Matthew Schaefer is starting to look like the kind of defenseman who never really leaves the ice - and that’s exactly the sort of presence that gets Norris Trophy conversations going.
What jumps out with Schaefer isn’t just the scoring line or any single flashy play. It’s the way he shows up in every situation.
Offensive-zone faceoffs, defensive-zone draws, special teams, even when he’s paired with a regular partner or dropped in with the third pair, he seems to stay constant. That kind of workload and visibility is usually reserved for the league’s most valuable blueliners.
He’s averaging 25:26 per game, which is a heavy load for a 19-year-old even if it looks modest next to the league’s biggest minutes eaters. Zach Werenski is at 29:34 and Quinn Hughes at 26:41. Cale Makar, normally part of that group, has been managed down to 21:29 this season to keep him fresh.
One thing limiting Schaefer’s total is his shorthanded usage. He mostly gets those late-penalty-kill shifts that end with a faceoff, and DeBoer prefers to keep him on five-on-five work. Hughes offers a similar kind of benchmark if Schaefer never becomes a regular penalty killer, while Werenski sits at the high end if he does eventually take on that role.
From an eye-test standpoint, Schaefer looks more comfortable by the game. He already plays like a driver, not a passenger, and there’s a strong case that the Islanders would happily push him even harder if he weren’t still a teenager. DeBoer knows better than to saddle him with Werenski-level minutes this early, but if Schaefer keeps controlling shifts the way he has, it’s easy to see why the temptation would be there.
The numbers back up the impression. Schaefer owns a 54.9% xGF%, a 58.4% SF%, and he’s generating 3.52 xGF/60. Those are elite marks, the kind that put a defenseman near the top of the league in impact.
A Norris Trophy nod this fast would still be a stretch. But if Schaefer keeps this up, a top-five finish should be on the table, and a natural step forward could put his 20-year-old season in the range where top-three votes start to make sense.
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