The James Norris Memorial Trophy, given to the best defenseman, is one of the awards that I was really looking forward to. I thought there was a clear winner and a clear top three, but I had assumed it wouldn’t be as clear once the rest of the tUB team weighed in. Fortunately (or unfortunately if you like in-fighting and drama), we had a consensus winner, with only three other players recieving votes. I think this really highlights the strength of the Jackets now, as they have three players who could play on most teams top pairs, a couple solid rookies, and stud prospect Ryan Murray on the way. Should be very exciting moving foward. Without further ado, the winner of the Norris is…..
WINNER: Fedor Tyutin 12 Points
AlisonL (1): “Fedor Tyutin. Fedor is only one of three players to play every game this year (with RJ and Vinny) and is the points leader from our defense. Sure, errors stand out – but when you DON’T notice Tyuts, arguably that’s when he’s doing his job. He dealt with a lot of change on the blue line and demonstrated a quiet strength throughout the season. Fedor even delivered us the GWG in Anaheim.”
Canadan (1): “Despite my endless frustrations toward his inability to hit the net from the point, Fedor Tyutin justifies the number one spot on this list. Tough minutes along with being tied for third on the Blue Jackets in points give him a solid nod, with a quiet reminder to get some target practice in this summer.”
CBJProspects (1): “Tyutin was one of only 3 Jackets to dress in every game along with leading the team’s defense in scoring and was his usual solid self finishing second to “the new big plus” in +/- but more on him later.”
The Coach (1): “Tyutin reminds me of Bill Simmons ’10 Percent Theory‘ about basketball player Russell Westbrook. Basically, Westbrook does 90% of the things you want a basketball player to do, and the 10% he doesn’t are very obvious things, which makes people think he is worse than he is. Tyutin does 90% of the things you want an NHL defenseman to do, but his 10% is very obvious (can’t hit the broad side of a barn with a point shot, prone to the occasional boneheaded turnover). However, I really feel like he turned a corner this season. His decision making improved, he dropped his turnovers exponentially, and became a rock on the point.”
Runner Up: Jack Johnson
Canadan (2): “Jack Johnson belongs on this list, despite having some visible miscues at inconvenient times. A workhorse for Coach Richards game after game, Johnson played in any type of situation and often factored positively for Columbus. Certainly worth a mention.”
CBJProspects (2): “JMFJ himself. Jack finished just a few points behind Tyutin and was one of the main leaders on the team – possibly wearing the C next season. Jack finished the season on a three game point streak and tied for the lead in defensemen goals.”
The Coach (3): “Johnson is a horse. There is no getting around that. He deserves to be in the running solely for the massive role he took with this team. There is something to be said for a guy who can play half a game and battle the opponents best players to a 50-50 draw. And while he has many negatives, he is a very dynamic player that opponents always have to respect. His ability to activate on the breakout brings an element that had never existed before he (and Wiz) arrived in Columbus.”
Honorable Mention: James Wisniewski
AlisonL (2): “James Wisniewski. Sure I’d like to see “Wiz” healthy a lot more – his ‘cost per game played’ is a bit high right now, but you can’t argue that he doesn’t improve our power play when he’s on the ice. The guy commands respect, directs the flow of play well and we can always use a Wizbomb or two. I also continue to shout from the rooftops that when it comes to players who ‘want to be here’ Wiz was the first in this era of CBJ play.”
The Coach (2): “Wiz is such an electric player, it is a shame he can’t seem to play a full season. He brings an attitude that really fits with this squad. His ability on the breakout allows the Jackets to push forward faster than they have been able to in the past. Plus his puck movement and shot on the powerplay provide a weapon that very few teams have, a deadly right-handed one timer that could tickle the twice at any time.”
Honorable Mention: Dalton Prout
AlisonL (3): “Dalton Prout. I’ll be honest and say this vote comes mainly from the reaction to Dalton stepping up after being called from Springy and all the reasons I already gave why the guy deserves our Calder Cup. That aside, his plus / minus remains a huge reason to want Prouter on the ice -coupled with the additional grit he has brought to the team earns him my #3 vote.”
Canadan (2): “Out of the woodworks comes Dalton Prout. Not a tremendous point producer, Prout made himself known with his massive (by CBJ standards) +15 while averaging just south of 19 minutes per game. It will be fun to see him improve over the next few seasons.”
CBJProspects (3): “‘The new big plus. Despite only playing half a season, Dalton’s +15 was the 3rd highest plus/minus total all time. Dalton was solid defensively bailing out Bob more than once(along with Bob returning the favor) plus bringing a physical presence to the blueline that some could say the team lacked (or could use more of).”
So let us know your thoughts on our picks, along with your own ballot, in the comments. Stay tuned, as coming up Wednesday is the much anticipated Vezina Trophy.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
