Miro Heiskanen could actually win the Norris Trophy this season

A look at how the award is won and why Heiskanen's season has started strong in that way off the ice.

I want to be clear of something off the top with this piece.

This is not the definitive breakdown of Miro Heiskanen’s play, it’s also not my glowing recommendation one way or the other if he is one of the best defenders on the planet. He is, I’ve known that for a couple years, but if you are one of the people reading this site (and that number is growing, thank you) I think you already have a pretty good handle on how valuable Heiskanen is to his hockey team.

This piece is about Miro Heiskanen, the Norris Trophy, and how it also has to be won off the ice and not just on it.

Let’s chat about this.

Each year the Norris supposed to be awarded to the top “defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position.”

The definition is intentionally vague, which allows voters to use their prerogative to define what that means.