New York, NY

Three first-time finalists will fight it out for the James Norris Memorial Trophy, which is handed to the defenseman that displays the "greatest all-around ability" at the position.

Kris Letang of the Pittsburgh Penguins, P.K. Subban of the Montreal Canadians and Ryan Suter of the Minnesota Wild were named finalists for the award.

Members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association have already submitted their ballots at the end of the regular season and the winner will be announced during the Stanley Cup finals.

Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson, who won the award last year, did not make it as finalist as he missed the majority of the 2012-13 season with an Achilles injury.

The 26-year-old Letang shared the League's scoring lead among defensemen with 38 points, taking seven fewer games to reach the total than Subban.

The Penguins defenseman also topped all defenseman with 33 assists, a total topped by only 11 forwards this season. He played for Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma on both the penalty kill and the power play, where he had 13 of his 38 points.

The 23-year-old Subban also finished with 38 points, tying the career high he set two seasons ago in 71 appearances during his rookie campaign.

Subban was an offensive dynamo for the Canadiens all season, helping the team that finished last in the Eastern Conference in 2011-12 claim the Northeast Division crown and a top-two seed this season.

Subban's 26 power-play points -- including seven goals on the man advantage -- were the cream of the defenseman crop this season.

Suter, for his part, ranked third in the league with 32 points and his 28 assists ranked second among defensemen.

 

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Three First-Time Finalists Fight it Out for Norris Trophy