Marc-Édouard Vlasic can’t come to grips with how the NHL divvies up its awards.
The way the San Jose Sharks blueliner sees it, there are at least two trophies for forwards (the Hart, which almost always goes to a player up front, and the Selke) and a pair for goaltenders (the Vezina and the Jennings).
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When it comes to defensemen, however, the Norris Trophy is basically the only honor they can win.
“That aspect blows my mind,” Vlasic said. “There’s a defensive forward award, but none for the defensemen.”
Vlasic isn’t the only blueliner who’s made defense his calling card to have this view.
To back Vlasic’s point, Edmonton Oiler Mattias Ekholm asked when the last defenseman won the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP. (The answer is Chris Pronger in 1999-00, one of only two blueliners to claim the award since World War II ended. The other, of course, is three-time winner Bobby Orr.)
Ekholm said it’s “ludicrous” that there isn’t an award in the NHL for the top defensive defenseman.
“That’s really dated,” he said. “That’s something that should be on the table.
“There are so many defensive defensemen around the league that keep their whole team together, and they don’t get enough recognition around the league.”
A cynic might brush aside Vlasic’s and Ekholm’s comments as sour grapes or self-serving babble.
Vlasic is in the twilight stages of his career now, a 36-year-old fighting for ice time on the worst team in the NHL.
Ekholm, 33, proved his defensive might down the stretch last season after being acquired by the Oilers from the Nashville Predators. A hip flexor/groin injury out of training camp has slowed him down early on and his Oilers are a mess.
Neither is in the running for any prize these days.
But both players — when at their peak — would have been strongly considered as the best at the skill that defines the position itself.
“The Norris is awesome. It’s for the best defenseman, but, if you look at the history of it, it’s for the guy who scores the most points,” Ekholm said. “It’s way overdue — an award for the best defensive defenseman.
“The biggest part of being a defenseman is to defend, right? It’s not to be an extra forward — even though there’s room for that as well.”
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Teammates, coaches and executives universally express how they value the defenseman who takes on the toughest matchups and regularly succeeds all while enduring all sorts of physical pain and exhaustion.
But because those blueliners aren’t recognized in a concrete way for their efforts, their work tends to become an afterthought.
The Hockey Hall of Fame welcomed its 2023 class earlier this month. Three goaltenders were enshrined on the men’s side, which helped to backfill a position that was arguably underrepresented.
Even still, there’s no category of player that’s lacking in the Hall quite like the defensive defenseman. When defensemen more known for their defending acumen get the call, like 2020 class member Kevin Lowe, it’s on the strength of being part of several Stanley Cup-winning teams rather than individual awards.
Perhaps never were multiple defense trophies — one more for offensive abilities and the other more for defensive prowess — required more than last season.
“There almost should be (two awards),” Predators GM Barry Trotz said. “The Norris Trophy these days is probably a little more on points and production than it is on guys that can really play a defensive, solid game. Erik Karlsson got 100 points last year, but I don’t think anyone would say he’s a true defending defenseman. He’s a modern offensive defenseman, which is part of (the game).
“There’s room for one of those trophies in the league. We’re traditionalists. There hasn’t been one. But I think the league’s progressive enough that they can recognize that in the future.”
Karlsson won his third Norris Trophy in 2022-23 thanks to a season for the ages, recording 101 points for the Sharks. It was the first time a defenseman hit the century mark since Brian Leetch in 1991-92. His 64 points at five-on-five ranked second in the NHL, behind only Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon.
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Detractors, however, noted that Karlsson seldom killed penalties — he got 31 minutes of short-handed time in 82 games — and a minus-26 rating. (Karlsson was on the ice for an equal number of goals for and against — 96 — at five-on-five.)
Rod Langway was arguably the last defenseman known more so for his defending to win the Norris. The Washington Capitals blueliner claimed the trophy in back-to-back years, 1982-83 and 1983-84, when he had 32 and 33 points, respectively, in the highest-scoring era in NHL history.
Rod Brind’Amour doesn’t think the pendulum needs to shift back that far, but he’d like to see players with a stronger defensive slant to their games be recognized. A second award would be useful, he said.
