“Erik Karlsson’s Norris Trophy Nomination Sparks Debate on NHL’s Defender Awards”

If we rely on the criteria of the last few years (read the offensive statistics here), there is a good chance that Erik Karlsson will win the Norris Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s defenseman of the year.

The Sharks’ Swedish guard was nominated for the annual award on Thursday along with Adam Fox of the Rangers and Cale Makar of the Avalanche.

But while everything seems to point to a victory for Karlsson, his simple nomination leads Philippe Boucher to believe that the Bettman circuit should review the way it rewards its defenders.

“The intruder in this group is Karlsson, first launched the analyst during the emission of Jean-Charles Lajoie. Fox and Makar defend and play big minutes for their team. My wish is that Erik Karlsson wins unanimously and then the NHL watches the clips of his games and says to itself: “Is this the guy we really want to crown the best defenseman in our league?” , Boucher continued, alluding to the defensive shortcomings of No. 65.

“No sense, all that!”, Then agreed “JiC”.

Boucher then submitted an interesting proposal.

“The NHL could reward the offensive defenseman par excellence, regardless of his differential and the position of his team in the standings. Then the circuit could create another trophy where the best defender overall would then be recognized. Finally, a distinction rewarding the defensive back No. 1 could also be brought to the table.

Watch the full segment in the main video.