Three-way race for the Norris Trophy coming down to the wire

Three-way race for the Norris Trophy coming down to the wire

Roman Josi, Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar each have their own case to claim the award

By Ryan Mosher

NEW YORK (March 31, 2024) —The Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) is the group that decides the NHL award winners at the end of each season. There are 18 individual awards, including the Norris Trophy, an award given to the defenseman with “the greatest all around ability.”

The PHWA will have a difficult decision to make when the Norris Trophy vote arises. The race for the Norris Trophy looks to be especially tight this season. There are three contenders that may be worthy of the award, but only one can win.

The three leading contenders for the award are Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks, Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche and Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators.

The baseline offensive statistics for each player are similar. The totals of each player’s goals and assists differs by only eight. Each player has important statistics where they lead the others.

Josi leads in blocked shots and goals. Blocked shots are a key statistic for defenseman that shows how many shots they can prevent from reaching the goalie.

Makar leads in takeaways. Takeaways measure the amount of time a player legally takes possession of the puck away from the opposing team.

Hughes leads in plus/minus and assists. The plus/minus statistic tracks the number of even-strength goals for and against while a player is on the ice. When a player has a higher plus/minus, it means he has been on the ice for many more goals scored by his team compared to the opponents.

The common perception about the Norris Trophy is that only offensive statistics and abilities are taken into consideration. The offensive qualities a defenseman possesses should not be overlooked when handing out the award, but it is beginning to feel like the defensive qualities are.

The Norris Trophy has been given to the defenseman with the most points in the NHL eight times since the year 2000. Erik Karlsson, who is now a two-time winner of the award, won the Norris Trophy last season despite having a plus/minus of -26.

The blame for the poor plus/minus number is not entirely on Karlsson, since he played for the fourth-worst team in the NHL. However, once his San Jose Sharks were eliminated from playoff contention, it seemed like he cared less about his defense and more about the chase for 100 points. A defenseman had not collected 100 points in a season since Brian Leetch in the 1991-92 campaign until Karlsson achieved the feat last season.

Corsi is an advanced statistic designed to track a player’s effectiveness while on the ice. A player’s Corsi percentage is the percentage of shots his team attempts when the player is on the ice. For example, Hughes has a Corsi of 61.9%, so the Canucks attempt 61.9% of the shots while Hughes is on the ice.

Corsi does not factor high danger shots or chances. The logic behind the statistic is the more shots a team attempts with a player on the ice, the team has more possession and that makes the player more valuable.

Even though Corsi does not reflect them, high danger scoring chances are tracked. Josi currently ranks seventh in the NHL in high danger scoring chances (HDSC) for with 287. Hughes and Makar rank No. 10 and No. 67 respectively.

Although Makar ranks last of the three candidates in HDSC for, he has by far the better rating in HDSC against. He has given up 194 while Hughes and Josi have given up 271 and 251.

This statistic indicates that Makar doesn’t allow as many high danger scoring chances while he is on the ice. This is due to Josi and Hughes’ tendency to take more chances offensively, which can lead to dangerous chances for the opponent.

The PHWA is not shy about giving the Norris Trophy to a previous winner. There have been 13 repeat winners of the award, and Bobby Orr holds the record with eight Norris Trophy awards. Roman Josi and Cale Makar have both also previously won the Norris Trophy award.

Team success may also be considered when deciding this year’s award winner. Hughes was named the captain of the Canucks this year and is leading them to the playoffs for the first time since the COVID shortened 2019/2020 season. The last time the Canucks made the playoffs in a full 82-game campaign was nine years ago in the 2014/2015 season.

Another statistic to evaluate a defenseman’s value to their team is point shares. A player’s point share is the estimated number of points a player contributes to a team’s total. For example. Hughes has a point share of 12.8, so the Canucks would have 12.8 less points if Hughes was not playing.

With everything mentioned, the signs point to Quinn Hughes taking home this year’s Norris Trophy. Josi and Makar have their arguments, but Hughes leads Josi and Makar in points, plus/minus and Corsi percentage, while helping end his team’s playoff drought.

