It's one thing for the NHL to ignore Sheldon Souray when it names the three finalists for the Norris Trophy, but Greg Wyshynski goes one step further in his blog entry today.
He makes a list of the folks omitted from awards; presumably the list of the next-best defensemen in the league:
- Andrei Markov
- Brian Rafalski
- Scott Niedermayer
- Dan Boyle
- Mark Streit
- Shea Weber
Notice a name missing from that list? The name of that hard-shooting, Craig Wellar-destroying defenseman on the Edmonton Oilers, perhaps? I was fairly 'meh' on Souray in the summer, but his season was incredible. Consider:
- Souray's 23 goals ranked 2nd among NHL defensemen
- Souray's 53 points ranked 8th among NHL defensemen
- Souray's 12 power-play goals was 2nd among NHL defensemen
- Souray was one of only 21 NHL defensemen to score a short-handed goal this season
- Souray's 5 game-winning goals was second among NHL defensemen (and yes I know that GW goals is a garbage stat, but I'm trying to make a point!)
- Souray's 24:54 ranked 9th among NHL defensemen
- Souray played in all situations, ranking in the top thirty in TOI on both the PK and PP
- And, of course, Souray destroys people
None of this is to say that Souray's going to be worth his contract over its duration, or even be able to repeat this season, but he had an incredible year. Certainly better than Mark Streit's.