Hughes, Makar & Werenski Have Great Cases For 2025 Norris Trophy

Yet, that’s what’s happening this season. Makar is on pace to score 30 goals and pass the 100-point mark. If he does both, it will mark a historic season for a defenseman. While many blueliners scored 100 points in the 1970s and 1980s – and Erik Karlsson reached 100 points in 2022-23 to win the Norris Trophy that season – Makar’s season would be in a league of its own because of his defensive play. Makar is making his mark at both ends of the ice and proving just as good, if not better, on the defensive end than he is offensively (which is saying a lot).

The counterargument to Makar winning it is that he plays on the same team as Nathan MacKinnon, a Hart Trophy candidate who drives the offense. It’s also worth noting that the Avalanche, for the first time in a while, aren’t a top-heavy group carried by their stars, especially after the front office overhauled the roster midseason. Those changes might hurt Makar’s case, but they should work in his favor because he stayed the same dominant defenseman despite all the moving parts.

The Case For Quinn Hughes

If the Norris comes down to the biggest bang for your buck, Hughes easily wins it. When he’s on the ice, the Canucks are one of the best teams in the Western Conference. When he’s not, they are one of the worst. Hughes impacts everything the Canucks do, which is why the team’s play goes hand-in-hand with his.

Hughes doesn’t have the same stats as the other finalists because he’s missed time. But consider this: Makar has 2.0 points per 60 minutes this season, while Werenski has 2.2, and Hughes has 2.9. When he gets going, there’s no defenseman more valuable in the league.

Missing games will be the first thing held against him. The 4 Nations Face-Off put Makar and Werenski in the spotlight, but Hughes missed the event recovering from injury. That shouldn’t and won’t work against him, as the Norris is based on regular-season achievement, but the 14 games he missed might hurt his chances with voters. That said, he’s on pace to play 68 games, which is not only a good number but will also give him great stats in the end, comparable to Makar’s, whom he’s chasing.

The other issue is the roster drama. Last season, everything went right for the Canucks, and their best defenseman was their best player, allowing Hughes to win the Norris. This season, the rift between J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson forced the front office to trade Miller to the New York Rangers halfway through the season.

Hughes is the captain, and it’s easy to point to him as one of the reasons the situation got out of hand. He’s the leader, and when everything unraveled, he didn’t step in. It’s a glass half empty or glass half full situation that might be used against him or work in his favor. The team was a mess, and there’s an argument to be made that he handled the situation well by not speaking out, dealing with it behind the scenes, and while the rest of the roster fell apart, he powered through to keep his team competitive.

The Case For Zach Werenski

Hughes burst on the scene last season after he rounded out his game to become a complete defenseman. That’s Werenski this season when the Blue Jackets needed him to become an elite blueliner. The talent was always there, but now he’s tapped into all the skills that make him one of the best in the league.

The Blue Jackets had a difficult offseason, to say the least. They lost a lot of talent and then, late in the summer, had to endure Johnny Gaudreau’s tragic passing. They were expected to be one of the worst teams in the NHL, a lottery pick team, and instead, they are fighting for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. A lot of credit is due to the young skaters emerging into form, but most of the Blue Jackets’ success can be pinned on Werenski’s great play.

At 27 years old, Werenski hit his stride and became a complete player. He’s stepped up on the offensive end of the ice as the playmaker at the point with 20 goals and 49 assists (with five goals and 16 assists on the power play) while also playing remarkable defense. The Blue Jackets know he’s their best player and have treated him like it, averaging 27:06, which not only leads all skaters but is close to half the game.

The question is whether his case hinges on whether the Blue Jackets, who are in a similar boat as the Canucks, make the playoffs. They are on the outside looking in, and by the end of the season, they will either be a wild-card team or close to it. That said, there’s a good chance the Blue Jackets will unravel and finish 12th in the East. Whether that takes away votes from Werenski or not is up for debate, but one thing is clear: he needs a strong finish, and so does the team.

Why Weresnki Will Win The Norris

The question voters must ask themselves is, how will they remember this season, and what will they take away from it? The Blue Jackets overcame all the obstacles to become a playoff team. Credit will go to head coach Dean Evason, who kept his team on track while establishing a winning culture in an organization that didn’t have one. However, credit will go to Werenski.

This is particularly relevant considering how the Blue Jackets will likely end their season. They will rely on Werenski in their push for a playoff spot. His ice time will increase (if that’s possible), and he’ll play in all situations. His stats will improve, and his impact will be greater by the end of the season.

Werenski also had his “Norris moments,” or moments that put him in the spotlight in the eyes of voters. The 4 Nations put his skill on full display but so did the regular season. His five-point performance on Nov. 21 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he scored two goals, including the game-winner, stands out. That game came during an eight-game point streak with 16 points. Then there was the Stadium Series game in Ohio Stadium, where Werenski’s two assists helped the Blue Jackets defeat the Detroit Red Wings 5-3.

Columbus will finish the season with three games against the Ottawa Senators and a game against the New York Islanders, two teams they are battling for a playoff spot. If Werenski can have more signature moments in those games, it will put an exclamation point on his Norris Trophy case.

Who do you think will win the Norris Trophy? Let us know in the comments section below.