As the 2016-17 NHL season winds down, Erik Karlsson is once again at the top of the NHL scoring race, tied for 12th in the NHL in points, and only 5 points behind Brent Burns for the lead among defensemen. Unsurprisingly, this has put him back in the conversation for the Norris trophy, an award that many were ready to preemptively hand to Burns at the halfway point of the season.
As is always the case when the conversation surrounding the Norris turns to points, the fact that both these players are offensive defensemen has gotten a lot of fans and pundits riled up.