NHL trade deadline recap: Hurricanes steal top trade target from Oilers

NHL trade deadline recap: Hurricanes steal top trade target from Oilers

Hurricanes’ acquisition of Jake Guentzel headlines busy NHL trade deadline

By Ryan Mosher

CAROLINA (March 27, 2024) — The NHL’s trade deadline was action-packed with 62 players being traded in the last week before the deadline. The Carolina Hurricanes stole the show when they acquired both Jake Guentzel and Evgeny Kuznetsov in two separate trades.

Carolina traded Michael Bunting, prospects Vasily Ponomarev, Ville Koivunen and two conditional draft picks for Guentzel. Those two picks are first-round and fifth-round picks in the 2024 draft.

Unlike the Guentzel trade, Carolina did not give up much for Kuznetsov. The Hurricanes only sent a third-round pick to the Washington Capitals in exchange for the 2018 Stanley Cup champion.

The Hurricanes were struggling offensively before the trade deadline, but their two acquisitions have already increased Carolina’s productivity.

Guentzel has 12 points in nine games and Kuznetsov has five points in 11 games since going to the ‘Canes’. Also, Carolina has scored 46 goals in the 11 games since acquiring the two players. Only the Dallas Stars have scored more goals than Carolina in that span, with 47 goals scored.

Another trade that has proven to be successful so far has been Anthony Duclair being shipped to the Tampa Bay Lightning from the San Jose Sharks. Duclair has nine points in eight games so far and the Lightning only had to get surrender a third-round pick in this year’s draft and prospect Jack Thompson.

Thompson had stalled this year while playing with the Syracuse Crunch in the American Hockey League, and Duclair is a proven playoff performer. This trade will cement the Lightning as a dangerous playoff matchup for whoever they play.

The Vegas Golden Knights were able to bring in Tomas Hertl from the Sharks because of the excess cap space with Mark Stone on long-term injured reserve.

While Hertl has not played for the Golden Knights yet because of a lower body injury, he will give the Golden Knights the best center combination in the NHL. Hertl had 34 points in 48 games on a bad San Jose team.

The Boston Bruins opted to not make any major trades like their rivals, but they did possibly make the most ironic trade of the deadline.

They traded for Pat Maroon from the Minnesota Wild. Maroon was a key piece in the St. Louis Blues’ Stanley Cup Finals win against the Bruins in 2019.

Bruins’ play-by-play announcer Jack Edwards, who has been highly critical Maroon in the past, commented “he’ll never lose a fight now that he’s wearing the right sweater” in a message from the Boston Globe’s Matt Porter.

Kippen’s rise to the top

Kippen’s rise to the top

A champion in the making: Drew Kippen takes his shot at a state title

By Ryan Mosher

CICERO, N.Y. (March 10, 2024) — Cicero North-Syracuse High School’s sophomore star Drew Kippen is looking forward to the Boys golf state tournament run by New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA).

In his third season on the varsity golf team, Kippen finished his sophomore regular season with an average score of 36.7 strokes over 13 matches. Kippen’s average led his team by 1.9 strokes.

This season was an improvement from his first two seasons. His freshman year he averaged a score of 38.7, and his eighth-grade year he averaged a score of 39.7.

Kippen was able to fine-tune and improve his game. His 36.7 stroke average from the 2023 school season was a full two stroke improvement from the prior season.

“Short game and putting, I really worked a lot on that…that’s what improved the most for me.” Kippen said.

Preparations for the state tournament are more difficult in Central New York when compared to warmer areas. Golf courses close in October and the weather dictates when they are re-opened. The weather conditions for most of the spring are rain and snow. This leaves golfers in a tricky spot, as they have less time to properly prepare.

“No right now, it’s a little wet outside, but I do have a simulator in the house, so I’ve just been practicing some certain swing thoughts, trying to get ready for May.” Kippen said on his preparations for the state tournament.

When asked about his favorite golf course that isn’t his home course, Kippen said “I’d have to say Cortland Country Club (CCC), it’s nice and tight, but if you can hit the ball in the fairway, then you can score well.”

During his time on the CNY PGA Junior Tour in 2023, Kippen competed in the Boys 14-15 age group. The Cicero, N.Y native played his way to a third-place finish at CCC. Kippen shot a 76, which is four over par, to finish seven shots behind the winner.

Kippen also competed at CCC in 2022 and came out with the same result. He shot a 76 and finished in third, but this time he only finished four shots behind the winner.

