"He's one of the top three defensemen in the League and a huge part of this team," Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said after Hedman missed five games with a knee injury in January.
A panel of 17 NHL.com staff members agreed, choosing Hedman as the Norris Trophy winner at the conclusion of the season. Hedman received 74 points (nine first-place votes), finishing ahead of Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings (66 points, six first-place votes). P.K. Subban of the Nashville Predators was third (28 points). John Carlson of the Washington Capitals and John Klingberg of the Dallas Stars each received one first-place vote.
Hedman was a big reason the Lightning, who missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs by one point last season, finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference (54-23-5, 113 points) and will have home-ice advantage through at least the first three rounds. Tampa Bay reached the Cup Final in 2015 and came within one game of getting back in 2016.
"We have some elite players on this team, but on the back end, he's our rock back there," Lightning coach Jon Cooper told the Tampa Bay Times. "He can help dictate the play of how we're doing things."
Doughty, a three-time Norris finalist and the winner in 2015-16, had high praise for Hedman.
"He's a great puck mover," Doughty told the Tampa Bay Times. "He's really good at all areas of the game. That's why I really respect him. He takes a lot of pride in the defensive end of the game. He shuts down the other team's top players, and he's very good offensively, too, so I really respect Victor Hedman's game."
Never one to talk about himself, Hedman didn't want to discuss the possibility of winning the Norris Trophy.
"I try to play my best in every game regardless and let the chips fall where they may," he said recently.
Voting totals (points awarded on a 5-4-3-2-1 basis): Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning, 74 points (9 first-place votes); Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings, 66 points (6 first-place votes); P.K. Subban, Nashville Predators, 28 points; John Carlson, Washington Capitals 22 points (1 first-place vote); Seth Jones, Columbus Blue Jackets, 19 points; John Klingberg, Dallas Stars, 16 points (1 first-place vote), Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues, 10 points; Ryan Suter, Minnesota Wild, 9 points; Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks, 5 points; Morgan Rielly, Toronto Maple Leafs, 2 points; Shayne Gostisbehere, Philadelphia Flyers, 1 point; Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators, 1 point; Marc-Eduoard Vlasic, Sharks, 1 point; Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes, 1 point
