KARLSSON BACK IN NORRIS HUNT
Senators captain deserving of fourth nomination as NHL’s best defenceman
Even if Erik Karlsson doesn’t bring home the hardware this spring, being nominated for the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenceman does come with its perks.
One is a trip to the NHL Awards in Las Vegas in June after the regular season has ended.
“It’s fun to go to Vegas. I’d never say no to that,” the Senators’ star defenceman, a twotime winner of the Norris, said Friday morning before facing the Boston Bruins in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series at the Canadian Tire Centre. “I don’t get too many opportunities to go there. I’ve always had a good time going there, seeing all the guys.”
Karlsson can book his ticket after he was named one of three finalists for Norris Trophy on Friday along with Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks and Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Victor Hedman.
This is the fourth time Karlsson has been up for the award, but it’s hard to say if the Senators standout will pick up the hardware for the third time.
Karlsson, who won the Norris in 2012 and 2015, finished second to Los Angeles defenceman Drew Doughty last year and there’s a lot of people backing Burns this year.
That being said, this may have been the finest season of Karlsson’s career. Not only did the 26-year-old Senators captain lead the team in scoring with 17 goals and 71 points in 77 games, he finished second in the league in blocked shots with 201 and was solid at both ends of the ice. It’d be surprising if he doesn’t win, but stranger things have happened.
“Karl’s been incredible,” said fellow Senators defenceman Dion Phaneuf. “He deserves all the credit that he gets because really he pushes our team, he drives our team, he plays at both ends of the rink and he plays important minutes — the last minute of a close game, he’s out there and he does his job.
“He changed his game this year, in a sense of blocking more shots, and I think he’s done a really good job of paying the price blocking the puck — which isn’t easy to do — and then what you don’t really have to speak about is his offence because he’s such a force night in and night out. He’s so dangerous that he really does wear the other team by making players the other teams don’t see.”
And despite Karlsson’s efforts to be better defensively, he’s still a game-changer.
“He was so complete all year,” Phaneuf added. “When I say I complete I mean defending, offensively extremely dangerous, and he finds ways to break down the other side. You used the word game-changer, I think it’s a great word because he does, he finds ways to open up the other side, to capitalize on the other side’s breakdowns.
“But he sees them from up top, he sees lanes to make plays that are tough to see when you don’t think there’s so much there.”
Not everybody appreciates what Karlsson brings to the table for the Senators, which is why he’s no slam dunk for the Norris in voting by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association.
Though many think he should win it, the vote could easily go to Burns.
“It’s out of my hands. It’s not something I can control. I do what I can, on the ice, for my team and my organization,” Karlsson said.
It’s understandable that coach Guy Boucher didn’t want to focus on the nomination only hours before the Senators faced the Bruins in a potential elimination game, but he’s had plenty of kind words for Karlsson throughout the season.
“I’m not even sure Erik would like me to talk about that; for him, it’s always been about the team all year long and the only thing he has cared about since Day 1 is winning,” said Boucher.
“Today is a playoff game where, if you ask him, he’s only going to talk about the team and winning.
“You know what he’s meant to us, he’s been an outstanding leader, he’s got total, complete game in all aspects.
“Do I believe he deserves that trophy? One hundred per cent, but I don’t think that’s the focus of our day today.”
What Boucher respects about Karlsson is his ability to take control of a game.
“The strength of a high-end defenceman like that, who can jump into plays and make plays out of nothing, is that you can’t really cover that,” Boucher said.
“You never know when it’s coming. Erik has proven that so many times this year — including in the playoffs. That’s the beauty of having a high-end defencemen with that kind of offence.
“But also the fact that we can put him against any player in the league and he can defend at the highest level, it gives us tools on offence and defence.”
All things being equal, it’d be nice if Karlsson left Vegas on a winning note.