“There’s a lot of guys where, if you took the power play out of it, where are they now?” Brind’Amour said. “These guys that aren’t getting their 30 free points a year, they’re still just as valuable to you because they’re playing the same amount of minutes.
“Maybe the Norris is for the best offensive defenseman — because that’s really who it goes to — and the whoever-name award goes to the best all-around defenseman.”
His viewpoint stems, in part, from being a two-time Selke winner as the NHL’s best defensive forward. There’s another bias, too. Brind’Amour coaches the Carolina Hurricanes and he raves about Jaccob Slavin.
“He’s an all-around great player, but he doesn’t play on the power play,” Brind’Amour said. “I don’t put him in those situations. If I did, he’d have even better numbers than he does now.
“He’s got the ability to do whatever you want him to do.”
If Vlasic is the underappreciated defenseman from years past, Slavin, 29, probably holds that distinction now.
Slavin broke into the NHL in 2015-16 and has been on Norris Trophy ballots in each season following that rookie campaign. His best finish was fifth in 2019-20. He posted a career high 42 points in 2021-22 and came ninth in voting.
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Unsurprisingly, those two top-10 placings coincided with notable time on the power play. Brent Burns assumed most of the power-play duties last season after being acquired from the Sharks in the offseason. He finished 10th in Norris voting, whereas Slavin was 17th.
“That’s not necessarily what I get paid to do,” he said. “My job as a defenseman is to stop pucks from coming into my net.”
Slavin has come to relish trying to shut down the best players on other teams. He noted the unique difficulties the Boston Bruins’ former top line of Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand brought and joked that Alex Ovechkin has had his number.
He said power forwards have given him more trouble, but he prides himself on using his stick effectively and being in the right position to get the job done far more often than not.
The Hurricanes typically dominate on the scoreboard when Slavin is on the ice. Last season was a down year for him, and he still had a 54.6 percent goal share at five-on-five. He was close to or exceeding 60 percent in the three previous campaigns and is there again this season.
“The less time I’m spending in the defensive zone, that’s a good thing,” Slavin said. “That means I’m getting the puck out and I’m breaking up plays.
“I like to contribute on the offensive side. There are bits and pieces of my game that are good at helping with that. But if we win the game and I’m playing against their top players and they don’t have any points, I consider that a successful night.”
Like Slavin, the Calgary Flames’ Chris Tanev has embraced the role — one he’s had since working his way into the league on Presidents’ Trophy-winning Vancouver Canucks teams in 2010-11 and 2011-12.
“When you’re on the ice and a young player on a really, really good team, your job is to not make mistakes,” Tanev said. “If I made mistakes, I wouldn’t play the next day.”
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Since then, he’s blossomed into one of the best defenders in the NHL. It’s why the Flames coveted him as a free agent in 2020.
That Tanev missed the start of the Flames-Oilers series in 2022 and played through a torn labrum and disclosed shoulder upon return helped tip the scales in Edmonton’s favor. That was the season he finished 15th in Norris voting. He received a single vote — the only one of his career.
“I don’t like any attention. It’s fine,” Tanev said. “I don’t like to be talked about or anything like that. If I can fly under the radar a bit, that’s cool with me.”
Instead, the task at hand is more exciting than any accolades.
“I’m always a huge team guy. I want to win,” the 33-year-old said. “So, whatever role the coach needs me to do I’m happy to do and it sort of just developed over time.”
But that philosophy isn’t one adopted by everyone — at least initially.
Vancouver Canucks assistant coach Adam Foote was regarded as one of the elite defenders of the previous generation.
Foote played for Canada in five best-on-best tournaments, winning it all at the 2002 Olympics and 2004 World Cup. Throw in two Stanley Cup championships with the Colorado Avalanche and Foote has a sterling on-ice resume. He was a defensive force who averaged more than 25 minutes per game at his peak.
But he loathed his usage early in his career. It took a pep talk from his dad, Vernon, to alter his perspective.
“You’re a young kid and you see the success people are having by getting points or being on a power play,” Foote said. “It was my father who said, ‘You’ll be happy if you accept this role, and the team wins.’ My last 10 years, I accepted it.”
Foote felt he gained respect from those around the league for doing a tough job and doing it well.
