Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin posted a list of “the top 10 Norris Trophy candidates,” and Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider finishes quite low on the list, despite his all-round acumen, because Larkin argues that Seider just doesn’t produce enough offense to be considered an elite elite defenseman:
8. Moritz Seider, Detroit Red Wings (+1100)
The biggest case against Seider ever winning the Norris is last season, when he was as good as any D-man on the planet and it still wasn’t enough. Seider was a monster in every facet of the game, chewing up almost 26 minutes per contest and thwarting other teams’ top players. He graded out as a 100th-percentile defensive player and a 95th-percentile offensive player. And yet: that sublime season only landed him fifth in the Norris vote. Having compiled 60 points and possessing more of an all-around skill set than that of a pure scoring weapon, Seider lacks the ceiling of the other perennial contenders, which makes him more of a fringe Norris threat, as amazing as he is.
Continued; I suppose that Seider is a good example of why the NHL needs a “best defensive defenseman’s” award, because the Norris Trophy has become an award for the highest-scoring defenseman since Nicklas Lidstrom retired.
