NHL Norris Trophy rankings: Can Evan Bouchard’s ascent overthrow Zach Werenski?

This week, we revisit our Norris Trophy rankings. Last time around, it felt like Cale Makar’s trophy to lose, and seemingly, he has. 

Two of the five favorites, Makar and Quinn Hughes, have previously won the Norris Trophy. 

While they have enjoyed characteristically terrific seasons, I don’t see either winning. That honor will likely go elsewhere, specifically to Evan Bouchard or Zach Werenski, the former making the strongest late-season case. 

Bouchard is on pace for 94 points, which would be the third-most in 33 years. However, Werenski has been the most consistent of the contenders, so long as he finishes the job and gets the Columbus Blue Jackets into the post-season for the first time since 2020, he could be going home with his first piece of NHL hardware.  

MORE: NHL Norris Trophy rankings: Evan Bouchard enters the conversation

5. Lane Hutson, Montreal Canadiens

Hutson continued where he left off from his Calder Trophy-winning season and will almost certainly win a Norris Trophy at some point in his career. 

It just won’t be this season. 

While he’ll probably fall just short of his ultimate goal, Hutson’s numbers pop off the page. The 22-year-old has the fourth-most points (73), third-most assists (62), and is tied with Makar for the second-most even-strength points (54) and primary assists (30) among defensemen. 

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4. Quinn Hughes, Minnesota Wild 

Hughes probably won’t win the Norris Trophy this season. 

However, had he started the campaign with the Minnesota Wild, we might be anointing him as the world’s best defenseman for the second time. 

Since his debut for the Wild on Dec. 14, Hughes is tied with Hutson for the second-most points (49) among defensemen, scoring the third-most points per game (1.17). 

Overall, Hughes has the most power-play points (33) and primary assists (32), logs the most ice time (27:47), and is tied for the most assists (66). 

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3. Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche

The more that time elapses, the weaker Makar’s case becomes to win his third Norris Trophy. After suffering an upper-body injury against the Calgary Flames, Makar will be out of the lineup for a few games at least. 

He fell off the pace long before the injury, ranking 10th among defensemen in points per game (0.90) since Dec. 14. 

Don’t get me wrong, he’s still among the three lead horses, but Makar’s 2025-26 resume is markedly inferior to Werenski and Bouchard. 

Speaking of his resume, he has the third-most points (75), the third-most power-play points (29), and the second-most primary assists (30), tied with Lane Hutson, among defensemen. 

MORE: Cale Makar Injury Update: Avalanche Star To Miss Multiple Games

2. Evan Bouchard, Edmonton Oilers 

I often wonder how prolific Bouchard would be without Connor McDavid, who creates more opportunities for teammates than a job fair for job seekers. 

Despite that slice of good fortune, Bouchard deserves heaping praise for his prolific offensive output. With 37 points (nine goals, 28 assists) in the 23 games, Bouchard has tallied the third-most since Jan. 24. 

Only Connor McDavid (40 points) and Nikita Kucherov (47 points) have more in that sample size. In comparison, Werenski has 25 points (two goals, 23 assists) in 22 games. 

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1. Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets

Werenski is the unanimous betting favorite to capture his first Norris Trophy. 

After being part of the historic gold-medal winning Team USA at the 2026 Olympics, Werenski will be hard-pressed to top this season’s exploits if he captures his first Norris Trophy. 

With the Blue Jackets holding onto the second wild-card spot for dear life, which could change overnight, Werenski is currently on a winning trajectory.

He has the second-most points (78) behind Bouchard, the most even-strength goals (18), the most even-strength points (57), and is second in average ice time (26:30). He’s also tied with Bouchard for the most points per game (1.15). 

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