John Klingberg
The argument for: Usually, Karlsson is pulling away in the points race amongst defensemen by now. But shockingly, John Klingberg of the Dallas Stars is the current leader, with 19 points in 20 games. Points matter a lot in the Norris race these days, so the young Swedish defenseman is definitely in the running.
Dallas Stars
Klingberg has been the best Stars defenseman by a pretty good margin. It’s telling that he’s never really had a consistent partner, splitting time between Marc Methot and Esa Lindell. Yet Klingberg is still an impressively dominant defenseman on offense.
The argument against: The biggest question is who’s going to be his partner moving forward? It’s probably going to be Lindell, as Methot’s recent injury should keep him out for several weeks, perhaps months. That’s a REALLY good thing for Klingberg if the former will be his primary partner moving forward.
Entering Tuesday, the pairing has been dominant, no matter which metrics you use. The Stars significantly outscore their opponents when Klingberg and Lindell are together. And their expected goals for numbers are quite impressive. Lindell is good, but it’s fairly obvious Klingberg’s the driver of that pairing. Nothing against Esa, though. He’s at least a productive passenger. The kind of one who gives you good tunes and conversation.
Outlook: It’s simple. If Klingberg spends a lot of time with Lindell, he might well win the Norris Trophy. But if he doesn’t, he won’t. Do the right thing, Ken Hitchcock.