Letang, Subban and Suter Nominated for Norris

The finalists for the James Norris trophy, given to the defenseman who displays the best all-around ability at his position, were announced yesterday. Let's take a look at the three nominees, and those who just missed the cut.

Kris Letang - Pittsburgh Penguins: Letang finished tied with P.K. Subban for the scoring lead among NHL defensemen, despite missing almost a quarter of the season with injury. Letang finished with 38 points in only 35 games and led all defenseman in assists (33) and plus minus (+16). With only 8 penalty minutes on the season, Letang may very well end up a candidate for the Lady Byng as well. Letang was the driving force on a blue line that helped propel the Penguins to the top of the Eastern Conference.

P.K. Subban - Montreal Canadiens: It was a coming out party for Subban, who emerged as one of the best young blueliners in the league. He finished the year with 38 points, a +12 and was second in defensemen goal scoring with 11, despite missing the first 6 games with a contract dispute. His 7 power play goals was also second in the league, behind fellow Hab Andrei Markov. Subban's contributions helped lift the Canadiens from worst to first in the Northeast division this year.

Ryan Suter - Minnesota Wild: Much was expected of Suter after he signed a massive free agent contract with Minnesota this offseason, and he more than delivered. Suter had a remarkable season offensively, picking up 32 points in 48 games and would have set new career highs in a full season. His real value was leading a Wild team that had difficulty scoring into the playoffs. Nobody was on the ice longer than Suter this year in the entire NHL, as he averaged 27:16 minutes per game. Suter also finished with a +2, a better number than it seems considering the amount of minutes he played and Minnesota's poor offense.

Missing the Cut:
Keith Yandle - Phoenix Coyotes: 10 goals, 30 points, 5pp goals, +4
Duncan Keith - Chicago Blackhawks: 24 assists, 27 points, +16
Francois Beauchemin - Anaheim Ducks: 6 goals, 24 points, league leading +19 among defensemen
Mike Green - Defenseman leading 12 goals, 26 points in only 35 games.

Prediction: This one, like the Calder, is a tough one to call and it's hard to know what way the voters will go. Letang, Subban and Suter are all first time nominees. Traditionally the Norris goes to the higher scoring defenseman, but my feeling is that Subban and Letang will split the vote, allowing the more well-rounded Suter to take home his first Norris.