He began to appreciate the task of shutting down opponents’ top offensive players rather than long for a more offensive role himself. The most rewarding part of the job was having to figure out ways to thwart those with varying skill sets. Foote found it was easier to handle speedsters like Paul Kariya and Pavel Bure than craftier forwards like Pavel Datsyuk, Joe Nieuwendyk or Adam Oates — whom he said he could never hit.
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“They’ll make the play that they should make, the higher-percentage play on what the defense is playing against them,” Foote said. “Those are the most dangerous guys to play against. I loved the challenge over the years of trying to figure it out.”
Though he was a pillar on championship teams and picked for Team Canada for his skill set, Foote appeared on Norris Trophy ballots in just two of his 19 seasons. He finished a career-high 10th in 2002-03 when he netted 11 goals — one-sixth of his NHL total — and 31 points, both personal bests.
“We talk about the hole-in-one, the Hail Mary, the hat trick, the grand slam,” Foote said. “Those are amazing. Those are unbelievable things to see.
“I completely get it. I’m so fine with that in terms of knowing that in my first few years, I wanted more of that limelight or a chance to do that. Who knows? Maybe I didn’t have the ability and I wouldn’t have been in the league too long if I tried.
“But it’s the world we live in. No one talks about how the offensive linemen in a football game open up a hole.”
Good defenders help teams win games and even championships. Individual trophies are harder to come by.
Foote has little interest in debating the merits of whether a defensive defenseman trophy should be created. It would feel too self-centred were he to argue for it, he said, like he’d be attempting to pad his stats. Tanev is indifferent while leaning toward the status quo.
Slavin looks at recent Norris winners like Cale Makar and Adam Fox as offensive stars who are well-rounded defenders, too. They’re the standard-bearers of the position, he said.
“A lot of the top defensemen in the game nowadays can do both,” Slavin said.
“If there was that award, I wouldn’t say no. But it doesn’t really bother me all that much. Awards are cool and all, but they’re not something that I necessarily strive for.”
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How a defensive defenseman trophy would be decided would certainly need some parameters.
Ekholm likes the idea of plus/minus — save for empty-net goals — being the main criterion. Perhaps fittingly, his plus-23 rating at even strength from the time he was acquired by the Oilers through the end of the 2022-23 season led the NHL.
“It’s limiting goals against, limiting shot volume when you’re on the ice,” Ekholm said. “You have all these metrics now. I don’t know if there’s one specific stat.
“That’s what makes it so crazy that there isn’t an award. There are so many parallels that go into being a good defenseman. You can be great at blocking shots, but that doesn’t make you a great defensive defenseman. If you’re one of the top defensive defensemen in the league, you’re going to play against the first line each and every night — which means you’ve got to be able to think like they are thinking.
“It’s a hard one to judge, but I feel like there is a lot of different metrics with that.”
Ekholm sure did that last season.
He changed the complexion of his new team’s defense. Granted the Oilers had one of the easiest strengths of schedules after his arrival, but Ekholm was a difference-maker in helping the Oilers go 18-2-1 for a .881 points percentage — the best in the NHL in that time. He teamed up with the more offensively inclined Evan Bouchard to form an elite pair. The Oilers outscored the opposition 31-10 at five-on-five with Ekholm on the ice.
He didn’t get a single Norris Trophy vote, though. He’s appeared on ballots just once since becoming an NHL regular in 2013-14 when he finished 10th in 2018-19.
The importance of defending isn’t lost on Ekholm — especially this season as he and the Oilers have struggled.
“You look at our start this year,” Ekholm said. “We couldn’t keep the puck out of our net. How does the team look even though we have the best players in the world on our team?”
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That’s exactly why Trotz and Roman Josi said those around and on a hockey team appreciate players like Ekholm — regardless if they’re recognized with a trophy.
Trotz was Ekholm’s first NHL coach in Nashville and made his mark for his defensive tactics before moving into management. Josi won the Norris Trophy in 2019-20 with Ekholm as a teammate.
“Those guys get a ton of respect from their peers because you play against them, and you see how good they are,” Josi said. “Players know.”
Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin isn’t sure if a trophy is needed. He feels like at least some offence is essential to being considered an elite defenseman.
“You should be able to defend,” Guerin said. “We need the other end, too.
