Norris Trophy favorite debated by NHL.com

Who was the NHL's best defenseman in 2017-18?
Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings, Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning and P.K. Subban of the Nashville Predators are the three finalists for the Norris Trophy, as voted by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association.

The winner will be announced Wednesday during the 2018 NHL Awards Show presented by Hulu at the hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
To get a head start on the Awards show, we asked five NHL.com writers to pick their winner of the Norris. Each defenseman garnered at least one vote.
RELATED: [Complete NHL Awards coverage]
Doughty, 28, is a fourth-time finalist for the award, which he won in 2016. He had an NHL career-high 60 points (10 goals, 50 assists) in 82 games this season and led the League in total time on ice (2,200:31) and average ice time (26:50), helping the Kings allow an NHL-low 202 goals.
Hedman, 27, is a Norris Trophy finalist for the second straight season; he finished third in 2017. He scored 17 goals, tied for first among NHL defensemen with Ivan Provorov of the Philadelphia Flyers and Dougie Hamilton of the Calgary Flames. Hedman's 63 points (17 goals, 46 assists) made him the first defenseman in Lightning history to top 60 points in multiple seasons. He had 72 points (16 goals, 56 assists) in 2016-17.
Subban, 29, helped the Predators lead the League in goals (56) and points (206) by defensemen. His 16 goals were an NHL career high, and his 59 points were one shy of his personal best, set with the Montreal Canadiens in 2014-15. Subban won the Norris with the Canadiens in 2013 and is a finalist for the third time.

Here are the selections of the NHL.com panel:

Tim Campbell, staff writer

Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
It's time Hedman earned recognition as the NHL's best defenseman. He has continued to evolve and improve. There's a maturity and savvy to his game, and his effectiveness in all areas of the ice is impossible to miss. Yes, he had an NHL career high in goals and there are many other supportive numbers, as well as his ability to run a crazy-good power play. But what I like most is his impact and mobility, coupled with his size (6-foot-6, 223 pounds). He doesn't run over that many opponents but he breaks up plays and makes good ones, more consistently than he ever has.

Tracey Myers, staff writer

P.K. Subban, Nashville Predators
All due respect to Hedman, but I'm going with Subban, who had another outstanding year for the Predators. Nashville allowed 2.49 goals a game, second in the NHL behind the Los Angeles Kings (2.46 goals per game). Subban was also a big part of the Predators offense, finishing third in scoring behind forwards Filip Forsberg, who had 64 points (26 goals, 38 assists) and Viktor Arvidsson, who had 61 (29 goals, 32 assists). The Predators were dynamic this season, and it's no surprise Subban was a big reason why.

Shawn P. Roarke, Director of Editorial

Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings
Taking nothing away from either Hedman or Subban, My choice is Doughty, and it wasn't difficult in the least bit.
Subban was not even the clear-cut best defenseman on his team. You can argue that Roman Josi deserved that honor and the fact that argument is valid means he is not the best defenseman in the NHL. Hedman? He is the best on his team, but he has a good supporting cast, headlined by the criminally underrated Anton Stralman.
Doughty averages more minutes per game (26:50) than any other defenseman in the NHL. Hedman is fifth (25:51) and Subban (24:07) is 21st and second on his team to Josi, who is 17th in the NHL. Doughty played 3:58 more per game than Alec Martinez, who was second on the Kings in ice time. The gap was not as substantial for either of the other two finalists. With Doughty on the ice, the Kings generated 164 more shots than they allowed, the biggest litmus test of a defenseman's worth in my opinion. Hedman was at 130 and Subban at 83.

Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
Subban and Doughty each are southern Ontario like I am, so it's tough to go against either one; each is an outstanding defenseman with big talent and a big personality. But I have to give the nod to the soft-spoken Hedman. The big Swede certainly has the numbers to back him up, especially when it comes to playing in all situations. Consider he skated 199 minutes on the penalty kill, 262 on the power play and almost 1,500 at even strength. But it goes beyond that; as my esteemed colleague Tim Campbell pointed out, he's a hulking presence on defense. When opposing forwards bear down on him, chances are they'll have to go east-west instead of north-south. Because if you're going to beat Hedman, it's more likely you need to go around him than through him.

Dan Rosen, senior writer

Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
There was no more impactful defenseman in the NHL this season than Hedman, the Lightning's do-everything, impossible to defend blueliner. Tim Campbell and Mike Zeisberger laid out enough stats and facts about Hedman to carry any argument in his favor. I'll add to what my colleagues said about Hedman by pointing out that he was fifth among defenseman in points (63), second in plus-minus (plus-32), fifth in power-play points (26), fifth in time on ice per game (25:51), including eighth in power play time on ice per game (3:24). He also had a 52.31 shot-attempts percentage (SAT), a notch below Doughty (52.76) and above Subban (51.53). Beyond the numbers, what I appreciate most about Hedman is his ability to take over a game in any situation from the back end. His skating ability is second to none among defenseman in the NHL, especially for someone his size.