Ryan McDonagh already had a staunch reputation as one of the NHL's top shutdown defenders, and you would be hard pressed to name a defender that is a better skater than the former University of Wisconsin Badger.
Defense and gap control on the ice has been a trademark of McDonagh's game to date, but this year he has added another element to his arsenal of skills.
Everything has gone right for McDonagh this season, and he deserves to receive league-wide recognition in some way. McDonagh is a long shot to win the Norris Trophy, but he does deserve to be a candidate—and finalist—for the coveted award.
It has long been debated that the NHL should create a second award for defensemen. The league recognizes the top defensive forwards with the Frank J. Selke trophy, but historically the Norris Trophy has been awarded to the league's top offensive defensemen.
Here is a list of the last four Norris Trophy winners, and how many points they tallied during their trophy-winning season.
As you can see, all the winners were dynamite offensive contributors. Subban is the exception, but thing ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Tom Urtz Jr.
Why New York Rangers’ Ryan McDonagh Should Be a Norris Trophy Candidate
March 27th, 2014 by Tom Urtz Jr. Leave a reply »
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