2020 Norris Trophy Finalists Announced
The NHL continues to release their award finalists, this time announcing the three nominees for the Norris Trophy. The award is given out to the top defenseman “who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position.” Last year’s winner was Mark Giordano of the Calgary Flames.
This year’s finalists are John Carlson of the Washington Capitals, Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators, and Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Carlson comes with a built-in argument in his favor, given the outstanding offensive performance he put together this season. After scoring 70 points in 80 games last year and finishing fourth in Norris voting, he improved those totals again to lead all defensemen with 75 points in just 69 games. He was 12th in the entire league in scoring when the season shut down, and ten points ahead of the next highest defenseman (Josi). That pure offensive dominance will make him a solid contributor, but as always he comes with questions about his defensive ability. Despite scoring 49 of his points at even-strength, Carlson was still just a +12 on the year and had the worst possession numbers of the three finalists. Given the still relatively subjective nature of judging defensive impact, Carlson’s candidacy is not a sure thing even with his offensive numbers.
Josi meanwhile comes with an even longer history of Norris expectations, receiving votes for the award in each of the last five seasons and coming in the top-7 in four of those. The Predators captain recorded 65 points in 69 games and had extremely strong possession numbers on the year—the best of his career in fact. Among the major individual awards, the Norris, in particular, has a reputation that it is given “eventually” to a player long-deserving. Josi could be that candidate this season after such a strong campaign. That’s not to say he isn’t deserving, as any Predators fan will tell you how much the team relied on him this season to create offense when the rest of the group was struggling.
Hedman meanwhile is the only one of the three finalists with a Norris win already under his belt, taking home the award in 2018. The backbone of the Lightning team, Hedman managed to record 55 points in 66 games and was once again one of the most consistent defensive players in the league. If you were crafting a defenseman in a lab, you might end up with something looking similar to the 6’6″ Swede, who has been a finalist or winner in each of the last three seasons. Hedman may have not had the offensive seasons of Carlson or Josi, but his reputation on the defensive side of the puck will help him secure plenty of votes once again.
Poll: If The Season Ended Today, Who Would Win The Norris?
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.
West Notes: Lindholm, Garland, Josi, Boeser, Toffoli
While the Anaheim Ducks blueline seems to be getting healthier with the pending returns of Josh Manson, Erik Gudbranson and Cam Fowler soon, the team didn’t get a positive update for the return of Hampus Lindholm. The defenseman, who is second on the team in ice time, has no timetable for a return yet and with just 14 games remaining, it’s legitimately possible that he could miss the rest of the season, according to The Athletic’s Eric Stephens (subscription required).
Lindholm has missed the last five games after falling awkwardly into the boards while battling for the puck with Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl. The upper-body injury is part of the problem, although Stephens added that a back issue is also part of the issue. The 26-year-old has two goals and 22 points through 55 games with 71 blocks, while averaging 23:04 of ATOI.
Regardless, the team expects Manson (upper-body injury) to potentially return as early as today, while Gudbranson (upper-body injury) and Fowler (lower-body injury) are both a week or two behind him.
- The Arizona Coyotes announced that forward Conor Garland will be out “week-to-week” after suffering a lower-body injury Friday against Calgary. The injury occurred when Garland collided with Flames’ goaltender Cam Talbot. It’s a tough blow for Arizona as Garland leads the team in goals scored with 22.
- The NHL Department of Player Safety announced that Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for cross-checking Dallas Stars forward Corey Perry. The incident happened at 15:13 of the second periond (video here) in which Josi cross checked Perry in the head after the play was over. Josi received a two-minute minor, although many have suggested that he should have received a five-minute major instead. Perry was a constant target in Saturday’s game after he received a five-game suspension during the Winter Classic after knocking Ryan Ellis out with a dirty hit. Ellis missed 20 games with a concussion.
- The Vancouver Canucks look to be getting back forward Brock Boeser soon. The 23-year-old forward, who has been out since Feb. 8 with a rib injury, and while he is not expected to play today, Boeser feels that he “is close” to returning, likely later this week, according to Postmedia’s Ben Kuzma. He participated in a game-day skate with the team in full-contact gear. Boeser has 16 goals and 45 points in 56 games and should immediately upgrade the team’s top-six.
- Sticking with the Canucks, Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre writes that Vancouver is unlikely to be able to retain the services of Tyler Toffoli after this season. The forward was acquired from Los Angeles at the trade deadline for Tim Schaller, prospect Tyler Madden a second-round pick and a conditional fourth-round pick based on whether the Canucks could sign him to an extension. Already dealing with cap issues, Vancouver still has to give out new contracts to goaltender Jacob Markstrom and defenseman Chris Tanev. Toffoli, who is currently making $4.6MM, might be too expensive to hold onto, although there is always the possiblity that the team moves out some contracts to make it happen. Toffoli has five goals and eight points in eight games since arriving in Vancouver.
