Buffalo Sabres: Rasmus Dahlin snubbed as Norris finalist

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin was one of the best at his position this past season, but he was snubbed from being named a Norris finalist. 

Last night, the NHL issued a press release for their Norris Trophy finalists, listing Erik Karlsson of the San Jose Sharks, Adam Fox of the New York Rangers, and Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche. Missing from the list, of course, was Buffalo Sabres defenseman, Rasmus Dahlin, despite putting up a borderline season for the ages with the Blue and Gold.

Now, while I’ve gone on to endorse Mattias Samuelsson as Team MVP and as the Number One defenseman on the team, Dahlin put up “Norris Trophy numbers,” with 15 goals, 58 assists, and 73 points in 78 games. His points total was more than Makar’s (66 points) and Fox’s (72 points), though the former did only play in 60 games. But then again…60 games….

Dahlin also could not have begun the season in a more historic fashion, scoring a goal in each of the first five contests. And of course, Dahlin’s defensive game was also top-notch. He was a hitter, as you often saw him make plenty of open-ice collisions. He also wasn’t afraid to get physical along the boards.

Buffalo Sabres defenseman robbed of spot as Norris Trophy finalist

So what kept Dahlin from making the top three? One theory is that his play dipped after he missed time with an injury. This could be the case, as he was not the same player for a time, and he had an eight-game streak where he scored zero points.

That streak also coincided with the Buffalo Sabres playing their worst hockey of the year, between March 6th and March 19th. Despite this, he ended up bouncing back, scoring 10 points in the team’s final 13 games.

Overall, given the way points are a definite emphasis on Norris candidates, Dahlin most definitely should’ve been one of the top three finalists. I can understand Karlsson getting his name on there, and I do believe he will run away with the award.

Makar had fewer points, but he only played in 60 contests, and averaged 1.1 per game. But still, 60 contests makes you a finalist? The guy missed over a quarter of his games, come on, now. So let’s be honest, if he wasn’t Cale Makar, he wouldn’t be listed, it’s that simple.

Fox was good, but you can argue Dahlin had the better season, especially if he was playing hurt for a significant portion. If Dahlin’s healthy for the entire year and doesn’t have that eight game drought without a point, he’s in this thing, for sure. Or at least you’d think he would.

There is simply no excuse for the NHL snubbing Dahlin. Put Karlsson on the list and give him the award, I’ll have no qualms about that. But Dahlin was there for his team far more often than Makar, and he also slightly edged out Fox.

Source: Fox, Karlsson and Makar Voted Norris Trophy Finalists by NHL Public Relations, Media.NHL.com

(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)