Today the NHL announced the three finalists for the Norris Trophy, awarded to the defenseman who demonstrates the greatest all-round ability at the position during the season.
This year’s finalists are: San Jose’s Brent Burns, Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman, and Ottawa’s Erik Karlsson.
Hedman set personal bests with 16 goals and 72 points this season. The Big Swede finished second among all defensemen in scoring. This is the first time he’s been a Norris Trophy finalist in his career.
“I’m extremely humbled and honored,” said Hedman to beat writer Joe Smith, “I look forward to being in Vegas with Brent and my buddy Erik (a fellow Swede).”
Hedman stated at season’s end, “I’m being put in situations to be successful. I’ve obviously felt more comfortable on the power play. I’ve felt more comfortable playing that offensive role. We had to be able to produce, and that’s been kind of what I expect of myself, to be one of the leaders, especially when we were in a big hole. We needed to climb out, needed to take charge out there.”
| PLAYER | GAMES | GOALS | ASSISTS | POINTS | POINTS/GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brent Burns | 82 | 29 | 47 | 76 | 0.93 |
| Victor Hedman | 79 | 16 | 56 | 72 | 0.91 |
| Erik Karlsson | 77 | 17 | 54 | 71 | 0.92 |
Burns is expected to win the award but all three are certainly deserving finalists.
[protected-iframe id=”48ef37028fbd204e8fd344dbbf20b3a4-114320562-46289989″ info=”https://www.nhl.com/lightning/video/embed/congrats-victor-hedman/t-277437434/c-51625103?autostart=false” width=”540″ height=”360″]The award winner will be revealed on June 21 in Las Vegas.
(Photos/Christine Gunn and Getty Images)
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