Updated Norris Trophy Rankings for the NHL's Best Defenseman
Playoff races are not the only thing heating up as the 2022-23 NHL season enters its stretch run. The award races are also worth keeping an eye on, and one of the most intriguing and tightly contested is for the Norris Trophy, which is handed out every year to the league's best all-around defenseman.
It is voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writer's Association.
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar is the reigning winner of the award, and he makes our watch list as he tries to become the first player since Nicklas Lidstrom in 2006-07 and 2007-08 to win the award in back-to-back seasons.
San Jose's Erik Karlsson is also trying to make some Norris history by going for his third win, which would put him among the game's all-time greats.
Who else makes our watch list? Let's take a look. There are eight players on the watch list, and we'll work in reverse order toward the favorites and leaders in the race for the Norris Trophy.
Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg Jets
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The biggest Achilles' heel for the Winnipeg Jets in recent years has been their defense, where they have lacked both depth and a true No. 1 player. The former concern still exists, but Morrissey's emergence this season has helped alleviate part of the latter concern in a big way.
Morrissey might be one of the longer shots to win the Norris Trophy this season among the top contenders, but he has certainly played his way into the discussion.
After never recording more than 37 points in a single season, he has broken out this season by averaging more than a point per game through his first 66 games and has helped the team get back into the Stanley Cup Playoff discussion in the Western Conference. His all-around game and 5-on-5 play might leave him a tier below some of the favorites on this list, but his point production is going to get him plenty of attention.
It will also get him Norris Trophy votes for the first time in his career. He deserves at least some recognition for his performance this season.
Brent Burns, Carolina Hurricanes
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The Carolina Hurricanes took advantage of their salary-cap space and the San Jose Sharks' desire to get out from under Brent Burns' contract, and they added a major piece for almost nothing.
It has turned out to be a resurgent year for Burns, who has bounced back to a Norris Trophy level.
Not only has his offense rebounded to the point where he is on track to top the 60-point mark for the first time since 2018-19, he has also had massive possession and defensive impacts in Carolina.
Among defensemen with at least 500 minutes of 5-on-5 ice-time, Burns ranks first in the league in shot attempt share, expected goal share and scoring chance share, and he is second in high-danger scoring chance share.
He and Jaccob Slavin have formed one of the league's best defense pairings. Slavin is an outstanding player on his own, and he certainly helps drive a lot of the defensive and possession impacts, but Burns is hardly a passenger in that duo and has the offensive production to put him into the Norris Trophy discussion.
Dougie Hamilton, New Jersey Devils
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There is a strong case to be made that Dougie Hamilton has been one of the most underappreciated players of this era. Not just among defensemen, but all players.
All the guy does is produce and make his team significantly better when he is on the ice, but there always seems to be questions about his defensive zone play, toughness, or any other subjective thing to knock him down. But few defenders impact the game the way he does, and he has been a major part of the New Jersey Devils' resurgence this season.
He joined the Devils a year ago as one of the top free agents but saw his season get crushed by injuries that limited him to only 30 games. Now that he is back in the lineup on a regular basis—and healthy—he is playing at an astonishingly high level that should get him serious Norris Trophy consideration.
Entering play on Wednesday, Hamilton had 63 points in the Devils' first 67 games, placing him third among all defensemen in the league.
Among defensemen that have logged at least 500 minutes of 5-on-5 ice-time, Hamilton finds himself among the top 25 in shot attempt share, expected goal share, scoring chance share, high-danger scoring chance share and goal differential, per Natural Stat Trick.
He has been a force on the Devils' blue line and given them the true No. 1 defender they have needed to complement their young core of star forwards.
Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
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The big thing that might hold Cale Makar back in his repeat bid is the fact he has missed a handful of games. It's not enough to completely remove him from the discussion, but it may keep him away from the top tier of vote-getters.
Still, he has been just as dynamic as he was a year ago and continues to produce offense at an elite rate.
Entering play on Wednesday, he had 55 points in his first 52 games, continuing to be a point-per-game player from the blue line. He has maintained at least a point-per-game average in three of his first four years in the NHL, with the lone exception being his rookie season when he only averaged .877 points per game (50 points in 57 games).
Though his goal-scoring pace has dropped slightly from a year ago (0.36 goals per game to 0.29 goals per game), he is performing at an almost identical rate across the board. His possession metrics, scoring chance metrics and even his assist numbers are all virtually identical.
Makar has finished in the top 10 in Norris voting in each of his first three seasons, including as a finalist in each of the past two years.
He will almost certainly be in the top 10 again. The only question is whether or not he earns a third consecutive year as a finalist.
Adam Fox, New York Rangers
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Fox is another recent winner and another of the NHL's rising superstars on defense.
Like Makar, Fox has become a regular in the Norris discussion and is having another sensational year leading the New York Rangers' defense.
While his goal-scoring numbers are not quite as prolific as a player like Makar, there are almost no weaknesses to Fox's game.
He is a sensational playmaker, he can run the power play from the point and he is also an outstanding defensive player on a team that does not have a ton of them. There is no real weakness to his game.
There is an argument to be made that he is the Rangers' most valuable skater and their second most valuable player after starting goalie Igor Shesterkin. Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider get most of the headlines for their offense, but Fox is the skater that brings everything together in every situation. He simply does everything well.
Whether it is this season or not, he has an excellent chance to be just the 14th player to ever win at least two Norris Trophies in his career.
Hampus Lindholm, Boston Bruins
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Getting out of Anaheim and joining the Boston Bruins has been a career-changer for Hampus Lindholm.
It has also been a game-changer for the Bruins.
The Bruins acquired Lindholm at the 2022 trade deadline and almost immediately signed him to a long-term contract extension to make him a focal point of their defense. It seemed like a little bit of a risk given the way Lindholm's performance had been trending in recent years, but it has so far been a home run for everybody involved.
Lindholm is not only having a career year offensively (his 0.68 points per game are a career high), but he has also been one of the league's best defensive players for a team that is on track to be one of the best regular-season teams in league history.
The Bruins are only allowing 1.61 goals against per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play with him on the ice, the sixth-lowest mark in the league. They are also allowing just 2.24 expected goals per 60 minutes, a number that places him 14th in the league.
Elite defense on the best defensive team in the league combined with top-pairing offense makes him a very serious contender for the Norris Trophy. He has only received Norris votes one time in his career (during the 2015-16 season). That is sure to change this season.
Rasmus Dahlin, Buffalo Sabres
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Even though this season is unlikely to end in a playoff berth, the Buffalo Sabres have taken a massive step forward in their seemingly endless rebuild. That is good news. Also good news is that Rasmus Dahlin, one of their recent No. 1 overall picks and one of their most important rebuilding pieces, has taken an even bigger step forward in his development.
Not only has Dahlin emerged as a Norris Trophy front-runner, but he is also finally starting to blossom into the superstar the Sabres hoped he would be.
Finding the right coach, the right system and putting some actual young talent around him has certainly helped.
Dahlin's career has completely taken off under second-year coach Dan Granato, and he entered play on Wednesday averaging more than a point per game offensively while also playing strong enough defense to become a bonafide No. 1 blue liner.
Even though it seems like he has been around forever, it is important to keep in mind Dahlin is still only 22 years old and is just now scratching the surface of what he can become.
The Sabres might not make the playoffs this season, but they will sooner rather than later.
Dahlin might not win the Norris this season, but he should sooner rather than later.
Erik Karlsson, San Jose Sharks
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Now we get to the player that should be the odds-on favorite.
The 2022-23 season might be a forgettable one for the San Jose Sharks as a whole, but it is becoming unforgettable for what Karlsson is doing individually.
Entering this season, it looked like his days as an elite player were finished and that his contract might actually end up being one of the worst in the NHL. After this season, he still has four more years remaining on his deal that carries an $11.5 million salary-cap hit, one of the largest in the entire NHL, per season. It also has a full no-movement clause.
You can forget all of that. Karlsson can still bring it, and with the level he is playing at, his contract is just fine in terms of value.
Entering play on Wednesday, Karlsson's 85 points in only 68 games placed him ninth in the NHL scoring race—among all players, not just defensemen. Karlsson has already set a new career high in scoring and is on track to make history. His current pace has him on track for 102 points over 82 games, which would make him the first defenseman to top 100 points since Brian Leetch in 1991-92.
In the history of the league, only five defensemen have ever eclipsed the century mark. That list is a who's who of legends and Hall of Famers, including Bobby Orr (six times), Paul Coffey (five times), Al MacInnis, Denis Potvin and Leetch (one time each).
While Karlsson's defensive play has never been his strong suit, and his game has always been geared more toward offense, his scoring and point total will drive him to the top of the discussion. Points simply sell.
If Karlsson does win the Norris Trophy, it will be the third of his career—not to mention two runner-up finishes. The only three-time winners in league history are Orr (eight), Nicklas Lidstrom (seven), Doug Harvey (seven), Ray Bourque (five), Chris Chelios (three), Coffey (three), Pierre Pilote (three), and Potvin (three).
If he adds another Norris Trophy to his resume, he will put himself among the game's greats and only be missing one thing in his Hall of Fame career—the Stanley Cup.
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