After announcing the Vezina and Selke finalists over the last two days, the NHL continued their award nominations with the Norris Trophy for best defenseman. Drew Doughty, Victor Hedman and P.K. Subban are the three finalists for the 2017-18 season.
As always, the Norris brings with it heated debate over how the finalists are selected. Some fans feel as though offensive performance is weighted too heavily, but this year may change that perception some. The top four point leaders among defensemen—John Carlson, Brent Burns, John Klingberg and Shayne Gostisbehere—are all absent, though all three of the finalists had at least 59 points. Subban especially will be questioned because of his notoriety and offensive production, as even on his own team there was another potential candidate in Roman Josi (who recorded 53 points in just 75 games).
All three are no stranger to Norris voting, with Doughty and Subban each having won in the past. Hedman finished third in voting last season, and could have the best shot at it this year. Not only did he lead the candidates in scoring, but finished with the best +/- rating, registered the most hits and fewest giveaways. There has also been speculation that voting tends to lean towards star players that haven’t won it yet, which would give Hedman the edge, if only slightly.
There were several other candidates that could have been selected. Many will point to Seth Jones in Columbus, as he and Zach Werenski formed one of the most dynamic pairs in the league. He will certainly finish with some votes and is on a strong development path towards winning the award one day. Alex Pietrangelo was one of the leaders through the first part of the season, but faltered as the Blues did in the second half. His game isn’t nearly as flashy or noticeable, which likely contributes to him fading into the background of the race.
Never to be forgotten is Erik Karlsson, who got off to a horrendous start but played well down the stretch for the Ottawa Senators. Finishing with 62 points in 71 games, Karlsson registered more than 50 assists for the fifth time in his career. Had there been more team success, he certainly would have been in more conversations for best defenseman.
We won’t know who took home the 2017-18 Norris until the NHL Awards ceremony in Vegas on June 20th, but we’ll continue to find out the finalists for other awards over the next few days. Tomorrow is the Lady Byng, for “sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.”
How is PK a Norris trophy nominee he isn’t even best d man on his team
Who is if he isn’t?
Roman Josi is the obvious candidate, and you can make a case for Josi for sure, I think. I’d have gone Subban third this year behind the other two finalists, but Josi was elite too.
Erik Karlsson
Seth Jones and John Klingberg should be finalists
Hedman will win.
This award is for the best defenseman. Just because a player has the most points doesn’t necessarily make him the best defenseman in the NHL. Carlson, Klingberg, Burns & Gostisbehere aren’t candidates just because they put up the most points. Gostisbehere, while gifted offensively, quite frankly isn’t that good defensively. He benefited from playing with Provorov. Burns got off to a poor start. Yes he rebounded, but I would argue that Vlasic was a better player all year for them. He’s the shutdown guy. Too often, the media & hockey experts get caught up in the offensive stats & fail to look at the whole package. Doughty & Hedman did it all for their teams and are worthy finalists. Subban had a really good year, but I think Josi is better on his own team. Josi is on the top d-pairing with Ellis and nearly had as many points as Subban in 7 less games.
IMO Carlson was fücking robbed.
Doughty and Hedman both deserve to be finalists. They both had good offensive production as well as good +/- (while also playing important defensive roles for their team). The third spot is a toss up and either way I think its a two horse race between Doughty and Hedman. Jones, Subban/Josi, Carlson, and Klingberg all have legitimate arguments to be a finalist.