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NHL Norris Trophy Rankings: Cale Makar Dethroned By A Pair Of American Defenders
While the NHL is still on pause, with the men's Olympic tournament now in the gold- and bronze-medal stage, NHL teams are back to practising.
Among those teams practising are a handful of star defensemen who didn't get the call to compete in Milan. Two of which earned a spot on my top-five rankings for the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman in the NHL.
The remaining three are representing their nations at the Games for Team Canada and Team USA, and have been great at the tournament.
Here is my ranking of the top five front-runners for the Norris Trophy, as of Feb. 21.
Makar’s Grip on the Norris Is Waning — What a Crowded Defense Race Means for the Trophy
The Norris conversation has shifted in ways that could reshape voting criteria this season — and makar is at the center of that shake-up. Recent rankings place a pair of U. S. defensemen ahead of him, while other top blueliners post contrasting offensive and defensive profiles that complicate a clear front-runner. That dynamic matters now because it reframes whether voters favor raw scoring, two-way balance, or defensive reliability when selecting a winner.
Here’s the part that matters: the contenders present starkly different cases. One challenger leads all NHL defensemen in points, another posts elite defensive metrics, and makar brings a high-scoring, plus-rated profile but has been pushed down in recent rankings. Those differences make the selection less about a single dominant stat and more about how voters value two-way impact versus offensive production.
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Makar could face competition for Norris Trophy
This year’s Norris Trophy race could be a little too close for comfort. There’s little doubt that Colorado Avalanche superstar blueliner Cale Makar is the frontrunner.
But the analytics show that the race could be a little closer than most would like. A February 10 piece in The Athletic looked at the numbers behind Makar’s lead in the Norris race. But it’s not quite as big as Avalanche fans would like.
The numbers show that Makar leads the race with a +16.0 Net Rating. The rating is comprised of a player’s offensive and defensive ratings. Makar has a solid +11.6 offensive rating with a decent +4.5 defensive rating.
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