With the NHL season getting suspended and little idea of when it may or may not resume, there are a lot of experts who are beginning to wonder if there is any point in bringing back the remainder of the regular season. Many feel it makes more sense that when the NHL is ready to return, the league should start immediately in playoff mode. If that’s the case and the regular season ended on Mar. 11, then who would win the Norris Trophy?
PHR has already conducted similar polls on the Calder Trophy, the Hart Trophy and the Vezina Trophy.
There are a number of interesting candidates for the top defenseman in the league, but it really falls to a two-man race between Washington Capitals’ John Carlson and Nashville Predators’ Roman Josi. Both players had dominant seasons with their respective teams.
The 30-year-old Carlson had a breakout year back in the 2017-18 season when he tallied 15 goals and 68 points, leading the Washington Capitals to their first Stanley Cup victory that year. He signed a long-term deal and duplicated another impressive season last year, boasting a 13-goal, 70-point season. However, what he’s done this year is nothing short of amazing with 15 goals and a career-high 75 points and that’s in just 69 games, averaging an impressive 1.17 points per game that would rank him among the top 10 in points-per-game for a defenseman over the last 30 years.
Josi, however, isn’t far behind. The Predators’ blueliner also had career highs in a (currently) shortened season. The 29-year-old has 16 goals and 65 points in 69 games and the Nashville Predators are a better team on shot suppression and save percentage when Josi is on the ice than Carlson.
While Carlson has the edge with offensive dominance, voters are expected to judge Norris candidates by their overall skill, which includes their defensive dominance, which is where Josi has the advantage who played even better on the defensive end of the ice when Nashville was without one of their other top blueliners in Ryan Ellis.
If you’re looking for a third option, the best candidate might be St. Louis Blues’ captain Alex Pietrangelo, who has had one of the best offensive performances of the season as well. The 30-year-old currently has career highs in goals and points with 16 goals and 52 points, which has propelled the Blues back into first place after a Stanley Cup victory.
So the question is, which defenseman should win the Norris Trophy if the season doesn’t continue?
For Pro Hockey app users, click here to vote.
The season has ended, people. And next years will be drastically different. Maybe with fewer teams and definitely with a MUCH lower salary cap. This league is far too gate driven to survive. Especially with all those useless Southern US teams that barely draw flies. Time to start over, people.
Useless Southern teams that barely draw flies? You do realize Nashville & Tampa Bay sell out every game. They have no trouble drawing. I will agree that Florida doesn’t draw well. Stop with the doomsday scenarios. Teams aren’t going away. The league isn’t going to have to start over. Yes, there will be changes. The salary cap isn’t going to rise. They will be financial challenges for some franchises, but they will all be back nexy season.
fewer teams? what on earth are you talking about? none of these teams are going out of business.
I’m glad you got that off your chest
Throw Washington in there too they are below the mason-Dixon line as welland ST. Louis is not exactly a northern team. Then let’s talk about why the Coyotes are in Arizona… why Dallas is no longer in Minnesota. The answer there is thay weren’t drawing enough, even when they were winning like the North Stars were when they moved.
The rub is Hockey is still a growing sport and Hockey WILL weather this storm.
Florida draws well when they make the playoffs…
Remember the Rats?
Who hurt you?
I was going to go with Chuck, but I think John Carlson is worthy of what will amount to an “honorary” Norris trophy.
@dalrob – Quite the dose of harsh reality, but I’m forced to agree with most of it. The NHL *should* contract some teams, but they will stubbornly attempt more expansion, even in the face of severe economic uncertainty. And, they will continue to force the “haves” into subsidizing the “have-nots”, until the paying customers say “enough!” If they keep the salary cap flat or only slightly lower, that suggests to me that there is some suspect accounting practices at play. Sure, they can spread out the damage for a couple of extra years, but it doesn’t sit well with some of us.
as if it could be anyone but Carlson.
agreed with Mac and DarkSide John Carlson for Norris Trophy, as for eliminating and comments on Southern teams that don’t draw , may suggest you look at attendance figures now and in past as true statement Nashville and Tampa , even if you count Dallas as southern team draw pretty good, as far as less teams you done fell and bumped your head, want happen maybe few teams down road may relocate in near future yes! and may not return this year but NHL will be back and become strong again , not only sports in US and Canada that aren’t playing , USELESS SOUTHERN TEAMS , Bah! hum bug to you , I’m gone before I put my foot in my mouth and not act like a southern gentleman.
