especially when they're paired with two assists. The points won't be frequent, but the supporting stats will be solid.

Cody Eakin, C, Dallas (5 percent) - Seguin down! Seguin down! Eakin stepped into the spot beside Jamie Benn on Thursday night and promptly delivered three assists. That gave him seven points in five games. Ba-BAM! Get thee to the wire. NOW.

Michael Frolik, RW/C, Winnipeg (8 percent) - There was a day when scouts thought Frolik was the second coming of Jaromir Jagr -- cripes, people had dubbed him "Baby Jagr" before he was even drafted. Word to the wise? NEVER do that to a kid. Frolik burst into the NHL with a 45-point season, but has never returned to the "height" of that season. He's still a fantastic playmaker and darn smart. But any offense he delivers comes in fits and spurts -- just look at the back-to-back three-point games earlier this week. So plug and play ... and then dump his butt unless you need shots on goal. Man, he fires pucks.

Tyler Kennedy, LW/C, New Jersey (0 percent) - Kennedy is a battler. He's been hammered by injuries throughout his career and that has largely sapped his potential - don't forget that the Sharks once thought him talented enough to play with Joe Thornton and/or Logan Couture, and he even played with Sidney Crosby earlier in his career. He was over cast in both those situations, but it does speak to his talent. Kennedy is best used as a scorer on the third line and that seems to be where he has landed in Jersey. The deadline arrival of Devante Smith-Pelly (see below) has given Kennedy a boost and he's on a three-game, five-point (one goal, four assists) streak heading into the weekend. He may give you a few valuable points before season's end.

Kevin Klein, D, NY Rangers (7 percent) - It only took 11 years, but Klein recorded the first two-goal game of his NHL career Wednesday night. He's on a three-game point streak heading into the weekend and actually has five points in his last five outings (and a plus-4 rating). Plus he's laying hits and blocking shots for those of you in leagues that count those crazy stats. I looked at him for his plus-minus alone; you should, too. The points are a complete bonus.

Michael Raffl, LW/C, Philadelphia (3 percent) - "Unconscious." "Unbelievable." "Blacked-out." Raffl's performance has gobsmacked his teammates and even himself over the last couple weeks. He's always been the darling of the advanced stats crowd (he's a veritable Corsi Rel stud), but now he's added offense. Raffl has four goals, four assists and a plus-6 rating in his last six contests heading into Saturday's dance with the Pens. He's white hot and I can't take it anymore (bonus points to Canadian readers who get the obscure lyric reference WITHOUT Dr. Google).

Devante Smith-Pelly, RW, New Jersey (5 percent) - Smith-Pelly is a changed man since his arrival in Jersey. The hit machine suddenly has fewer than a hit per game, but his offense his skyrocketed. Smith-Pelly has nine points, including six goals, in just seven games since his arrival from Montreal. That's more than roster worthy.

Carl Soderberg, LW/C, Colorado (28 percent) - Check your wire. Soderberg may have just become the Avs' top centerman, now that Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon are down with injuries. He should see an uptick in power-play time and the guy can deliver in bursts.

Kris Versteeg, RW/LW, Los Angeles (11 percent) - Versteeg got yet another stamp on his NHL passport at the deadline - it's his sixth NHL home and fifth in his last four seasons. Gulp. But his situation in L.A. is the best he's had in a long, long time. Versteeg was brought in to ride shotgun on the top line and that means he'll get an audition alongside Anze Kopitar and Milan Lucic. Yum. He delivered three points and a plus-4 rating in three games this past week and could be a key piece of a Cup run. And your trip to the top.

Back to the best. And worst.

I only touched the tip of the iceberg with my sour suckers above. I didn't even go near the injured and the infirm. I'm talking about you, Carey Price, Evgeni Malkin and Tyler Johnson.

And now, Tyler Seguin.

Hey, there's a silver lining in that last one. It means my Hawks are headed back to the Cup.

So much for my whining last week. LOL.

Until next week.