Blue Line Buzz: D-Men of the Week

It's the last week before the end of the season, so it's awards time!

Next week: the Blue Line Buzz's annual playoff primer.

Norris Trophy: Erik Karlsson, Senators

When Karlsson became the first defenseman in 10 seasons to score more than 80 points, critics said he didn't deserve the Norris because his defensive play was lacking. Now, critics are saying he shouldn't win the Norris because someone else is putting up better offensive numbers, even though Karlsson may finish the season with the most blocked shots in the league. He's consistently excellent at both ends of the ice, and as captain he's led by example and fully embraced Guy Boucher's defensive scheme.

Best Rookie Defenseman: Zach Werenski, Blue Jackets

There's no contest in this category, and Werenski shouldn't finish outside the top three in Calder voting, either. Werenski has already set a new team record for points scored by a rookie. If all goes according to plan, he and Seth Jones will anchor the Columbus defense for the next decade or more. However, Werenski's spectacular rookie debut has overshadowed some of the strong seasons other defensemen have had, including the Rangers' smooth-skating Brady Skjei, the Leafs' Russian import Nikita Zaitsev, the Flyers' top pick Ivan Provorov, the Canucks' newest power-play quarterback Troy Stecher, and the Bruins' newest giant Brandon Carlo.

Best Fantasy Defenseman: Brent Burns, Sharks

This will be the first time since 2012 in which the league's shots leader isn't named Alex Ovechkin, and the first time since 1995 a defenseman led the league in shots. Even if Burns doesn't score 30 goals this season, he still obliterated the competition; entering Monday, Burns had 11 more goals and 77 shots more than his next closest competitor. Burns' value only increases a little in leagues that count blocked shots and hits, because even though he's serviceable in either category, he's not exactly a stalwart, either.

Most Disappointing Fantasy Defensemen: Tyson Barrie, Avalanche; Aaron Ekblad, Panthers

It's a toss-up between the two, because both were so disappointing it was difficult to decide who was worse. Ekblad followed up back-to-back 30-point campaigns with just 21 points and a minus-23 this season, missing significant time due to concussion and missing the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. Barrie saw a similar dip in numbers, recording just six goals after scoring at least 12 in each of the past three seasons, and finishing with a career-worst minus-31. Ekblad and Barrie's struggles extended to the rest of the team as well, and it shows that a good defenseman on a bad team still doesn't make for a great fantasy option.

Newest Elite Defensemen: Rasmus Ristolainen, Sabres

Ristolainen has been a monster since joining the Sabres, but this is the season he's proved all skeptics wrong, recording his second straight 40-point campaign at just 22 years old. Critics may point out his poor fancy stats numbers, but he's improved his point and PIM totals in each and every single season, and also improved his plus-minus by 12 points without getting much help. He's the only defenseman so far this season to record at least 150 shots, 150 blocked shots and 150 hits, and just the sixth defenseman to do so in the salary cap era. Shout out to Victor Hedman, who's having an incredible season, but already finished seventh in Norris voting last year, so he's not exactly new.

Breakout Defenseman: Justin Schultz, Penguins

He scored eight points in 18 regular season games for the Pens and everyone kind of expected it because he was going from a terrible situation to a great situation, and when he managed just four assists in 15 playoff games, everyone thought, "of course." There are still too many things lacking in his game to allow him to be an any-situation go-to guy, but Schultz has piqued everyone's interest again with a 48-point campaign, easily besting his career high of 33 and stepping seamlessly into the role of the team's top puck-moving rearguard, a role that had long been occupied by Kris Letang. Nobody expected this kind of performance from Schultz.

Biggest Black Hole: Kevin Bieksa, Ducks

Props to Hampus Lindholm and Cam Fowler for helping out with the gig, but recently it's been Sami Vatanen who's drawn the short straw and forced to play with Bieksa and his team-worst 45.5 Corsi percentage. Bieksa is slow, not very good with the puck, and can't intimidate like he used to. The Ducks would love to expose Bieksa for the expansion draft, but an ill-advised no-movement clause prevents them from doing so.

The 200-100-100 Club: Dustin Byfuglien, Jets

Only defensemen who have recorded at least 200 shots, 100 blocked shots and 100 hits can join this vaunted club, as a testament to their value as all-around contributors. Last year, only Byfuglien, Letang, Ristolainen, Burns and Jake Muzzin managed to accomplish the feat, but only Byfuglien has accomplished it so far this season. Since the lockout, only 14 defensemen have managed to join the club, led by Zdeno Chara, who did it five times.

Studs of the Week:

Shayne Gostisbehere, Flyers – Perhaps it's playing without the pressure of having to make the playoffs and improve on his outstanding rookie season, but Ghost is having the best stretch of his season with a five-game point streak. He scored a goal and an assist against rival Pittsburgh then added five assists over his next four games. Hey, better late than never.

Jacob Trouba, Jets – He would've had some impressive numbers had he not stubbornly sat out the first month of the season, and has four assists in his past three games, all of which were wins. With 31 points in 57 games, Trouba would've been on pace to score 40 points over a full season. Circle his name for next season, because he's clearly taking the step from being very good to elite.

Victor Hedman, Lightning – He'd be the breakout defenseman over Ristolainen this year had he not already put up similar totals in the past, but his numbers — 15 goals, 67 points — this season still boggle the mind. He added five assists this past week, and with a healthy Lightning lineup, the potential for him to put up even bigger numbers is pretty darn good. You'll just have to wait until next year.

Justin Faulk, Hurricanes – He set a new franchise record for goals by a defenseman with his 17th of the season Sunday against Pittsburgh, even though he's not having a great year by his standards. However, this is the third straight season Faulk has scored at least 15 goals, becoming just the ninth active defenseman to have at least three 15-goal campaigns.

Duds of the Week:

P.K. Subban, Predators – He scored just one goal this past week, and in a key divisional game against the Blues on Sunday was a minus-3 in a 4-1 loss. Subban isn't having a smooth transition in his first year with Nashville, and it'll likely take a little more time before he starts getting really comfortable in his new surroundings.

Keith Yandle, Panthers – He's notched five assists in his past five games, four of which came on the power play, which is nice, but not that nice with the Panthers mired in a four-game losing streak and Yandle posting a minus-8 rating in his past three. He's quietly amassed 41 points this season but hasn't really made the Panthers defense any better.

Dion Phaneuf, Senators – The Sens have lost four straight and Phaneuf has just one assist in his past 12 games, stumbling and falling at the worst possible time. A normally taut defense has allowed 15 goals during their losing streak, with Phaneuf posting a minus-5 rating and blocking just seven shots, a low total for his standards and for a team that prides itself on its defensive structure.

Justin Schultz, Penguins – Now, this is the Schultz we know and love, right? Schultz is mired in a six-game point drought and was an ugly minus-4 against rival Philadelphia and minus-2 against Chicago. Perhaps the heavy workload is getting to him, but Schultz is not finishing the season on a strong note.

Recommended Pickup:

Jake Gardiner, Maple Leafs – The Leafs have five games remaining heading into Monday, tying the Senators for the most in the league. That gives fantasy owners an extra chance to deploy Gardiner, who is one point away from 40, and despite a tough schedule ahead, he'll be facing teams that could be resting some of their players. He gets plenty of ice time and power play opportunities, which makes him a fine streaming play for the rest of the season.

The Big Board:

^ = stock rising
˅ = stock dropping
* = league leader

Matt Niskanen, WSH
Justin Faulk, CAR
Jared Spurgeon, MIN
Ryan Ellis, NSH
P.K. Subban, NSH