PHWA Announce 2019-20 Midseason Awards
Though they have no bearing on the eventual winners, each season the Professional Hockey Writers Association vote for the Midseason Awards to give fans an idea of who is leading the charge around the NHL at the halfway point. Today those ballots have been tallied and the midseason trophies were given out:
Hart Trophy – Most valuable player
1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
2. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
3. David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins
Norris Trophy – Best defenseman
1. John Carlson, Washington Capitals
2. Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
3. Dougie Hamilton, Carolina Hurricanes
Selke Trophy – Best defensive forward
1. Sean Couturier, Philadelphia Flyers
2. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
3. Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues
Calder Trophy – Best rookie
1. Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
2. Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
3. Victor Olofsson, Buffalo Sabres
Lady Byng Trophy – Sportsmanship & gentlemanly conduct
1. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
2. Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
3. Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues
Vezina Trophy – Best goaltender
1. Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
2. Ben Bishop, Dallas Stars
3. Darcy Kuemper, Arizona Coyotes
Jack Adams Award – Best coach
1. Mike Sullivan, Pittsburgh Penguins
2. John Tortorella, Columbus Blue Jackets
3. Craig Berube, St. Louis Blues
Jim Gregory GM of the Year Award
1. Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche
2. John Chayka, Arizona Coyotes
3. Doug Armstrong, St. Louis Blues
Rod Langway Award – Best defensive defenseman
1. Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
2. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
3. Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
Comeback Player of the Year Award
1. William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs
2. Anthony Duclair, Ottawa Senators
3. Max Pacioretty, Vegas Golden Knights
NHL All-Star Selections Announced
Although it took some time, with each individual team rolling out their own selections, the final rosters for All-Star Weekend have come into focus. Below are each of the four divisional team, set to face off in the Skills Competition on Friday, January 24th and the All-Star Game on Saturday, January 25th:
Atlantic Division
G Frederik Andersen, Toronto Maple Leafs
G Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins
D Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
D Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens
F Tyler Bertuzzi, Detroit Red Wings
F Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres
F Anthony Duclair, Ottawa Senators
F Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers
F Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
F David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins (C)
Metropolitan Division
G Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals
G Joonas Korpisalo, Columbus Blue Jackets
D John Carlson, Washington Capitals
D Dougie Hamilton, Carolina Hurricanes
D Seth Jones, Columbus Blue Jackets
F Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders
F Jake Guentzel, Pittsburgh Penguins
F Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers
F Kyle Palmieri, New Jersey Devils
F Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers
Central Division
G Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
G Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
D Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
D Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
F Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
F Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche (C)
F Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues
F Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets
F Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars
F Eric Staal, Minnesota Wild
Pacific Division
G Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights
G Darcy Kuemper, Arizona Coyotes
D Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames
F Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks
F Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
F Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings
F Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers (C)
F Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
F Jakob Silfverberg, Anaheim Ducks
F Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary Flames
Additionally, each divisional squad will have one more addition as decided by the Last Men In fan vote. Voting opens on January 1st and closes on the 10th. Here are the candidates:
Atlantic Division – Patrice Bergeron, Rasmus Dahlin, Dylan Larkin Aleksander Barkov, Max Domi, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Steven Stamkos, Mitch Marner
Metropolitan Division – Teuvo Teravainen, Nick Foligno, Nico Hischier, Brock Nelson, Mika Zibanejad, Claude Giroux, Kris Letang, T.J. Oshie
Central Division – Jonathan Toews, Cale Makar, Jamie Benn, Ryan Suter, Matt Duchene, David Perron Patrik Laine
Pacific Division – Ryan Getzlaf, Clayton Keller, Johnny Gaudreau, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Drew Doughty, Tomas Hertl, Quinn Hughes, Max Pacioretty
Morning Notes: Three Stars, Wildcats, Czechs
The NHL has released their Three Stars for last week, with a new name gracing the top spot. Florida Panthers forward Noel Acciari has been given the honor after scoring back-to-back hat tricks and seven total goals in three games. The 28-year old had never scored a hat trick in the NHL previously, making this quite the week.
Second place went to a familiar name in Roman Josi after his six-goal week from the Nashville Predators blueline, but third was another new face. Joonas Korpisalo of the Columbus Blue Jackets put up the best week of his short career, going 4-0 with a .939 save percentage and showing that he may be capable of handling the starting role going forward. The 25-year old goaltender is 16-10-3 on the season after the Blue Jackets watched veteran starter Sergei Bobrovsky leave via free agency.
