NHL Awards 2012: Why Erik Karlsson Should Not Win the Norris Trophy

With the Stanley Cup Finals having come to a close, the attention of the hockey world will now turn to this year's NHL draft. It takes place this weekend in Pittsburgh, PA, with a brief pit stop in Las Vegas for the annual NHL awards show.

Though some may not be too keen on the awards show (choosing to stay focused on the NHL draft instead), it is still an important night for the NHL. It's a chance for the league to recognize its top players in a variety of categories.

One of these awards is distributed to the top defenseman in the league for this past season, known around the NHL as the Norris Trophy. The players nominated for the Norris for the 2011-12 NHL regular season are Nashville Predators defenseman (and captain) Shea Weber, Boston Bruins defenseman (and captain) Zdeno Chara and Ottawa Senators blue liner Erik Karlsson.

For the most part, this seems like a well-deserved group of nominees, exemplifying a tremendous balance of offensive prowess, defensive capabilities and leadership.

The noticeable exception there is Erik Karlsson.

While Karlsson did manage to notch an other-worldly total of 78 points this season—something that has only been done one other time since the turn of the millennium, by future Hall of Famer Nicklas Lidstrom—he was shaky in his own end. He is also still rather young and is not seen as one of the Senators' locker room leaders.

Unfortunately for Erik Karlsson, the point of the Norris Trophy is to recognize the top defenseman in the National Hockey League. Just because you're listed as a defender on paper, it doesn't mean you play like one.

Unlike the NHL and their voters, I am not fooled by his (rather impressive) point total. That may be enough to earn you an All-Star selection, Karlsson, but it's certainly not enough to compensate for your mediocre (at best) defensive play and lack of other qualities (he's not nearly as tough as Chara or Weber either).

The worst part of all this for Karlsson? Weber and Chara both tallied at least 49 points as well, showing that they're also among the elite offensive defensemen in the league.

So, while my fantasy team from this past season thanks Erik Karlsson for his offensive contributions, he is still a long way from being the best defenseman in the NHL.

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