Norris Trophy Odds : Where does Jeff Petry stands?
In 2021, Adam Fox won the award for the best defenseman in the National Hockey League also known as the Norris Trophy, with almost 75% of the votes. Fox finished ahead of Cale Makar, Victor Hedman, Dougie Hamilton and Charlie McAvoy respectively, thanks to a total of 47 points. He received no less than 40 first place votes, which is great.
As for the Montreal Canadiens' best defenseman, Jeff Petry, he was ranked 13th, receiving only one 4th place vote and two 5th place votes. It's not much, but as I've stated many times here, Petry, who is phenomenal, is not a true Norris. He lacks consistency, he's not impeccable defensively, and he's not averaging more than 24 minutes per game.
Looking ahead to the 2021-22 campaign, the odds for the Norris Trophy are not in Petry's favor:
1. Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche - 6.00
2. Adam Fox, New York Rangers - 7.00
3. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning - 7.00
4. Roman Josi, Nashville Predators - 16.00
5. Miro Heiskanen, Dallas Stars - 16.00
6. Alex Pietrangelo, Vegas Golden Knights - 21.00
7. Jeff Petry, Montreal Canadiens - 26.00
Three things could help, or not, Petry raise his first Norris: Shea Weber will not be in uniform all season, which will most likely give him more ice time. Carey Price is expected to start the season on the injured list, which could cause Petry to tighten up his defensive game. Then, with Phillip Danault and Weber out of the lineup on the power play, he could get a bigger role in that facet of the game.
But the reverse is also true. The absence of Weber, Price and Danault could cause Petry to be overused, which could lead to him making some mental mistakes due to fatigue. In short, it will all depend on Jeff Petry's play over the next 82 NHL games.
