The trophy is awarded to the defenseman who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-around ability at the position.
Karlsson established a Senators single-season record for assists (66) and points (82) by a defenseman, leading the NHL in assists and ranking first among defensemen in points for a third straight season and fourth time in the past five seasons. He drove puck possession with a 51.47 Corsi-for percentage in 5-on-5 situations. His Corsi relative percentage of 7.2 was fourth-best among NHL defensemen, and meant the Senators attempted 7 percent more shots with Karlsson on the ice compared to his teammates.
Karlsson is the first NHL defenseman to score at least 82 in a season since Brian Leetch of the New York Rangers (85 points) and Ray Bourque of the Boston Bruins (82 points) in 1995-96. Karlsson played all 82 regular-season games for a third straight season and led the NHL in ice time (2,375:55), even-strength ice time (1,885:26), and average ice time (28:58), all NHL career highs.
Burns, a first-time Norris Trophy finalist, set Sharks records for defensemen in goals (27), assists (48) and points (75). He also established a Sharks record with 353 shots on goal. Burns played in all 82 games for a second straight season and led San Jose with an NHL career-high 25:51 in ice time. The Sharks took 189 more shots than they allowed with Burns on the ice at 5-on-5.
Doughty, who drove puck possession with a League-leading 58.89 Corsi-for percentage in 5-on-5 situations, ranked third in the League in average ice time (28:01) to help lead the Kings to a third consecutive top-five finish in team defense with a 2.34 goals-against average. His 14 goals and 51 points were his most since the 2009-10 season (16 goals, 59 points), and his plus-24 rating was an NHL career high. The Kings took 537 more shots than they allowed with Doughty on the ice at 5-on-5. Doughty, a three-time finalist, was third in voting in 2009-10 and second in 2014-15.
