The Athletic published an article today discussing the changing roles of defensemen in today's NHL and how the players feel the league should respond to these changes. Several defenseman spoke up, saying that the league should implement a new award to recognize their talent.
As it stands, there is only one trophy exclusive to defensemen, the Norris trophy, which is simply awarded to the best defenseman in a given season. Traditionally, the award has been given to best overall defenseman in the league but now it essentially only goes to defensemen that score a lot. Often times those players are also solod defensively, such as Colorado's Cale Makar, but that is not always the case. Just last season Erik Karlsson won the award for his 101 point effort, but no one would accuse Karlsson of being good defensively.
At this point, it only seems like a matter of time before the NHL gives in as a growing number of voices around the league call for an award to honor the best defenders in the league. After all, there is a trophy for best defensive forward.
