Greg Wyshynski
Multiple Authors
Colorado Avalanche star Cale Makar will seek his second straight Norris Trophy win, having been named a finalist for the award for the sixth straight season.
Makar joins Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres and Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets as finalists for the Norris, awarded each year to the defenseman who demonstrates “the greatest all-round ability in the position.” It’s voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
Makar, 27, is seeking the third Norris win of his seven-season career.
He had 79 points in 75 games for the Avalanche this season, a tick down by his lofty standards — Makar’s 1.05 points per game was the fifth-highest average of his career. Makar’s plus-32 was his second-best career rating in the regular season. Makar played in all situations for Colorado, with 4:11 in power play time and skating 1:57 per game shorthanded. The Avalanche scored 64% of the goals when Makar was on the ice at 5-on-5.
Dahlin, 26, was a driving force behind the Sabres ending the longest playoff drought in NHL history, having last made the cut in 2011. The Buffalo captain had a career high 74 points, which was the third-highest total for a Sabres defenseman in franchise history. His 52 even-strength points set a franchise record for defensemen. Dahlin skated 24:11 per game on average, contributing 22 points in the power play and bringing a physical edge to his own zone.
This is his first time as a Norris finalist, having finished sixth in the voting last season. Dahlin was also nominated for the Masterton Trophy this season for “perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.”
Werenski, 28, led the Blue Jackets in scoring with 81 points, good for second in the NHL in points by a defenseman, including a team-high 59 assists. He scored 18 of his 22 goals at even strength, which was best in the NHL. He was also second in the league in average ice time (26:37 per game), playing on the power play (3:02) and short-handed (1:13) for the Jackets.
Werenski finished second to Makar in the Norris voting last season, the first time he was a finalist for the award. In the final week of this year’s regular season, he took the lead over Makar for the Norris in ESPN’s NHL Awards Watch, which surveys ballots from actual Norris Trophy voters.
Among the defensemen who didn’t make the Norris Trophy cut were Evan Bouchard of the Edmonton Oilers, who led all NHL defensemen with 95 points in 82 games; and Quinn Hughes, who was fourth on the Minnesota Wild with 53 points in 48 games after being acquired from the Vancouver Canucks. Hughes won the Norris in 2023-24 and was a finalist again last season.
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