NHL Norris Trophy Rankings: Will Gold Medallist Zach Werenski Become D-Man Of The Year?

The race for each individual NHL award is beginning to narrow down to a few candidates.

However, the award with several candidates still in the running is the Norris Trophy for the defenseman of the year.

Even outside of the top five front-runners listed here, several blueliners deserve to be mentioned. They include Rasmus Dahlin, Miro Heiskanen, the surprising Darren Raddysh, Moritz Seider and many more.

However, the five that make my Norris ranking have all been a step above all other D-men, especially when it comes to the offensive side of the game. And based on history, the Norris Trophy is often awarded to the defenseman who shows an impressive offensive presence while taking care of business in his own end.

So, here are my current front-runners for the NHL's Norris Trophy as of March 17.

This season, Lane Hutson is producing as much as superstars Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar, and they're all offensive threats and puck-possession maniacs.

The Montreal Canadiens defenseman has 11 goals and 56 assists for 67 points in 66 games played. He's already beaten his totals from last year in the goals and points department.

He's tied in points with Hughes and is one point behind Makar.

While he might not take home the Norris Trophy this year, at the young age of 22, one can assume he'll land at least one of them before the end of his career.

BetMGM Norris Trophy odds: 81.00/+8000

The reigning Norris Trophy winner isn't having a down year, per se. But after recording back-to-back 90-point campaigns for the Colorado Avalanche, he's on pace to finish the year just below that mark.

Makar has 68 points, made up of 19 goals and 49 assists, across 66 games. He's tied for second among NHL defensemen in scoring.

He is also fifth among D-men in plus-minus with a plus-32 rating and sixth in average ice time, at 24:58.

Aside from producing at a slightly lower rate than previous years - and not by all that much – Makar is listed at No. 4 because of the campaigns that other blueliners are putting together this season.

BetMGM Norris Trophy odds: 2.40/+140

There are a few reasons why Hughes is ranked ahead of Makar on this Norris Trophy ranking.

The Minnesota Wild star has six goals and 61 helpers for 67 points in 62 contests, registering a points-per-game average of 1.08 – which is third-best among NHL blueliners. Makar just trails Hughes at 1.03.

Hughes' contribution to his team has been enormous ever since he joined Minnesota.

Before the Wild acquired Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks, they ranked 24th in the NHL in goals-for per game, with 2.81.

But since Hughes' debut with his new team, on Dec. 14, the Wild have jumped to fourth in that department, with 3.67.

The blueliner has contributed to one-third of the team's scoring from that date to now, recording 44 points with Minnesota.

Not to mention, Hughes leads the league in average ice time at a whopping 27:44. In his last game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, he clocked 31:17, and that's surprisingly not the most ice time he received in a game this year.

BetMGM Norris Trophy odds: 23.00/+2200

Some would say Evan Bouchard is too high on this list, while others would argue he should be ranked No. 1.

The truth is, Bouchard has been the best defenseman in the NHL on one side of the ice. And although the Norris Trophy typically leans toward the offensive numbers, that's not the whole picture.

Everyone is familiar with Bouchard's glaring D-zone mistakes for the Oilers. He simply doesn't have the same defensive presence as others on this list.

With that said, his scoring has been extremely impressive. He leads all blueliners in scoring by nine points, with 19 goals and 58 assists for 77 points.

BetMGM Norris Trophy odds: 8.00/+700

Zach Werenski leads the way in the Norris Trophy rankings yet again, continuously proving he is a well-rounded defenseman who is essentially carrying the load for his team.

While Werenski has 68 points, the same as Makar and nine fewer than Bouchard, he's done so in just 59 games. He has the best points-per-game average among defensemen at 1.15.

Sure, the offensive prowess of Hutson, Makar, Hughes and Bouchard is all impressive, but Werenski is achieving Norris status at a different level.

All those other blueliners have star forwards to help boost their numbers. Meanwhile, Werenski leads the Columbus Blue Jackets in scoring by 11 points and could have his name tossed into the Hart Trophy conversation if Columbus can get into the playoffs, which isn't a wild stretch of the imagination.

Werenski and Hughes won gold with Team USA at the Olympics. Werenski may just add the Norris Trophy to his hardware this season.

BetMGM Norris Trophy odds: 1.95/-105

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