The NHL has a problem with acknowledging the efforts of defensive defensemen since Adam Pelech should’ve won the Norris Trophy this season.

The NHL awards the James Norris Trophy to the “defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position,” according to the NHL. But it’s evident that defensemen with an offensive flair have been favored in recent years.

A defenseman who can score numerous points should not be discredited for their scoring efforts, but rather be criticized if their scoring comes at the cost of defense, their primary position. San Jose Sharks defensemen Brent Burns won the James Norris Trophy in 2017. During that season, Burns was fantastic; yet, his defense was average at best. Burns has been heavily critiqued for his lackluster defensive ability in the NHL, and over the past few seasons, he has become a liability.

Adam Pelech is a fan favorite among Islander fans. He needs no introduction to any Islander fan as he is a defensive stalwart for Long Island. Unfortunately for Pelech, since he doesn’t rack up points, the NHL can’t recognize his contributions to the Islanders with a trophy. This past season, Pelech received a single Norris Trophy vote. Pelech, along with his partner in crime, Ryan Pulock, should be getting a greater amount of votes.

This debate speaks to the greater issue of how analysts should judge NHL defensemen. There are those who bring the whole package. They can score and prevent the other team from doing so. They deserve to win the Norris. On the opposite side of the spectrum, you have defensemen who are purely offensive, like Burns or Quinn Hughes this season.

Then you have defensemen who struggle to score, but their defensive play is so good that it is a massive contributor to their team’s success. That’s Adam Pelech, but there’s no trophy for players like him.

The odds of Adam Pelech winning the Norris Trophy are slim. Therefore, rhe addition of a new trophy recognizing the best shutdown defenseman would give players such as Adam Pelech the recognition they deserve.

A potential benefit to adding this award would allow for historically great seasons to receive even more praise. Take Brent Burns’ Norris Trophy win. If his defensive play was as good as his offensive prowess, he would have won both awards, making him both the best all-around defenseman and the best defensive defenseman.

This new award would create a new dynamic NHL. Aspiring NHL defensemen can set their sights on both the Norris and this new trophy, allowing them to choose a new style of play and look up to the players who win the award.

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The idea of the addition of the trophy should not detract from the great NHL defensemen who have won the Norris Trophy. The likes of Nicklas Lidstrom or Ray Bourque excelled on both ends of the ice. This new trophy would simply highlight a different style of play, and help shine a light on historically great seasons if a player were to win the Norris and this new defensive award.

John Smark