Make no mistake, there is no chance Evan Bouchard is winning the Norris Trophy this season.

The front runners are Zach Werenski, Rasmus Dahlin, and Cale Makar, with Werenski likely having the edge, especially if the Blue Jackets make the playoffs. 

It's true that Bouchard's defensive game pales in comparison to his elite offensive game, but his defense has noticeably improved over the past couple of seasons. It's overshadowed by the Oilers' poor overall defense and even poorer goaltending, but Bouchard is clearly the least of their problems on a problematic blue line. 

The Norris Trophy can be a reputation award, and it's unclear how votes determine and define the league's "best defenseman." It's why there's been numerous calls over the years to introduce a new trophy to differentiate the league's top offensive defenseman and top defensive defenseman.

Bouchard (+23) trails only Mattias Ekholm (+28) in plus-minus on the Oilers, and both are leaders by a significant margin relative to their teammates, with Ty Emberson (+3) coming in third and Darnell Nurse (-15) trailing all of them. 

Can Bouchard shake his reputation as an offense-only defenseman to ever be considered for the Norris? 

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