Karlsson, Morrissey Among NHL’s 2023 Norris Contenders

When Cale Makar won the Conn Smythe Trophy last June as the most valuable player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it felt like the 23-year-old Colorado Avalanche defenseman had cemented his status as the best blueliner of his generation.

Five days earlier, Makar also won his first Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman, narrowly edging out 2020 winner Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators.

After a summer like that, it was no surprise that Makar entered this season as the front-runner for the 2022-23 Norris. And he’s having a perfectly fine year.

Despite a number of offseason changes necessitated by salary-cap pressures, the Avalanche are showing no signs of a Stanley Cup hangover, hovering near the top of the Central Division standings. Makar has appeared in all 19 games of his team’s games through Nov. 28 and seen his ice time increase to a career-high 27:00 per game, which is also tops in the NHL this season. And his production is in the same ballpark as the 28-goal, 86-point pace that set an Avalanche franchise record last season. With 6-15-21 through 19 games, Makar is on target for 25 goals and 90 points this year.

Makar also set a new NHL record for defensemen last week, recording his 200th point in his 195th regular-season game.

But the voters from the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association haven’t anointed a repeat Norris winner since Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings won three of his seven trophies between 2006 and 2008.

As things currently stand at the quarter pole of the 2022-23 campaign, Makar has some very worthy competition for the title of the NHL’s best defenseman .

Resurgent Erik Karlsson Dazzles In San Jose

That list is topped by Erik Karlsson of the San Jose Sharks. He’s a two-time Norris winner (2012, 2015) and two-time runner up (2016, 2017) from his time with the Ottawa Senators.

Karlsson’s at his best when he has the puck on his stick, dipping and deking around opponents before taking a shot or setting up a scoring chance. But the smooth-skating Swede suffered a serious injury to his Achilles tendon in 2013, then went through a foot injury in the spring of 2017 which required surgery, with doctors removing part of his ankle bone and inserting an artificial tendon.

As Karlsson approached unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2019, the Senators put him on the trade block before the 2018 trade deadline. They didn’t consummate a deal until six months later — a blockbuster that brought back seven assets, including star forward Josh Norris and the first-round draft pick that was used to select Tim Stutzle third overall in 2020.

In Karlsson’s first year in the Bay Area, the Sharks reached the Western Conference Final before being eliminated by the St. Louis Blues. But his presence didn’t elevate the club over the long term. San Jose has now missed the playoffs for the last three years.

During the 2022 offseason, the club went through a major renovation. Mike Grier was hired as the new general manager, David Quinn was brought in as coach, and another star right-shot blueliner, Brent Burns, was dealt to the Carolina Hurricanes in a trade that was primarily intended to free up salary-cap space.

Whether it’s Quinn’s new on-ice system, a more prominent role role with Burns no longer on the team or an improvement in his skating five years after that ankle surgery, Karlsson looks like his old self this season — if not better.

With 11 goals and 32 points in 24 games, he leads all defensemen in both categories and is on pace for a ridiculous 37 goals and 109 points. If he can keep it up, he would crush Josi’s impressive stat line of 23-73-96 from last season and become the first blueliner to crack 100 points since Brian Leetch of the New York Rangers hit 102 in the 1991-92 season.

Despite his phenomenal numbers, Karlsson’s Norris chances might be hurt if the Sharks remain outside the Western Conference playoff picture. But those odds could improve if he’s playing for a contender when ballots are cast at season’s end.

Karlsson has the fourth-highest cap hit in the NHL this season, at $11.5 million, and his deal runs for four more full years, through 2026-27.

For the last three years, the NHL’s annual cap increases have been curtailed due to the revenue shortfall caused by the pandemic. As a result, 17 of the league’s 32 teams are relying on long-term injured reserve for cap relief. At this juncture, it would be tough for a contender to squeeze Karlsson onto its roster, even if a portion of his salary is retained.

But where there’s a will, there’s a way. And Karlsson has spent the first 24 games of this season reminding fans and managers what a gamebreaker he can be when he’s playing at his best.

Introducing Josh ‘Norrissey’

Meanwhile, the Winnipeg Jets are hyping up their newly minted Norris contender with a nickname that fits him like a glove.

Meet ‘Josh Norrissey.’

Known as Josh Morrissey for the first six years of his NHL career, the 27-year-old from Calgary has taken his game to another level under new coach Rick Bowness this season.

A steady two-way defender who logs about 23 minutes a night, Morrissey set a new personal best last season with 12 goals and 37 points in 79 games. This year, he’s already up to 23 points in just 20 games — fourth among all defensemen and headed for a 94-point year if he can maintain his current pace.

“When Josh and I were talking over the summer, I mentioned to him that, listen, I remember coming in here with Dallas and coaching against you, and part of our pre-game was focused on Josh Morrissey, because he was their best defenceman,” Bowness told the Winnipeg media last week, after Morrissey scored the overtime winner against the Carolina Hurricanes.

“You’ve got the green light, I want you a lot more involved with the offence. I want you skating,” Bowness added. “At the end of the season, and this is what I told him, when there’s a discussion of who the Top 10 defensemen are for the Norris Trophy voting, I want to see his name in there. And he’s taken great pride in that.”

Morrissey scored another overtime winner on the road against the Dallas Stars last Friday. After adding three assists in the Jets’ 7-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday, he was named the NHL’s second star for the week ending Nov. 27.

Drafted 13th overall by the Jets in 2013, Morrissey has logged 443 NHL games, but never received a single top-five vote for the Norris Trophy. If he keeps delivering the goods at both ends of the ice, that will change this season.

As for other candidates — while the Norris is awarded to the NHL’s best overall defenseman, it tends to go to blueliners who have a strong offensive game. Along with Karlsson, Morrissey and Makar, five other rearguards are also producing at better than a point a game following Monday’s action.

• Charlie McAvoy (BOS) 8 GP, 2-8-10, 1.25 PPG
• Quinn Hughes (VAN) 18 GP, 0-21-21, 1.17 PPG
• Rasmus Dahlin (BUF) 21 GP, 8-16-24, 1.14 PPG
• Adam Fox (NYR) 23 GP, 6-19-25, 1.09 PPG (2021 Norris winner)
• Mikhail Sergachev (TBL) 21 GP, 4-18-22, 1.05 PPG

Their names could also be in the conversation when it’s time for votes to be cast at the conclusion of the regular season.