- According to Mikael Lalancette of TVA Sports, the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL have a new head coach. Daniel Lacroix, a former enforcer and long time NHL assistant coach has taken the job, returning to the team that he worked with for several years after retirement. Lacroix actually served as head coach for a short time in the 2004-05 season but will now get a chance to really take control of the squad after they parted ways with John Torchetti earlier this month.
- The Czech Republic World Junior team has been finalized, after they cut five players earlier today. Jaroslav Broz, Filip Koffer, Martin Lang, Miroslav Kukla, and Jan Bednar have all been sent home. Bednar is just 17 and will likely be back at the tournament next season, given his status as a top goaltending prospect for the 2020 draft.
Nashville Predators Extend Roman Josi
The Nashville Predators have once again found common ground on an extension with one of their franchise icons. Captain Roman Josi has agreed to an eight-year extension that will keep him under contract through the 2027-28 season. The deal, which will carry an average annual value of $9.059, is set to make Josi the third highest paid defenseman in the NHL, just ahead of former teammate P.K. Subban. It also represents another long-term commitment from Predators GM David Poile, and sets up Josi to potentially play his entire career with the Nashville organization. Poile released a statement explaining the deal:
Roman Josi is one of the top defensemen in the National Hockey League and our team leader as captain. As he enters his prime, we look forward to Roman continuing to showcase his elite skills in Smashville and guiding our team in pursuit of the ultimate goal, the Stanley Cup.
Notably, the team has also given Josi a full no-movement clause, something that Poile is almost always against. In fact, the only player on Nashville currently with a no-trade clause of any kind is goaltender Pekka Rinne.
Obviously there is good reason for Josi to become the second player on that list. The 29-year old defenseman has been one of the league’s consistent two-way players over the last several years, recording at least 49 points in each of the last five seasons while more than holding his own in the defensive end. During that five-year span, Josi has finished in the top-11 in Norris Trophy voting every season, including two fifth-place finishes.
It is not just his on-ice play that has garnered so much attention however. Josi was the easy choice as team captain after Mike Fisher announced his retirement and is a valued leader in the Nashville dressing room. With a new extension in hand he’ll be able to continue in that role for the foreseeable future, perhaps even until he retires down the line.
Still, any time you sign a player to an eight-year contract of this magnitude there is substantial risk. Though Josi has shown absolutely no signs of slowing down at this point, he will be 30 before the first year of the contract kicks in, meaning it takes him into and through what is normally a steep decline phase for NHL players. While he may be one of the select few to avoid that precipitous fall, there is also already a lot of miles on the Swiss defender—he’s averaged close to 25 minutes a night over his entire career.
The Predators though are obviously willing to make the investment to keep Josi in the fold right now. The team believes they are Stanley Cup contenders and now have their core locked up for the next several years. Ryan Johansen, Matt Duchene, Kyle Turris, Viktor Arvidsson, Colton Sissons and Ryan Ellis are all under contract for at least five seasons, while Filip Forsberg, Calle Jarnkrok and Mattias Ekholm don’t become unrestricted free agents until 2022.
Not only will this deal make Josi a very wealthy man, but it will set a market for many other top defensemen looking at free agency in 2020. Alex Pietrangelo, Tyson Barrie, Torey Krug and others are all going to get huge raises before the end of next summer, with Josi’s deal now either being a comparable or perhaps a ceiling to shoot for, depending on the player. Pietrangelo in particular may try to eclipse the deal to become one of the top earners, though it’s not clear exactly if or when an extension will come with St. Louis.
For now though, Josi the Predators can start to focus on the task at hand—getting back to the Stanley Cup Final. With 13 points in his first 11 games, he’s doing his part already.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Snapshots: Three Stars, Seidenberg, Malkin
The NHL has released their Three Stars for last week and once again a member of the Boston Bruins top line headlines the group. This time it’s Brad Marchand‘s turn after he recorded eight points in three games. Marchand, David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron has been absolutely devastating this season with 54 combined points through their first 11 games. No other Bruins forward has more than four points this year.
The second and third spots were given to Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators and Brian Elliott of the Philadelphia Flyers respectively after similarly outstanding weeks. Josi put up six points in three games from the Nashville blueline, while Elliott has seemingly resurrected his career in Philadelphia with a 3-0 record last week.
- After announcing his retirement recently, Dennis Seidenberg will remain with the New York Islanders organization in their player development department. The 38-year old was a sixth-round pick in 2001 but worked his way to the NHL and lasted for nearly 900 games, winning a Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins in 2011.
- Not only did Evgeni Malkin return to practice today for the Pittsburgh Penguins, but even shed his non-contact jersey at one point and is now targeting Saturday night as his potential first game back from injury, according to Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. That would be an incredible return for the superstar forward after suffering the lower-body injury just three weeks ago. It’s not only Malkin who will return soon for the Penguins, who are finally getting healthy enough to really show what they are capable of this season.
