Nashville Predators: Roman Josi deserves to be an early Norris Trophy favorite
Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi’s Norris Trophy odds are well deserved.
Roman Josi isn’t just the best player on the Nashville Predators, but one of the best players in the NHL, period.
Since fully establishing himself as a force in the 2014-15 NHL season, Josi has recorded at least 10 goals, 40 points, 100 blocks, and 50 hits in each of the last six seasons while serving as the team’s top overall two-way player. He’s also been Nashville’s captain since 2016 and was an assistant captain the year before that – signifying a clear level of respect among his teammates for a player who only turned 30 on June 1st.
If you’re a die-hard member of Predators nation, none of this is new information, but apparently, some fans outside of the Central Division didn’t pick up on just how good Josi can consistently be until the 2019-20 season, when he earned his first-ever All-Star appearance and the coveted honor of being named the 66th winner of the James Norris Memorial Trophy.
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Now granted, it’s not like Josi was some under-the-radar gem for the first eight years of his North American hockey-playing career. He received All-Star votes in every season since 2014 and has been a finalist for the Byng Trophy, the Norris Trophy, and the Hart Trophy at various points as well.
So naturally, when betting professionals start throwing together way too early odds for trophies like the Norris, it’s only natural to see Josi’s name atop the list – vying to become the first repeat winner since Nicklas Lidström accomplished the feat from 2006-08.
Fun Fact: If you’re a Predators fan and want to get a little skin in the game, +400 is actually pretty good odds for a Josi two-peat.
In the abbreviated 2019-20 NHL season, Josi ranked second in goals scored by a defenseman at 16 behind Zach Werenski, finished second in assists at 49 behind John Carlson, and maintained a +/- of 22 despite recording the third-highest ATOI number of any player in the NHL regardless of position. Could being afforded the opportunity to play the vast majority of those minutes alongside the best bearded-defenseman in the league,
Ryan Ellis, contribute to those impressive numbers? Most definitely, but so does, you know, being really, really good at hockey, which Josi most certainly is.
Let’s just say you don’t average a +/- of 22 on a team with a 50.7 win percentage without being really good at your job.
Next. Auston Matthews primed to make history with 50 goals in 2020-21. dark
With the 2020-21 NHL season right around the corner – hockey gods willing – these sort of preseason odds are going to keep popping up with an increasing frequency until the season opens up at some point in January/February. Could Roman Josi’s odds rise or fall with a big trade, an offseason injury, or something as silly as an Instagram photo? Not only could they, but they all but surely will. What ultimately matters, however, is that after flying under the national radar as a great piece on a consistent playoff contender, Josi is finally getting a chance to shine as one of the best players in the NHL and that, fortunately for fans of the Nashville Predators, probably isn’t going to change anytime soon.