In the fifth edition of theScore's Norris Trophy Power Rankings, a new defenseman enters the mix.
5. Shea Theodore
| GP | G | A | P | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 65 | 10 | 33 | 43 | 22:09 | 56.56 |
Theodore cracks this list for the first time. The 24-year-old is enjoying a breakout season in his third campaign with the Golden Knights. He's logging the most ice time of his career and has already set a new personal best in points. Unfortunately, as great of a year as he's producing, Theodore's chances of moving into the top four here by season's end are slim.
4. Alex Piertrangelo
| GP | G | A | P | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63 | 13 | 35 | 48 | 24:07 | 53.32 |
Pietrangelo is peaking at the right time. Fresh off a Stanley Cup run with the Blues last spring - in which nobody would've balked if he took home the Conn Smythe Trophy - the 30-year-old is continuing his career year offensively, just as he's set to enter unrestricted free agency.
3. Victor Hedman
| GP | G | A | P | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 61 | 9 | 43 | 52 | 24:15 | 56.81 |
If you could create an NHL defenseman in a lab, he would look similar to Hedman. Standing 6-foot-6 and able to fly up and down the ice with ease, the Swede is as close to perfect as they come. He's put together another strong campaign, and Hedman is in line for his fourth straight top-three Norris Trophy finish.
2. Roman Josi
| GP | G | A | P | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 62 | 14 | 43 | 57 | 25:52 | 54.36 |
Josi's sensational season is getting drastically overlooked because the Predators are playing poorly, and the man in front of him in these rankings is on the verge of being included in the record books. However, the Swiss blue-liner is on pace for 70-plus points, and only 10 defensemen since 1986 have accomplished that feat.
1. John Carlson
| GP | G | A | P | ATOI | xGF% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63 | 15 | 57 | 72 | 24:40 | 50.46 |
Carlson has held the top spot in these rankings since the first edition this season. Is he flawed defensively? Sure, but a 94-point campaign (his current pace) would put him in a league of his own. To find the last D-man to record 94-plus single-season points, you have to go way back to 1992-93, when Phil Housley posted 97 points during an era when 7.26 goals per game were scored (the average now is just over six per contest).
Just missed the cut: Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar, Kris Letang, Ryan Suter
(Analytics source: Natural Stat Trick)
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