It has been a resurgent year for the 32-year-old defenseman, who seems to have found his offensive touch once again. Playing for a bad San Jose Sharks team, Karlsson can rack up points at will; it looks like this season. Through 46 games, he has done just that: he leads the team in points and assists while ranking third in goals.
This comeback year has brought up the topic of whether Karlsson can win the Norris Trophy. The answer is yes, he can, even with his porous defense. It seems the Norris Trophy has transitioned from best defenseman to best offensive defenseman who gets the most points. This benefits Karlsson greatly, as he leads all defensemen with goals (15), assists (47), and points (62).
Karlsson has won the Norris Trophy twice in his career, during the 2011-2012 and the 2014-2015 seasons when he was with the Ottawa Senators. At his current pace, Karlsson is set to have a bigger season than both of his two winning years.
During the 2011-2012 season, he finished with 19 goals and 59 assists for 78 points, while during the 2014-2015 season, he had 21 goals and 45 assists for 66 points.
At his current pace, he should finish the 2023-2023 season with 27 goals and 84 assists for 111 points if he can continue his strong first half throughout the final 36 games of the season.
What could also boost Karlsson’s chance of winning the Norris this year is his potential to be traded to a contender. There have been rumors that the Sharks will look to cash in on Karlsson’s recent success as they prepare to build for the future. If Karlsson can go to a contender and continue to produce offensively and improve his defense, he can win his third Norris Trophy.
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