When you award the “best” at anything there are certainly measurable criteria to determine the outcome. While last seasons Norris Trophy winner for the best defenseman went to offensive-minded Swede Erik Karlsson, there was a certain amount of backlash about Karlsson’s worthiness of said honor.

The main dispute is with Karlsson’s actual skill set in playing the position. There is an implied amount of contact and physicality implied with the term “defenseman”, and that is where the Ottawa defenseman falls short. 

I for one believe that not only is Karlsson the best defenseman in the league, he is a candidate for the Hart Trophy as the MVP of the NHL. Let me count the ways. First, and most importantly, it must be noted that Karlsson’s age, 22, leaves a ton of room for growth, improvement, maturity, etc.  Yet at this age Karlsson has modified his game to be more defensively responsible while he is on the ice.

Just a peek at his plus/minus over the course of his young career shows that while Karlsson may be spreading his wings offensively, he has increased his awareness on defense. A 46 point swing in the telltale plus/minus from 2010-11 shows that while the slightly built Swede won’t be Kronwalling anyone like his countryman from Detroit, his presence on the ice is uber-productive for the Senators. With a game that is already polished at the highest level of hockey, the only thing that Erik Karlsson really needs to worry about is that awful mustache he rocks from time to time

The offensive part of Karlsson’s game (pun intended) is that he plays a passive, almost containment style of defense. His reluctance to use the body has as much to do with his size (5’11” 190 lbs) as it does with his Swedish-ness. Karlsson is good enough on his skates and with his stick work that the hitting element could only put him in harms’ way. His detractors will point to the lack of physicality as a sign of weakness, rather than acknowledging that Karlsson’s positioning and awareness were off the charts last season.

To the areas that Erik Karlsson excels you look no further than his stat line. The guy scores like he’s playing left wing for Jason Spezza. In fact if you took Karlsson’s numbers and put them next to Spezza’s from last season, you might have a difficult time choosing which belonged to whom.

In summary, it leaves me in disbelief that some people diminish what Erik Karlsson has accomplished at such a young age. Whether he can maintain this level of production is the only question mark I have for him. The Senators have enough of a physical presence with other players and hardly need that from their elite young defenseman. A healthy Karlsson means a productive year for the Ottawa franchise, and that is a good thing.