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Evan Bouchard of the Oilers

Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard was surprisingly not a finalist for the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman.

The NHL announced the three finalists for the annual James Norris Memorial Trophy, which goes to the top all-around defenseman in the NHL. This year, the three finalists for the award are Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres, Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche, and Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Evan Bouchard Not Named Norris Trophy Finalist

You can’t argue that Dahlin, Makar, and Werenski were all deserving of being finalists for the Norris Trophy. But it is still very surprising that Bouchard wasn’t one of the final three.

Bouchard finished this season with 21 goals and 95 points while playing all 82 regular-season games for the Oilers, and he was a +25. He was far and away the league’s leader in points among all defenseman, and while the Norris Trophy isn’t just an offensive award, typically the league’s top-scoring defeseman is a finalist for the trophy. This year, however, that’s not the case.

Given that Bouchard has an incredible offensive season and upped his defensive play, it’s just very surprising he wasn’t one of the three defenseman that were finalists for the award, although the other three all had great years in their own right.

Norris is Anyone’s Award to Win This Year

With Bouchard out as a finalist, the Norris Trophy this year is very much up for grabs between the three players who were named finalists.

Makar, who has won two Norris Trophies in his NHL career, helped lead the Avalanche to the best record in the NHL this season and the Presidents’ Trophy. Colorado is currently playing incredible playoff hockey, and they are the favorite to win the Stanley Cup. With 20 goals and 79 points in 75 regular-season games played, plus a +32, Makar is eyeing the Norris Trophy for the third time, having been a finalist the past six seasons.

Werenski also had a phenomenal year for the Blue Jackets. He played in 75 games for Columbus, scoring 22 goals and 81 points while being a +7. The Blue Jackets missed the playoffs this season, but they were very much in the hunt for a playoff spot until the end of the year, with Werenski being a big part of that. He is one of the NHL’s best defensemen and will be looking to take home the Norris Trophy for the first time in his career. He is a finalist for the second straight year and is looking to become the first Blue Jackets player to ever take home the honor.

Finally, we have Dahlin, the Sabres’ captain, who helped lead the team to an Atlantic Division title and a playoff spot for the first time in 14 years. Dahlin played in 77 games, adding 19 goals and 74 points while being a +18. He was sensational this year, and it’s nice to see him get recognized for his fantastic season with his first career Norris Trophy award nomination. If Dahlin wins, he would become the first Sabres player to ever win the award.