Avs' Cale Makar, Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski Headline 2026 NHL Norris Trophy Finalists

As the Stanley Cup playoffs roll on, the NHL has announced the three finalists for the Norris Trophy as the best all-around defenseman for the 2025-26 season.

The finalists vying for the honor will be Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche, Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres.

Makar is the reigning winner of the Norris Trophy and has captured it twice in his career thus far. The first time he won it was in the 2021-22 season.

If Makar were to win this year, he would be the first person to receive the award in consecutive seasons since Nicklas Lidstrom won it three consecutive times from 2005-06 to 2007-08.

It would also make Makar the 10th player in NHL history to win the Norris Trophy at least three times.

Weresnki has one statistical advantage over Makar and Dahlin for the award. The Blue Jackets star ranked second among all defensemen with 81 points during the regular season.

It could also be considered a benefit to Werenski that he was by far the best player for Columbus, which had its best season since 2018-19. Even though Blue Jackets missed the playoffs, they finished with 40 wins and 92 points.

Dahlin could also get a similar bump after helping Buffalo to one of the best regular seasons in franchise history. He led the team with 55 assists and ranked second with 74 points.

The Sabres ended the longest playoff drought in North American pro sports with their postseason berth this season. The last time they made the playoffs was the 2010-11 season.