“There are elite defenders, but I wouldn’t say they’re underrated or underappreciated by coaches and managers. I can tell you that.”
NHL history is littered with defensemen who were all but forgotten about outside the walls of the dressing room. Guerin mentions Bruce Driver, his former teammate with the New Jersey Devils. Brind’Amour notes Bret Hedican, who played for the United States at the 2006 Olympics — the same year he won the Stanley Cup with Brind’Amour in Carolina.
“None were as good as Jaccob,” Brind’Amour said. “He’s on another level than anyone I can even think of.”
Slavin cites the New York Islanders’ Adam Pelech as a peer in the underappreciated group.
“Those offensive guys score a huge power-play goal. Those defensive guys stop a goal at a really crucial time on a penalty kill,” Slavin said. “They can also have game-altering moments. They might just go unnoticed because they’re not necessarily on a stat sheet.”
In general, it’s impossible to know with any degree of certainty who will get into the Hall of Fame outside of the no-brainer selections.
Maybe Foote gets the call one day as a two-time Cup winner and champion on two high-profile Canadian teams in international play. Lowe, a six-time Cup champ, was suddenly elected on his 19th year on the ballot, after all.
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Maybe Slavin gets in, too. Or Tanev. Or Ekholm. Or Vlasic. Without trophies next to their names — let alone even being a Norris finalist — it sure doesn’t seem likely.
“You could probably find a defensive defenseman or two for every decade that would never even be considered for the Hall of Fame — just because there weren’t the analytics or all the things to really identify that,” Trotz said.
“But if you’re trying to build a championship-level team, these guys will be high on your list. I don’t think that’ll ever happen, that these guys will get in the Hall of Fame, but I guarantee you that you’ll see their names on the Cup. That becomes their Hall of Fame.”
Vlasic understands that loud and clear.
“If it’s voted on by the players, there are lot of guys that aren’t in it that would be in it,” Vlasic said. “Unfortunately, it’s not voted by the players. Most of the time, it’s voted by points, and Cups as well.
“Everyone loves flashiness. Everyone loves points, goals, assists. Yes, the new NHL is about winning games, but if you rack up points, everyone says, ‘Oh, you had a good season.’ That’s how it is.”
Vlasic won a gold medal with the 2014 Canadian men’s Olympic team. At the time, he was partway through a season in which his Sharks managed 58.2 percent of the shot attempts, 58.9 percent of the shots, 60 percent of the goals and 62.3 percent of the expected goals at five-on-five with him on the ice. Two years later, he won the World Cup with Canada months after being an integral part of getting the Sharks to the Stanley Cup Final.
“The reason I was picked (for Canada) was I was good enough to be on those teams,” Vlasic said. “I was picked by GMs and coaches and appreciated by the players I played against. That’s all the recognition I needed.”
Despite those gaudy numbers and his prominent role in team success, Vlasic never came close to any individual accolades. He’s appeared on Norris ballots just four times in his career; his best placing was 11th in the voting in 2017-18. It just so happened that coincided with Vlasic scoring 11 goals, the only time in his career he’s hit double digits.
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Though Vlasic was no slouch offensively in his prime — he had a personal-best 39 points in 2015-16 — scoresheet production was never the hallmark of his game. Instead, Vlasic used his stick to swat away passes, taking on a more thankless and understated role for the good of the team.
“When I came in (to the league), (Sidney) Crosby came in, Ovechkin came in; there were a lot of good players as well. I took pride in shutting down the best players,” he said.
“There’s not many guys that can do that. I took pride in doing that, knowing that, for example, Brent Burns would take care of the offence.”
Now, he wants to pay things forward in another way, knowing that it’s too late for him to reap the rewards.
“Hopefully, one day, they’ll have a trophy,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s now or 20 years from now. There should have been one 50 years ago.
“I’m not saying I should win it. There’s the best offensive forward and the best defensive forward, but yet we only have one for defensemen. That’s the most illogical thing that there is.”
With files from The Athletic’s Julian McKenzie.
Advanced metrics from Natural Stat Trick.
(Top photos of Mattias Ekholm and Adam Foote: Josh Lavallee / NHLI via Getty Images and Brian Bahr / ALLSPORT)
