At this point, the Norris Trophy race is, primarily, a four-horse race between John Carlson, Cale Makar, Dougie Hamilton and Shea Weber. Sure, there are other players you could make a case for, but as far as what the award represents, these are the main four who should be considered the front-runners at this time. Though most may view Carlson as the early favourite, Shea Weber is quietly making a case for himself.
Weber is on another level this season, sitting 2nd in Habs scoring and 5th in league scoring among defensemen with 11 goals and 28 points. But it's not just what Weber adds with his offense, but also what he does in the defensive end that should earn him some Norris consideration.
The Montreal Canadiens have really turned things around after losing 8-straight, just a few weeks ago and it would be difficult to argue that team captain Shea Weber isn't a big reason why. Montreal now sits third in the Atlantic Division and in possession of a playoff spot heading into the Christmas break and that simply would not have happened without the 34-year old's presence on the back-end and in the locker room.
When asked for his opinion on the matter by reporters, Calgary Flames captain Mark Giordano had nothing but positive things to say about Weber, ahead of Thursday evening's Flames/Habs meeting.
"He's doing it in his own end first, and I think to win that trophy, you should be a defenseman who plays both ways and who plays the right way and he's definitely right up there in the league with anyone as far as defending, so I think he should be given that credit and he should be in that conversation for sure."
Naturally, Canadiens bench boss Claude Julien echoed Giordano's sentiments.
"Does he deserve to be in those discussions for the Norris right now? Absolutely," said Julien, "I mean, the amount of time he spends on the ice for a game, you know, his point production, his plus/minus, what he's done for this hockey club and his leadership. There's no doubt he should definitely be in those discussions."
When asked by reporters if it feels more natural this season and whether he feels the game is coming back to him after missing a lot of the time over the last two seasons, Weber was too humble to comment on his own play. In true Shea Weber fashion, the captain actually asked if it was ok to focus on the team instead.
Although Weber did not want to comment on his play, Flames coach Geoff Ward had no qualms with offering his thoughts, indicating that he sees a lot of similarities between Weber and Flames captain Mark Giordano. He told TSN's Ryan Leslie that both players have the ability to lead, they have a calming presence, and play strong in their own zone. Giordano also won the award for the first time at the age of 35.
The Habs now sit in 3rd place in the Atlantic Division with a 16-12-6 record and are winners of 4 of their last 5 games. Weber and the Habs hope to keep the momentum going tonight in Calgary.
