Karlsson of Sharks wins Norris Trophy as best defenseman in NHL

NASHVILLE -- One day after discussing his future and how he feels he's running short on time to compete for the Stanley Cup, Erik Karlsson of the San Jose Sharks won the Norris Trophy again and allowed himself to reflect on the season he had and how it helped rekindle his love of the game.

"I feel really good about myself right now and I'm excited to be at the place I'm at right now," Karlsson said after the 2023 NHL Awards at Bridgestone Arena on Monday. "As much as I try to stay in the moment reflecting back as much as I can at this stage gives me a lot of joy. That's the most important thing that maybe I had been missing a little bit is just enjoying hockey again. I love to play this sport. I love what I do. I think that really showed this year."

Karlsson was voted as the NHL's best defenseman for the third time in his career, receiving 123 of a possible 196 first-place votes and 1,585 voting points.

Adam Fox of the New York Rangers, who won the Norris Trophy in 2021, received 41 first-place votes and 1,125 voting points, and Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche, who won the award last season, was third with 553 voting points (12 first-place selections).

Karlsson finished this season with 101 points (25 goals, 76 assists) in 82 games, becoming the sixth different defenseman in NHL history and first since Brian Leetch in 1991-92 to have a 100-point season.

He was 11th in the League in points and fourth overall in even strength points with 74.

"What he did 5-on-5 from an offensive standpoint, the fact he's even in the top five, everybody wants to talk defense, but this guy did so many things at such an elite level that I'm not surprised he wins the Norris Trophy," Sharks coach David Quinn said.

Karlsson also won the Norris Trophy with the Ottawa Senators in 2011-12 and 2014-15. He's the second player to go eight-plus years between Norris Trophy wins, joining Paul Coffey, who won with the Edmonton Oilers in 1985-86 and then again with the Detroit Red Wings in 1994-95.

"I'm a lot older now, I have two small kids, I've gone through a lot in my life that I didn't have when I first won when I was 21," Karlsson said. "So, it means a lot. I think I can grasp everything around it and appreciate things that come with it a little bit differently maybe than when I did when I was 21 and whatever the other one was, [25] or something like that. It was a long time ago. I'm just very joyful right now. I'm going to enjoy it as much as I can, but at the same time, I'm probably more excited about the future."

RELATED: [Norris Trophy winners]

Karlsson addressed his future Sunday at media day for the 2023 NHL Awards, talking at length about his desire to win the Stanley Cup and his understanding that the opportunity he so wants likely won't come with the Sharks.

He talked about being 33 years old and having four years remaining on his contract, how his window to win is now, but that doesn't align with the Sharks, who are beginning a rebuild and could need several years before they're Cup contenders again.

Karlsson, who has a full no-movement clause in his contract, said he is hopeful that the Sharks will be able to trade him to a team that he believes will be a Stanley Cup contender as soon as next season so he can get the opportunity he wants to compete for a championship.

Quinn said he understands Karlsson's point of view and he doesn't disagree with it. But Quinn also said he will miss Karlsson if he is traded, calling him "as talented a player as I've ever coached," and adding, "This guy impacts a game like no one I have ever coached."

Quinn praised Karlsson for handling everything the coaching staff threw at him this season.

"We asked him to do an awful lot and it was an awful lot of responsibility for him," Quinn said. "From a coaching standpoint, this guy is everything you'd want him to be. I love him as a player."

Karlsson said he appreciated being a player who was so relied on by the coaches.

"Responsibility was something that I was taught fairly early on in my career by a lot of good people and the stage I'm in now I've kind of figured out a pretty good way for myself how to deal with it in a positive way even though it's not easy sometimes," Karlsson said. "I love responsibility, I love high goals and I love the pressure."

He wants more of it.

"I obviously feel very good with where I'm at both personally and professionally," he said. "This was a season where I'm going to choose to take all the good parts from it and try to learn from every situation that was thrown at me throughout the year and try to grow from it. I had a fantastic year and I felt good the whole way, but I still feel there's more. That's what makes me excited moving forward."

Video: Karlson talks about winning Norris Trophy