By all accounts, 2021-22 was a career year for the Predators captain. He led all NHL defensemen with 96 points (23g-73a - both career highs) in 80 games, the most points in a season by a defenseman since Phil Housley had 97 points in 1992-93. He also led defensemen in power-play goals (11) and shots on goal (281). He was eighth in the NHL in average time on ice per game (25:33), and he's had at least 50 points in six of the past eight seasons. His 402 career assists are currently a franchise record.
And yet, the 32-year-old still finished second in last year's Norris Trophy voting behind the Colorado Avalanche's Cale Makar, who finished with 1,631 points to Josi's 1,606. Josi was first on 98 ballots, compared to 92 for Makar, making it the closest Norris vote since Ottawa's Erik Karlsson edged Nashville's Shea Weber 1,069-1,057 in 2012.
"The issue with Josi last year had almost nothing to do with him and everything to do with Makar just being out of this world," The Athletic's Dom Luszczyszyn said of the 2021-22 Norris race. "There's a reason the two were neck-and-neck and it's because what Josi did was also incredibly special."
Josi, described by Konroyd as a "magician with the puck" on offense, is also dominant in his own zone. He is among the best defensemen in the league at breaking up passes, and his puck possession time (165:17) trailed only the Vancouver Canucks' Quinn Hughes (197:23) and the Buffalo Sabres' Rasmus Dahlin (166:49) in 2021-22. Josi came in at No. 3 on NHL.com's ranking of the Top 20 defensemen in the NHL for 2022-23, finishing behind Makar (No. 1) and the Tampa Bay Lightning's Victor Hedman (No. 2).
The Norris Trophy, by definition, is given to "the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position." Josi became the first Predator to win the award in 2020; if his historic 2021-22 campaign wasn't enough to win it again, what will it take?
Josi's overall body of work last season was better than Makar's: more points, more shots, more hits and more blocked shots. The gap was razor-thin, and with good reason - Makar is an elite defenseman in his own right - but ultimately more PHWA voters chose upside over dependability.
"When you factor in the value of goals over assists, the two had pretty similar production - so it really came down to five-on-five play," Luszczyszyn said. "Despite playing on a deeper and stronger team, the Avalanche improved more with Makar on the ice relative to teammates than the Preds did with Josi. That Josi played against secondary matchups didn't really help his case either."
"To me, that would be the key to dethroning Makar: a bigger impact at five-on-five. Especially defensively. Makar's two-way game last year was excellent, the primary difference-maker in choosing him over Josi for the Norris."
Nashville's lack of depth on the blue line was exposed in last year's first-round playoff sweep at the hands of the Avalanche, but key offseason moves - including the acquisition of veteran defenseman Ryan McDonagh - will likely have a significant impact on how Predators Head Coach John Hynes constructs and utilizes his defensive pairings this season.
Not only could this roster shakeup be the spark that the Preds need to become more competitive in their quest for the Stanley Cup; it could also be what Josi needs to elevate his game and contend for his second career Norris Trophy in 2022-23.
After all - if not now, when?
