Bruins Defenseman Had Surprising Finish In Norris Trophy Voting

The Boston Bruins saw Patrice Bergeron, Linus Ullmark and Jim Montgomery all walk away with hardware Monday night at the NHL Awards.

David Pastrnak was in attendance for the event, but lost out on both the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award to Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid. But he wasn’t the only Bruins player to come up shy of capturing an award.

Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm had a surprising finish in Norris Trophy voting. Lindholm registered 12 first-place votes to take the fourth spot in the polling for the award, which went to San Jose Sharks star Erik Karlsson for the third time in his career. New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox and Colorado Avalanche standout Cale Makar rounded out the top three.

It was the highest Lindholm had ever placed in the Norris conversation. The only other time he even received votes came in his third season in the NHL with the Anaheim Ducks as he came in 17th place.

The 29-year-old blueliner turned in a stellar campaign in his first full season with the Bruins. He recorded 10 goals and 43 assists in 80 games and also led the entire NHL with a plus-49 rating. Lindholm was an integral part in Boston’s terrific defensive play as well with the Bruins allowing an NHL-best 2.12 goals per game.

Many Bruins fans probably would have expected Charlie McAvoy, who finished top 10 in Norris voting each of the past three seasons, to have been in the conversation for the coveted honor, but instead it was Lindholm getting rewarded and garnering votes.