Minimal Talks Between Nashville And Their Pending UFAs
The Predators presently have nine players on their active roster that are slated to become unrestricted free agents at the end of the season. Three of those players – defenseman Roman Josi plus wingers Mikael Granlund and Craig Smith – are impact pieces for Nashville but as Craig Custance of The Athletic reports (subscription required), talks about extensions have been limited thus far.
Understandably, their primary focus is getting a deal done with Josi, their captain. He’s currently playing on one of the best bargain contracts in the league with a $4MM cap charge which is well under market value for someone that has recorded at least 40 points and averaged more than 24 minutes per night over each of the last six seasons. He’s off to a flying start in 2019-20 as well with 10 points in as many games while once again logging more than 24 minutes of ice time per contest. While the 29-year-old has suggested in the past that he’s open to taking a bit of a discount to stay with the Predators, he should still at least be doubling his current AAV on a new deal. There was some discussion going back to the offseason but it doesn’t seem as if a lot of progress was made.
Granlund is in his first full season with Nashville and that in itself is stalling contract talks as both sides are still evaluating the fit. He wasn’t overly productive after being acquired from Minnesota at the deadline last season (just two goals and five assists in 23 games between the regular season and playoffs) and is off to a slow start this season as well with two goals and two helpers in ten games. However, he isn’t far removed from back-to-back 67-plus point seasons in 2016-17 and 2017-18 and his ability to play center (despite being used predominantly on the wing with the Predators) makes him one of the more prominent forwards that will be available. Custance suggests that if the team can find a way to get out of Kyle Turris’ contract ($6MM through 2023-24), that might help get talks for Granlund, who carries a $5.75MM AAV, going.
As for Smith, his performance over the years has been a bit more erratic. There are times where he looks like a legitimate top liner but others where he has produced at the level of a third liner. He’s not off to a great start this season either with just a goal and an assist. Nonetheless, with five seasons of 20 goals or more under his belt, he should be in line for a raise on his current $4.25MM cap hit. Custance mentions that Smith loves it in Nashville and would likely be willing to sign for under market value to stay there but at this time, both sides appear to be okay with letting the season play out and evaluate things at the end of the season.
Other pending unrestricted free agents in Nashville include wingers Auston Watson, Miikka Salomaki, and Rocco Grimaldi as well as blueliners Dan Hamhuis, Matt Irwin, and Yannick Weber. With that many players needing new contracts, GM David Poile will certainly have his work cut out for him over the coming months.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Nashville Predators, Roman Josi Hit “Snag” In Extension Talks
If there is one thing that Nashville Predators GM David Poile is known for other than his penchant for blockbuster trades, it’s getting his core players signed to long-term extensions at reasonable prices. The Predators have locked up names like Ryan Johansen, Filip Forsberg, Viktor Arvidsson, Kyle Turris, Mattias Ekholm, Ryan Ellis and others to long deals over the past several years, and Roman Josi seemed destined to be next. The Predators’ captain is in the final season of his seven-year deal signed in 2013 that carries a ludicrously-low cap hit of just $4MM (another example of Poile’s work) and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in 2020.
An extension for Josi seems inevitable, given his role and history with the team, especially after the Predators moved P.K. Subban out of town. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes in his latest 31 Thoughts column however that the negotiation has “hit a snag” and that “there is surprise it isn’t done yet.” Josi has been one of the most reliable two-way defenders in the league for the last several seasons, receiving Norris Trophy votes regularly. In fact, the 29-year old has finished no lower than 11th in voting in each of the past five years though he has yet to actually be named a finalist.
Not only has the league recognized him, but it is obvious how the Predators’ coaching staff feels about Josi’s ability. Since the start of the 2013-14 season he has logged an average of more than 25 minutes of ice time per game, and even more than that in the playoffs.
Still, with any extension negotiation there are risks involved. Josi will be 30 by the time next season begins and could very well be looking to become one of the highest-paid defensemen in the league. The Predators have a huge amount of money coming off the books next season thanks to the expiring contracts of Mikael Granlund, Craig Smith and others, but also have to consider potential future extensions for Ekholm, Forsberg, Dante Fabbro and young goaltender Juuse Saros. There is also the fact that Poile almost never gives out signing bonuses or no-trade clauses, though both of those rules were bent by Matt Duchene in the recent free agent period.
Obviously it is impossible to know exactly where the “snag” is at this point, but as Friedman points out it is surprising to see the Predators fail to reach an agreement yet with Josi. His case will be one to watch throughout the year as he would be one of the very top free agents available in 2020, though an extension with Nashville still seems the most likely conclusion.