Norris Trophy could be in soaring Mcdonagh’s future
Canadiens traded former first-round pick to the Rangers in 2009 for Scott Gomez
NEW YORK — Last week a lot of people were saying Ryan McDonagh belonged in the Norris Trophy conversation: his New York Rangers teammate Brian Boyle, coach Alain Vigneault, NBC hockey commentator Pierre McGuire and plenty of local hockey writers, among others.
But when all is said and done, does he deserve to win the Norris, the trophy given to the National Hockey League’s best defenceman?
“Everything he touches turns to gold right now,” Marc Staal, McDonagh’s fellow Rangers blueliner said last week, and he was pretty close to right.
McDonagh scored three decisive goals from March 18 to 26. He also had four assists, giving him seven points in the five-game scoring streak, all victories. He has 14 goals this season, more than any other Rangers defenceman since Brian Leetch scored 21 in 2000-01.
But hockey fans in the New York metropolitan area can be nearsighted when it comes to appreciating talent elsewhere.
McDonagh is excellent, but through Tuesday’s games, he was only 14th among NHL defenceman with 43 points, well behind the 70 by Ottawa’s Erik Karlsson, the league leader. McDonagh’s plus-11 mark was tied for 35th, well behind the plus-33 logged by Pittsburgh’s Matt Niskanen.
Several defencemen have combined superb offensive and defensive accomplishments this season.
They include Duncan Keith (57 points, plus-17) and his Chicago teammate Brent Seabrook (40 points, plus-25), St. Louis’s Alex Pietrangelo (50 points, plus-23), Niskanen (42 points, plus-33) and Boston’s Zdeno Chara (36 points, plus-25).
The Canadiens’ P.K. Subban, who won the Norris Trophy last season, has 53 points and is even in plus/minus this season.
The Rangers acquired McDonagh from the Canadiens in the Scott Gomez trade in the summer of 2009. The Canadiens had selected McDonagh in the first round 12th overall) at the 2007 NHL entry draft.
According to its official description, the Norris Trophy is supposed to go to the defenceman “who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-around ability in the position.” That is a mark against McDonagh, who did not stand out early this season.
He struggled with his teammates to adjust to Vigneault’s zonal approach after playing in John Tortorella’s swarming checking system last season.
As late as Jan. 9, McDonagh’s plus/minus was sitting at minus-5. Since then, McDonagh has gone plus-16.
His performance in the latter part of the season — and in the Olympics, where he shone as a top-pair defenceman for the United States — will stick in the minds of the members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association who vote for the award.
He deserves Norris consideration. McDonagh plays almost 25 minutes a game, the most on the Rangers.
Vigneault regularly sends him and Dan Girardi, his partner on the top defence pairing, onto the ice against the opponents’ best players and for almost all the important faceoffs in the defensive zone.
He joins the rush and can be caught up ice, but he is so fast that he gets back into position most of the time.
“He’s been a force out there,” Vigneault said. “He’s got to be getting some consideration for the Norris the way he’s playing offensively and defensively.”
McDonagh may not be quite as deserving of the Norris Trophy this season as Keith or a couple of others. But McDonagh is only 24.
If he keeps playing the way he has since January, it will not be surprising if he wins the award very soon.