Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins, Erik Karlsson of the Ottawa Senators and Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators have been named finalists for the 2011-12 Norris Trophy.
That got me thinking.
Do the Winnipeg Jets have a future Norris candidate in 21-year-old Zach Bogosian? According to NHL.com, the Norris is given to the defensive player who "demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position."
In my opinion, there are few young defenders in the National Hockey League with the all-around skills of Bogosian, who the Atlanta Thrashers selected third overall in the 2008 NHL Draft. Bogosian reached a career-high 30 points in 65 games this season. Furthermore, the Jets' workhorse defender increased his average time on ice for the third straight year to a career-high 23:19. Aside from improving his numbers, you could see the growing poise and confidence in his game.
"I feel a lot better about it," Bogosian told NHL.com about his season. "Last year, I had my struggles and a lot of ups and downs. When you have a year like that, I had a lot to prove to myself and to the organization that I could be the player that I want to be. I think I'm moving in the right direction."
To put some of this in perspective, Chara who won the Norris in 2009, had two goals and eight assists when he was 21-years old. He has developed into one of the most intimidating blue liners in the game. A five-time Norris candidate, the 35-year-old Chara has improved with age and reached a career-high in points this season with 52. In addition, he had a plus-33 rating for the second straight year.
Of course, Karlsson already is a beast at 21-years old. He torched the league for 19 goals and 59 assists this season. Weber too was a force at age 21 with 40 points. But this is not about age, it's about upside.
And Bogosian has tons of it.
Adam Martini is a freelance sportswriter and supporter of all Winnipeg sports teams. He no longer dreads Winnipeg winters now that the Jets have returned to town. Follow Adam and the Jets on Twitter @PegCitySports.
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