Frozen Fantasy: Midseason Trophy Picks

We've seen some incredible performances so far this season. The game is faster than ever before. The skill is better and the fun is through the roof.

Unless you're in Dallas. Don't be in Dallas.

Especially when the CEO has a trucker's mouth. No offense to truckers. Profanity can be therapeutic AF.

The key is to do it sparingly. Let's hope Jim Lites understands basic psychology.

Back to the incredible performances. It's halfway through the season, so here are my midseason trophy picks. Of course, they're open to debate (and I hope you do).

Hart (most valuable to team)
Nominees: Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay; Connor McDavid, Edmonton; Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg (honorable mention: Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh; John Gibson, Anaheim; Nathan MacKinnon/Mikko Rantanen, Colorado; Mitch Marner, Toronto)

The Avs' duo of Rantanen and MacKinnon is incredible, but how do you pick just one? Both Kucherov and Scheifele have taken their games to whole new levels this year. But both have elite teammates that steal some of their glory.

In the end, this is McDavid's now and to lose. It's for the guy most valuable to his team. The Oil is nothing without McSavior.

Norris (best defender)
Nominees: John Carlson, Washington; Mark Giordano, Calgary; Morgan Rielly, Toronto (honorable mentions: Thomas Chabot, Ottawa; Roman Josi, Nashville; Kris Letang, Pittsburgh; Ryan McDonagh, Tampa Bay)

Chabot will win this one day and soon. I just hope he's OK after that hit Friday night. McDonagh has been great, but stud two-way shutdown defenders never win this award.

I don't think Carlson is this good, but I'll take him on my fantasy team. Giordano is a monster, even at 35. But Rielly is on pace to record the single-best offensive season ever by a Toronto defender. And he plays shutdown minutes, too. Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

Calder (top rookie)
Nominees: Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo; Gritty, Philadelphia; Elias Pettersson, Vancouver (honorable mention: Miro Heiskanen, Dallas)

Gritty was introduced to the world on Sept. 24 and almost immediately, the world stopped. In four short months, he (it?) has had a wicked feud with the Sharks' mascot, become a top tattoo trend, been nominated for Time Magazine 'Person of the Year' and nearly elected to public office. The orange furball is clearly the most impactful NHL rookie right now.

But it'll be Pettersson by season's end. I have no idea how he slipped to fifth in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. He has 38 points in 34 games and could come close to 40 goals this season. Dahlin is a generational defender, but Calder rarely goes to a D.

Vezina (best twinetender)
Nominees: Frederik Andersen, Toronto; John Gibson, Anaheim; Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay (honorable mentions: Pekka Rinne, Nashville; Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus)

Bobrovsky continues to charge and Rinne just keeps winning. But both are a half step behind the others. Vasilevskiy will be on the list come season's end – the dude is crazy good. But he's missed too much time to win right now. The Great Dane just keeps getting better and better.

But John Gibson is my pick at midseason. And if he doesn't win this year, he will soon. His numbers are mind-blowing – Hart quality, in fact. He just needs to keep the Quacks in a playoff position to pull it off.

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

Collin Delia, G, Chicago (9 percent Yahoo! owned) – Is Delia the Hawks' goalie of the future? He's certainly stating his case right now. He was brilliant against the Avs the Friday before Christmas. And repeated the same against the Wild right after Santa Day. Delia has ice water in his veins and has improved his technique over the last year. That's paying dividends for him right now. Take a chance on him – I did (and dropped Cam Ward in the process). Corey Crawford is concussed (again), so the goalie of the future might be the goalie of today.

Jake Dotchin, D, Anaheim (0 percent Yahoo! owned) – Dotchin is a talented meathead with one fantasy purpose, at least at this point. He has the same number of penalty minutes in 16 games in Anaheim as he did in 48 last season in Tampa Bay. And 33 of those PIM have come in his last 10 games. The Ducks play big, heavy hockey, so they look like a fit for Dotchin. And he might be a solid fit for you if you need to make a move in that one category. Anything else he does is just gravy.

Alex Galchenyuk, LW/C, Arizona (30 percent Yahoo! owned) – The desert hasn't been nice to this talented forward, but he was a top-20 Yahoo! performer this past week. Galchenyuk is riding a three-game, four-point scoring streak heading into Anaheim on Saturday night. Maybe he's the next James van Riemsdyk pickup -- an underperforming star ready for a breakout.

Conor Garland, RW, Arizona (0 percent Yahoo! owned) – Garland is a tiny (5-foot-9, 165 pound) former Quebec league scoring leader with exceptional vision, a never-stop motor and elite offensive skills. The knock? His skating speed. Garland has great edgework, but lacks a separation gear. And he occasionally forgets about his defensive responsibilities. But small guys can excel in the NHL and he is on a three-game, three-point streak (two goals) heading into the weekend. I'm not saying he's the next Yanni Gourde, but I'm watching him.

Alex Iafallo, LW, Los Angeles (8 percent Yahoo! owned) – I have included Iafallo here before, so I won't spend much time. Other than to say he's on roll – he had a seven-game, nine-point streak (four goals) heading into the Christmas break. It was snapped Thursday, but Iafallo sits on the Kings' top line with Anze Kopitar. More offense should come.

Mattias Janmark, LW, Dallas (2 percent Yahoo! owned) – Janmark is a sturdy lower-line winger who helps in spurts. And that's what's going on now. He enters play on the weekend with a three-game streak (one goal, two assists). He might help short term if you have transactions to burn.

Connor Murphy, D, Chicago (2 percent Yahoo! owned) – I've liked Murphy since his draft year. The talent is undeniable. But he's never been able to overcome the injuries he suffered in junior. Or the misuse he suffered at the hands of the Coyotes. But Murphy looks more at home with the Hawks in the last 10 games than he ever did in the desert. And he has five points (one goal, four assists) in his last six games. I'm almost ready to drop Duncan Keith given the growth of guys like Erik Gustafsson and Murphy.

Dylan Strome, C, Chicago (6 percent Yahoo! owned) – There's good reason you never hear about guys who slow the game down around them. Old Joe Thornton is the last of them. In the last two years, the speed of the game has exploded and guys like Strome are being lapped. My keeper view remains the same – jettison him as soon as possible. He's middle-six, not top-line, so you'll never recover your investment if you hold too long. But short-term, Strome has worked on his skating enough to showcase his silky hands as the Hawks' second-line center. And he has 11 points in 16 games there; five of those have come in his last two games. He's hot. Just remember the caveats.

Back to the awards.

The last two awards – Selke for best defensive/two-way player and Jack Adams for best coach – are pretty much locks now and for the season.

Patrice Bergeron and Anze Kopitar used to be my go-to guys for the Selke, but 23-year-old Aleksander Barkov is the league's new dominant force. There is no competition.

And Phil Housley is untouchable for the Jack Adams. I thought Buffalo would be decent, but not THIS good. Third in the Atlantic? Sheesh.

Before I go, I need to plug the 2019 World Junior Championship, on now in Vancouver. You knew I would. Stream some games. You can see some outstanding draft prospects, guys your favorite team has already selected and some of the most passionate hockey you will ever see.

I even watched the U.S.-Kazakhstan match at 10:30 Eastern on Friday night. I'm not sure if that's commitment or some weird obsession.

But I digress.

Until next week.