The 2025-26 Norris Trophy finalists were announced today, and turns out being the best in your position doesn’t always guarantee recognition. Rasmus Dahlin, Cale Makar and Zach Werenski will compete for the award given to the NHL’s best defenseman.
Absent from that list is Evan Bouchard, who finished the regular season with 95 points, which is more than any other defenseman in the league.
The Oilers’ highest-scoring defenseman in 40 years, the league leader at his position, was left out of the Norris Trophy finalists entirely.
Evan Bouchard had a phenomenal season
Bouchard’s 95-point campaign (21 goals, 74 assists) was historically significant. He became only the second Edmonton defenseman to crack 90 points in a season, joining Paul Coffey, one of the greatest offensive blueliners in hockey history.
To understand how rare this achievement is, consider that only two defensemen have posted 95 or more points in the past decade. Erik Karlsson’s 101-point campaign in 2022-23 and Roman Josi’s 96-point season in 2021-22. That’s it. Bouchard’s total ties Ray Bourque’s output from 1986-87, landing him at No. 22 on the all-time single-season list for defensemen.
He also joined Paul Coffey as one of only two Oilers defensemen to record 65 or more assists in a single season (Coffey accomplished the feat four times). Bouchard reached 20 goals for the first time, joining an exclusive group as just the fourth Oilers blueliner to hit that mark. He finished plus-25, averaged nearly 25 minutes per night and fired 221 shots on goal.
The gap between Bouchard and the Norris finalists
The numbers make Bouchard’s omission so very unfair.
Rasmus Dahlin: 60 points in 63 games
Cale Makar: 67 points in 73 games
Zach Werenski: 81 points in 75 games
So, Bouchard outscored Werenski, the second-highest scoring defenseman, by 14 points. He had 35 more than Dahlin and 28 more than Makar. In the past 30 years of Norris voting, it’s extraordinarily rare for the league’s scoring leader among defensemen to be left off the finalist list entirely.
The Professional Hockey Writers Association votes on the Norris using a ranked ballot system. Voters clearly valued different factors this year.
Dahlin captained Buffalo to its first playoff appearance in 15 years, breaking a franchise drought that defined a generation. Werenski led his team in scoring despite playing for a Columbus squad that narrowly missed the playoffs. Makar is a two-time winner with a reputation for elite two-way play, and turns out reputations matter in voting.
What’s the excuse
So is the excuse that Bouchard is too risky, makes too many mistakes, isn’t physical enough?
But advanced metrics show Bouchard graded as above average defensively this season while facing elite competition. When he was on the ice at five-on-five, the Oilers controlled 56.23% of expected goals and outscored opponents by 16. His overall net rating of 25.12 ranked third among NHL defensemen.
He also expanded his defensive role this season, taking on penalty kill duties for the first time in his career. That’s something voters traditionally credit Makar for, yet Bouchard did it while still leading the league in scoring.
The gap between perception and performance suggests the defensive concerns are more about visibility than actual impact. Mistakes on a high-profile team playing alongside Connor McDavid get amplified. Solid defensive plays rarely make highlights.
Offensive production has gotten the nod time and again
The Norris Trophy has always had an uncomfortable relationship with offensive production. Bobby Orr revolutionized the position precisely because he combined elite defense with unprecedented offensive output. He won eight straight Norris Trophies while rewriting the scoring record books.
Between 1970 and 1995, there were 25 instances of a defenseman posting 90 or more points. Orr, Bourque, Denis Potvin, Paul Coffey and Brian Leetch won 20 of the 26 Norris Trophies awarded in that span. Offense was expected from Norris contenders.
The award has become more democratized in recent decades. In the past 30 years, only four players have won multiple times: Nicklas Lidstrom (7), Erik Karlsson (3), Duncan Keith (2), and Makar (2). The other 15 winners each claimed it once and it seems voters now prioritize a broader set of criteria.
But even in this era, precedent exists for rewarding dominant offensive seasons. When Karlsson posted 101 points in 2022-23, he won despite San Jose missing the playoffs entirely. The voters recognized that kind of production as historically rare and valuable.
Bouchard’s 95 points represent the third-highest total by a defenseman in the past decade. His team made the playoffs. And he didn’t even receive a finalist nod.
Bouchard totally deserved to be there
So what does the Norris Trophy reward? Is it the best all-around defenseman? Or is it the defenseman who had the best season? Those perhaps aren’t always the same thing.
What’s undeniable is that Bouchard deserved to be part of the conversation. When the league’s scoring leader at any position doesn’t crack the top three, it suggests either the voting criteria have fundamentally shifted or the perception of that player hasn’t caught up to what he’s actually accomplishing on the ice.
The Norris Trophy winner will be announced at the NHL Awards later this year. Werenski and Makar are the favorites. But the more interesting story might be the player who wasn’t invited to the party and what that says about how we evaluate greatness at the blue line
