Roman Josi Has Been the NHL’s Best Defenseman This Season
Roman Josi has been on a tear in 2022.
The 31-year-old defenseman for the Nashville Predators used the month of March to put an exclamation mark on his already fantastic season. In that month, he led all NHL players with 24 assists and 28 points, plus he racked up a plus-14 rating.
Josi became the first defenseman to lead the league outright in points during a calendar month since 1990, posting the third-highest point total by a defenseman in one month in NHL history.
During his record-setting March, he set a career-high point streak (13 games) that included eight multi-point efforts. Looking at the entire month, Josi had four consecutive contests with three or more points, while adding a pair of games in which he tallied four points.
Roman Josi has been unstoppable this season.
In 67 games played this season, Josi has 84 points, which is not only the top mark among Predators skaters, but it also leads all NHL defensemen. Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche is the only other blueliner that ranks in the top 20 league-wide in points (75 points).
Overall, the Nashville captain is tied for ninth in the league in points, while his 65 assists put him in a three-way tie for second in the NHL. He is joined by some elite company in Connor McDavid and Artemi Panarin.
This offensive outburst is uncharted territory for Josi. He has never put together a point-per-game season, though he has already locked that up in 2022. His previous career highs were 16 goals, 49 assists, and 65 total points, all compiled during the 2019-2020 season.
This is also territory in which most fans did not expect to find the Predators. I expected Nashville to be a basement dweller this season as a team that was past its prime with no real championship aspirations.
Instead, the Predators captain, along with some of his teammates, has his team in control of the top wild card spot in the Western Conference playoff picture.
Given how well Josi has played this season, I cannot picture any other defenseman winning the Norris Trophy. In my eyes, as an offensive juggernaut on the blueline this season and as the defensive leader for a surprisingly relevant team, he is the obvious choice.
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The Predators are fighting for the right to partake in the postseason, but Josi has his sights set on the Norris Trophy and a championship run in Tennessee.