Niedermayer getting more Norris votes than Scott Stevens in 1998 was a joke to anyone who followed the team closely
And that’s what will downplay support - the immediate comparison to a older teammate who is better in one
specific area that does not fully cover the scope of the award.
“But is he even better than Teammate X?”
Defensively, no. Teammate X just happens to be the best defensive player on the planet (or 1A to Chris Pronger), so even if after Doug Gilmour’s injury when it looks like Niedermayer as a defenseman might end up being the leading scorer on the President’s Trophy winner (both he and the Devils fell just short), everyone is going to ask...
“But is he even better than Teammate X?”
In 1998, no one had to ask that about Rob Blake, and both Coffey and Konstantinov were finally out of Nicklas Lidstrom’s way. It’s a two-way award and one of those ways is an unavoidable comparison to the Devil himself. But it wasn’t until 2003-04 that Scott Stevens finally missed enough games where no one had to make the comparison.
So in terms of Niedermayer and Keith, if Keith had some HOF defenseman as a teammate splitting focus, at least then it would make more sense as to how he’s gone this far with just the two nominations. He’s a healthy player on a team that wins championships; it’s a recipe for success. Look at 2013: best team in hockey, winning the President’s Trophy easily, team is on the cover of Sports Illustrated, 47 out of 48 games, and the generation’s best defenseman is hurt... only 6th in Norris voting?
Going back to 2008 when Keith received his first Norris votes, six other defensemen have received more nominations while three others have matched his two. Cut the comparison to his first victory in 2010, and it’s five and two. His playoffs will make up ground on those 7-9 guys, but they make it even harder to understand why Keith would be under-represented on Norris ballots relative to his actual regular season performance since he may as well be skating in a glorious spotlight instead of the shadow of Scott Stevens.