Is it too early to put Norris Trophy pressure on Matthew Schaefer?

Although he has only played one season in the NHL, Matthew Schaefer has become one of the faces of the New York Islanders. The former first overall pick exceeded even the most optimistic fans' expectations and put in one of the best rookie seasons in franchise history. His play was a major reason the Islanders were in the playoff hunt for most of last season. With such a strong start to his career, many are expecting him to take the next step this season and be in the Norris Conversation. But is it too soon to be expecting that? 

Can Matthew Schaefer be a Norris Trophy candidate this season? 

In 82 games last season, Schaefer racked up 23 goals and 36 assists for 59 points. He was tied with Beckett Sennecke for most goals by a rookie, and ranked in the top three in assists and points by a rookie. That alone is impressive, but the fact that he was a defenseman only makes it more remarkable. His advanced metrics were very good as well. According to Natural Stat Trick, he had a 50.02 CF%, a 49.93 SCF%, and a 50.66 xG%.  

After a performance like that, it is only natural for fans and analysts to expect him to take another step next season. He has developed a little more this offseason, becoming more physically mature, which will help him keep up with the demands of an NHL season. He also knows what to expect this season and tailored his offseason workout to match it. It is very possible we see Schaefer log 10 to 15 more points, putting him around the 70-point mark. 

A 70-plus-point season will put him in the conversation for a Norris Trophy. Last season the three finalists for the award all recorded over 70 points. While there is a lot more to being a defenseman than just racking up points, that is the benchmark you have to reach in order to be considered. If Schaefer takes the leap everyone expects him to, he should have the stat line to be considered. 

While projections show that Schaefer should be in the race, fans should not expect him to take home the award. The worst thing you can do for a player is to put heavy expectations on him. We have seen plenty of guys have a strong rookie season and go through a little bit of a slump their sophomore season. The hope that Isles fans should have is that Schaefer is able to put up similar numbers to last season and show he can be a consistent NHL producer.   

It will not be long before Schaefer is a Norris Trophy candidate year in and year out. However, we are still about a year away from being able to set those expectations for him. 

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