Evan Bouchard Finished 4th in Norris Trophy Voting

(10-7-5-3-1 points allocation)

Overall, it’s hard to argue with Werenski winning or with Makar and Dahlin finishing as the runner-ups, as all three of these defensemen had incredible years. But it does hurt for Bouchard, who had a tremendous season with 95 points and improved defense, though ultimately it was not a good-enough season in the eyes of the voters to finish in the top three for the award this year.

The good news for Bouchard is that when the NHL announces the All Star teams, it will likely be Werenski and Makar on the first team, with Dahlin and Bouchard on the second team. So while that’s not the Norris Trophy, it’s still a fantastic honor, assuming that Bouchard gets the nod.

Other Norris Trophy Downballot Votes

If you look at the table above, it’s interesting to see that other players such as Moritz Seider of the Detroit Red Wings, Cole Hutson of the Montreal Canadiens, and Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks all received first-place votes for the Norris Trophy, yet none of them were particularly close to being finalists for the award.

It just goes to show you that the Norris Trophy, and all NHL award winners, are very subjective. Sometimes, the winner is obvious, such as when Matthew Schaefer of the New York Islanders won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league’s top rookie. But other awards, such as this year’s Norris Trophy vote, are far more difficult decisions.

There were a ton of good defensemen in the league this year, and more will be entering the league via the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. That will make the Norris Trophy voting even more competitive as the years go on. Players like Bouchard are well deserving of the honor, but with so many great players in the league, it’s not an easy decision for the voters to pick who they want to vote for.