Kings GM touts Doughty for Norris: Defense not a 'highlight-film position'

Dean Lombardi says Drew Doughty's lack of flair shouldn't prevent him from winning the Norris Trophy.

The Los Angeles Kings general manager made the case Tuesday when asked why his franchise defenseman deserves the award, which is handed out annually to the NHL's top blue-liner.

"Not even close. All you've got to do is stay up and watch West Coast games, and you'll know why, and I won't even have to explain it to you," Lombardi told Elliott Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News.

"You know what the beauty of that position is? It's the classic case where greatness is the subtleties. And that No. 1 defenseman, what makes him special? Unless you really understand the game and see some of the things he does, you have to study the game, not watch the game, and realize what he does is really special, and has nothing to do with highlights and the points and all of this stuff.

"It's not the highlight-film position. It's not supposed to be, and then we turned it (into one) because (of) Paul Coffey. I guess he pulled it off. But at least Paul Coffey was in the playoffs. And this stuff that (Doughty) plays for a better team? How good do you think we are without him? How about the other way around?"

Doughty's principal competitor for this year's Norris Trophy is Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson, who led all rearguards in assists and points while ranking fifth among all skaters in the latter category with 82.

The Kings defenseman notched a respectable 51 points, and, like Karlsson, played in all 82 games.

Doughty was unrivaled at the position when it came to puck possession, ranking first among qualified defensemen and fourth among all qualified skaters with a 58.94 even-strength Corsi For percentage, according to War-On-Ice.