With NHL Awards season near, our writers make a case for each of the Defenceman of the Year candidates. Which nominee is most deserving of the Norris Trophy?
Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins
Out of a deserving trio of Norris candidates, Letang is clearly the most gifted offensively. Letang notched 38 points – tied with fellow nominee P.K Subban, only that the Penguins blue-liner did so in seven fewer games (35, compared to Subban’s 42).
Brilliance like Letang’s is rare, and his 1.09 points-per-game average is the most for a defenceman since Paul Coffey’s 1.29 in 1994-95.
Letang’s scoring contributions are often overlooked on a Pittsburgh juggernaut, but Letang’s ability to contribute on both ends allows the Pens to take more risks in their opponent’s end. Gifted with outstanding recovery speed, Letang is able to dictate the pace of the game to his liking.
Moreover, Letang played close to 26 minutes per game while being paired against the opposing team’s top line and never seemed to falter in his role of two-way catalyst.
While plus-minus is often derided as a statistic that doesn’t measure individual performance accurately, the 26-year-old sports the best rating of the three candidates, with a +16.
“Kris plays his best hockey when he goes over the boards to defend first. Early on that was his main focus when he talked about his game. He does it both physically and with his skating ability,” Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said to the team’s official website. – Arun Srinivasan
P.K. Subban, Montreal Canadiens
It’s hard to imagine a defenceman who had a more complete season than P.K. Subban.
The Canadiens star refused to get distracted by his brief holdout in January and put together the best season of his young career.
The Habs signed Subban to a team-friendly deal (to say the least), and all he did was tie for the league lead in scoring by a defenceman and improve his plus-minus by almost 20 points.
They better get prepared to pay up soon.
Subban’s improved play was a huge reason the Canadiens went from laughingstock to Eastern Conference contender in just one season.
“It’s great for him. I think he deserves it. He had a fantastic year,” fellow Canadiens blue-liner Josh Gorges told The Canadian Press. “I think with everything that went on at the start of the year he really came with a good attitude. He wanted to prove he’s an elite player and I think the way he played this year, he proved it.”
The 23-year-old (yes, just 23!) was an offensive machine this season – scoring more power play points than any other defenceman.
Letang may have some fancy points-per-game number, but Subban is significantly better in his own zone. And who would you rather have on the ice in the last minute of a game?
Yeah, that’s what I thought.
If Suter kept up his second-half pace all season, the award would likely go to him, but he did not have the complete and consistent season than the Habs blueliner did.
If you want a tough, physical, fast, efficient and explosive playmaking defenceman, Subban has to be the choice. – Jeff Simmons
Ryan Suter, Minnesota Wild
For Ryan Suter, the benefit of getting out from Shea Weber’s shadow is that he would finally be nationally recognized as an elite defenseman with a better chance of winning a Norris Trophy without Batman by his side. I don’t know if anyone truly believed Suter would win it in his first year with the Wild, but he has a great chance to beat out Letang and Subban for the hardware.
Though the longtime Nashville Predator did play most of the season alongside Jonas Brodin, who this week was snubbed of a Calder Trophy nomination, Suter was forced to carry Minnesota’s no-name defense to a postseason berth. He logged the most ice time in the NHL, averaging more than 27 minutes per game (and even more than that down the stretch). Suter was also a main source of offense from the blue line, racking up 32 points in 48 games. Prorated over 82 games, that equates to a career high.
Suter has both the offensive and defensive resumé to back up his Norris candidacy; can either Letang or Subban say the same thing? Suter, who faced top competition every night, was arguably the best all-around defenceman this season while under the most pressure he’s faced in his career.
When the Wild gave Suter a $98-million contract last summer, the organization expected to be getting a Norris Trophy candidate. Suter is rightfully the favourite to win his first Norris in his first season donning the green and red. – Ryan Porth
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