San Jose Sharks veteran Erik Karlsson, New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox, and Colorado Avalanche blue-liner Cale Makar are the 2022-23 Norris Trophy finalists, the NHL announced Thursday.
The award is voted on annually by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association at the end of the regular season and presented "to the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position."
Karlsson is gunning for his third Norris Trophy after enjoying a comeback season for the ages. The 32-year-old led all defensemen with 25 goals and 101 points in 82 contests and became the first rearguard since Brian Leetch in 1991-92 to hit the century mark. Karlsson also ranked fourth among all skaters with 74 even-strength points while averaging the fifth-most ice time (25:37) in the league, trailing just Makar, Drew Doughty, Rasmus Dahlin, and Quinn Hughes.
The 6-foot Swede also posted respectable underlying numbers on the struggling Sharks this season. San Jose controlled 53.6% of the shot attempts, 52.3% of the shots, 53.5% of the expected goals, and 50% of the goals at five-on-five with Karlsson on the ice, per Natural Stat Trick. Opponents outscored the Sharks 124-72 in the almost 2,326 minutes with Karlsson on the bench at five-on-five this campaign.
Fox took home the Norris Trophy in 2021. He set a new career high with 12 goals this season and ranked eighth among all blue-liners with 72 points in 82 games. Fox also tied Carolina Hurricanes stalwart Jaccob Slavin for the most takeaways (88).
The 25-year-old paced his teammates in average ice time (24:23) and was a plus-28. New York again drove the play with Fox on the ice this season. Among all Rangers skaters to log at least 500 minutes at five-on-five, Fox led the way in shot attempts for percentage (54.3) and scoring chances for percentage (55.1) while ranking in the top five in goals for percentage (59.5) and expected goals for percentage (54.1).
Makar is the reigning Norris Trophy winner and was named a finalist for the third straight year. If he's victorious this season, he'll become the first blue-liner to win in back-to-back years since Nicklas Lidstrom pulled off the three-peat beginning in 2006.
The star missed 22 games due to injury this season, but he was stellar when he slotted into the lineup, contributing 66 points (17 goals, 49 assists) in 60 contests. Makar's 1.10 point-per-game rate places second among all rearguards in 2022-23 - trailing only Karlsson - and he led the league in average ice time, eating up 26:23 minutes per night.
Despite his time on the sidelines, Makar still ranked eighth among defensemen in goals above replacement (16.4) and wins above replacement (2.8), according to Evolving Hockey. The Avalanche dictated 56.6% of the shot attempts, 54.2% of the shots, 59.1% of the goals, and 56.6% of the expected goals with Makar on the ice at five-on-five.
The 2023 NHL Awards begins at 8 p.m. ET on June 26.
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