Kippen was able to pick up three victories while playing in the Boys 14-15 age group. His first two victories came in the 2022 tour season, and his third victory came a year later.

Kippen’s lone victory in 2023 came at Lakeshore 1860 where he won while finishing with a score of 75, three shots over par.

The two victories during his 2022 campaign came at Highland Park and Sunset Ridge Golf Club. At Highland Park, Kippen shot an 84, 13 strokes over par. Kippen took advantage of a small field and a course with a high slope rating i.e., how much the elevation changes on the course.

At the Sunset Ridge Golf Club, Kippen shot an 82, 10 strokes over par. Even though he finished 10 strokes over par, Kippen won by a commanding eight strokes.

With his two victories and consistent play, Kippen was able to capture the 2022 Player of the Year for the Boys 14-15 age group.

Kippen has been playing golf ever since he could pick up a club. His parents helped drive him to become the golfer he is today.

“I don’t hear the end of it a lot, it’s a lot of trash talk, one of the biggest goals when I play is to beat them, as long as I can do that, I have a chance with anybody.” Kippen said about the competitiveness between him and his parents, Jennifer and Russ Kippen.

His mother played for one year at the College of Charleston on a Division Ⅰ scholarship.

While his father didn’t play at the collegiate level, Russ is better than a scratch golfer with a +2 handicap. He plays the majority of his golf at Rogues Roost in Chittenango, N.Y where he has been a member for the last several years.

Their family golf outings are always competitive, and Kippen believes that if he can beat them, then he believes he has a chance to beat anyone on the CNY PGA Junior Tour and in the NYSPHSAA.

“Short term I’m just trying to place good enough in States and shoot some good scores, long term I want to play college golf and eventually maybe try some pro golf, but if that doesn’t work out then I just want to teach people the game and grow it just a little bit.” Kippen said about his short and long-term goals in golf.

Whether it is on the course or in the pro shop, Drew Kippen is a name to look out for in the world of golf.

Vegas hits the jackpot with trade for Noah Hanifin

Vegas hits the jackpot with trade for Noah Hanifin

The Golden Knights once again use long-term injured reserve to pounce on a top trade target

By Ryan Mosher

LAS VEGAS (March 7, 2024) — The Vegas Golden Knights acquired defenseman Noah Hanifin from the Calgary Flames late Wednesday night. Hanifin was the top target on the market for this year’s trade deadline.

The Flames received defenseman Daniil Miromanov, a conditional 2025 first-round pick and a conditional 2025 third-round pick in exchange for Hanifin.

The Flames also retained 50% of Hanifin’s salary, which was imperative to the Golden Knights due to their tight cap situation. Vegas also acquired Anthony Mantha from the Washington Capitals on Tuesday.

Many people around the NHL are frustrated with the defending Stanley Cup champions and the way they’re using loopholes in the salary cap to acquire top talent for their impending cup run. “How does Vegas keep getting away with this?” Brian Hayes said on a segment of SportsCenter on TSN.

This isn’t the first time the Golden Knights have done this. Prior to last year’s trade deadline, Mark Stone was placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) following back surgery. This allowed Vegas to trade for Ivan Barbashev, Teddy Blueger and Jonathan Quick despite having very little cap room.

When a player is placed on LTIR their salary no longer counts against the team’s cap. Stone’s cap hit is at $9.5 million, so that left Vegas with plenty of room to add three key players in their cup run.

These moves are advantageous because there is no salary cap for teams once the playoffs start.

Mark Stone was conveniently ready for game one of the playoffs and produced an impressive 11 goals and 24 points enroute to winning the Conn Smythe trophy as the Stanely Cup Finals MVP.

Stone is now on LTIR again as the trade deadline nears. This opened the door for Hanifin to be sent to Vegas.

While the Golden Knights are the latest team to circumvent the salary cap, they weren’t the first. That honor belongs to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

In the 2020-21 season, Lightning star Nikita Kucherov needed surgery and was placed on LTIR. The Lightning were then able to trade for David Savard, a lockdown defender who helped them secure their second straight Stanely Cup.

Kucherov was likely ready before the playoffs, but wasn’t added to the roster until they started because Tampa Bay would’ve been over the salary cap.

Vegas will have more chances to add to their team. The NHL’s trade deadline is this Friday March 8 at 3 p.m.