Agree. The salary cap, which destroys the Leafs, is in place to protect/bolster Florida, Arizona, Carolina. It gets old. Nashville and Tampa draw but they have good teams. The test of a strong market occurs when they ice a mediocre team. And Carlson. That is obvious.
I seem to remember Carolina winning a Cup this century… cant say the same for the Leafs lol
So that cap is not protecting Emdonton and Clagary or even the Jets? It seems to me the Canadian teams have gained quite a bit fro,m the competitive balance set up in the NHL as well. Let’s also consider where the Stanley Cup has resided the last five years
Agreed. Before the cap?
Agreed on that also. A lot of that has to do with paying players in US dollars.
A damn shame Dougie Hamilton got hurt. He was going to win. He was playing outstanding hockey.
For clarification, while I won’t speak for @dalrob, the dog teams would be FLA, CAR, ARI, and not the perennial contenders DAL, NSH, TBL. Dundon would probably object strenuously, but many/most of us view CAR as a bit of a dog market. In the not-too-distant past, at least one of their local media guys admitted to covering the games from his couch at home. And, as I stated previously, the NHL wants to expand the game, even in places that would end up being loss-leaders. They’ll look at various places in Europe, for instance, but are still giving the finger to Quebec City to re-acquire a team. Naturally, Quebec’s tax situation doesn’t help their cause, but they eventually succumbed to the screams from WPG, so… The problem with rampant expansion, even in good economic times, is that you quickly get to a diluted product. In theory, we’d all like to see rocket-speed development of kids to achieve NHL-level skills, but it isn’t a reasonable expectation, yet. Hope that helps soothe at least some of the nerves in our PHR community.
Actually the NHL has hadnled axpansion at a much better rate than the other three major sports. As far as attendance even original six cities have there ups and downs that sometimes last decades, especially as other entertainment moves in and people are able to access that entertainment from their couch in more ways.
Say what?
Hockey development in Southern Ontario is coming to a rapid halt. The game has become a rich man’s game down here and kids are leaving it droves. The Raptors have become the darlings of this area and every kid has a hoop in their front hoard and not a hockey net. When I started teacher Gr8 in the early 90’s, every boy and half the girls played some level of hockey. Now you might find 2 or 3 hockey players in each class.
There *should* be a “front hoard” to play The Coolest Game on Earth, especially by the kids! And a back one, too! That changing allegiance to the no-skill bleep shotters is borderline treason, in my book.
the problem is how hard it is to play hockey vs basketball. so many things (and money) goes in to playing hockey, while all you really need for basketball is a nearby net and a ball.
Front yard.
FYI regarding the southern teams…
Having a full national map of teams (even if it includes the Panthers and Yotes) is the ONLY way the NHL gets a national TV deal.
The National Hockey League would be the National Lacrosse League without the expansion that Bettman (quite skillfully) led.
Anyone who remembers Sports Channel knows this.
All I know is that I absolutely love Hockey, been a fan since I was a child and watched the great one Gretzky play. I think their is a BUNCH of great Hockey players that are spread out pretty good which is good for Hockey nationally. So keep it the way it is when it’s safe enough to start back up, which my assumption will be the start of next season. More importantly everyone stay safe!
INRE Hockey development
Without a minor league or semi pro system of prominance, the real key for the NHL is College Hockey. Juniors are either stacked with college players or ones that hope to be. The week link IS clearly the youth hockey movement. But it is still their. THe NHL would be smart to dump a bunch of resources into youth Hockey both here and internationally. It was one of the keys to Baseball’s success the last decade or so…