The St. Louis Blues have been touting Alex Pietrangelo for years. He has not been mentioned among the elite in the past, nor should he have been. This year, he is definitely making a case to be on that list.
When the season began, Pietrangelo came out on fire. He was playing like a captain. He was scoring goals and he was helping keep them out.
Due to all that combination, his name shot to the front of the list when it came to early discussion for the Norris Trophy. As happens, his play cooled off due to an injury and also due to the team hitting a wall.