Last season, Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche won the James Norris Memorial Trophy. It is conceivable that the 27-year-old can even defend his award as the best defender of the NHL season. The Canadian is one of three finalists named on the shortlist for the trophy by the world’s top hockey league on Thursday.
In addition to Makar, who has been named to the three finalists for the sixth time in a row, Rasmus Dahlin from the Buffalo Sabers and Zach Werenski (Columbus Blue Jackets) can also have legitimate hopes of being named the best defenseman of the year in the NHL by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.
Dahlin nominated for Norris Trophy for the first time
Dahlin, who is one of the three final candidates for the Norris Trophy for the first time, earned his nomination with a career-high 74 points (19 goals, 55 assists) in 77 appearances. The captain led the team in takeaways (32), ranked second with 67 checks and fifth with 79 blocked shots.
The Swedish international played a significant role in helping his Sabers win the division title for the first time since 2009/10. The 27-year-old particularly shone offensively, leading his team in power play goals (6), power play points (22) and ice time per game (24:11). Besides Makar and Werenski, he is only given outsider chances.
Significantly better prospects are given to Werenski, who earned his second nomination in a row with 81 points (22 goals, 59 assists) in 75 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets, making him the team’s second-best scorer as a defensive player. He led defensemen in shots on goal (260) and was second to Evan Bouchard of the Edmonton Oilers (1.16) with 1.08 points per game.
Will Makar win the race again?
The American’s toughest competition for the award, which is given annually to the defender “who demonstrates the greatest versatility in his position throughout the season,” will probably come from defending champion Makar, who led his Colorado Avalanche to win the Presidents’ Trophy with 79 points (20 goals, 59 assists) in 75 games.
Additionally, the Avs won the William M. Jennings Trophy for fewest goals conceded in the NHL (197 excluding shootout goals). This resulted in a goal difference of +99. With an average ice time of 1:57 minutes per shorthanded game, the 27-year-old played a decisive role in Colorado getting away without conceding a goal in 84.6 percent of these situations.
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