Washington Capitals: Five Bold Predictions For 2015-2016

Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Carlson Will Win The Norris Trophy

I made a pretty bold prediction about John Carlson last season. I said that he would be in the top 10 in Norris Trophy voting. I was slightly off, but I think he definitely deserved to finish in the top 10. I’m going to take my Carlson fandom to the highest level possible this season. I think Carlson will win the 2015-2016 Norris Trophy!

Please hear me out before calling my village and alerting them that their idiot has escaped. The Washington Capitals defenseman is in a pretty good position to win the Norris Trophy. I believe that a big reason why Carlson didn’t win the Norris has to do with him not getting much power play time until the end of the season.

That’s going to change this season thanks to the departure of Mike Green. It’s reasonable to expect that Carlson won’t have 33 even-strength points again. However, the Caps should score more goals and he’ll be on the first power-play unit. 55 points is well within reach for him.

SEE ALSO: 2015-2016 Carlson Projections

The Norris Trophy voting tends to be a bit biased towards playoff teams. Whether that’s fair or not is another debate. That is a clear advantage for Carlson as the Washington Capitals will be a playoff team in 2015-2016. Carlson will likely play the minutes necessary to attract Norris Trophy votes. It’s a real stretch, but I think Carlson has a better chance of winning the Norris in 2015-2016 than most people think.

He’ll have to overcome guys like Erik Karlsson, Drew Doughty, P.K. Subban, and Victor Hedman. Tough? Yes. Impossible? No.

Next: Can Holtby Win The Vezina?