Doughty the Norris favorite and other midseason award picks

Pacific Division defenseman Drew Doughty, left, of the Los Angeles Kings, celebrates with forward Corey Perry (10), of the Anaheim Ducks, after scoring a goal against the Central Division team during an NHL hockey All-Star semifinal round game Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn. The Pacific Division team won 9-6. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski) Pacific Division defenseman Drew Doughty, left, of the Los Angeles Kings, celebrates with forward Corey Perry (10), of the Anaheim Ducks, after scoring a goal against the Central Division team during an NHL hockey All-Star semifinal round game Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn. The Pacific Division team won 9-6. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)

By Associated Press February 2, 2016 3 min read

Drew Doughty constantly thinks about winning the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman. If he keeps up this pace, that will become a reality in less than five months.

Doughty doesn’t blow away the competition statistically like Erik Karlsson of the Ottawa Senators or John Klingberg of the Dallas Stars, but the Los Angeles Kings star is dominant at both ends of the rink. He controls the puck more than anyone at his position and raises his game in the biggest spots – the Stanley Cup playoffs and the Olympics.

Maybe that’s why Doughty has fallen short in Norris voting in the past – the regular season isn’t his peak time to shine. But Doughty has been on the ice for the highest percentage of shot attempts for his team of any defenseman in the league, a good way of measuring just how much of an impact he has for the Pacific Division-leading Kings.

Karlsson and Klingberg will warrant consideration, and so should the Montreal Canadiens’ P.K. Subban.

Here are the midseason projections for the other major NHL trophies: