Lane Hutson wasn't a finalist for the Norris Trophy this season, and he didn't finish particularly high in voting either.
The NHL announced on Tuesday morning that Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski was the winner of the Norris Trophy, awarded each year to the league’s best blueliner. He was surprised with the award over the weekend as he and his wife were hosting a weekly family gathering. Werenski is his team’s all-time leader in goals, assists, and points, and was once again its points leader this season with 81 points in 75 games.
Of the 198 members of the professional hockey writers’ association who voted, 194 had Werenski in their top five, and he finished atop the standings with 1,589 voting points. Cale Makar had a total of 1,191 voting points, while Rasmus Dahlin had 697.
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson finished sixth in voting, with 357 voting points. He received three first-place votes, 13 second-place votes, 20 third-place votes, 31 fourth-place votes, and 43 fifth-place votes. Evan Bouchard (593 voting points) and Moritz Seider (360 voting points) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
While Hutson’s sophomore season wasn’t good enough to net him a Norris Trophy, his 78 points are the third-highest single-season production by a Montreal Canadiens defenseman in history, which is no small feat. He’s now only chasing Larry Robinson in the Canadiens’ history book. Big Bird had 85 points in 1976-77 and 82 points in 1985-86, and was awarded the Norris trophy in his 85-point season.
It seems like a foregone conclusion that sooner rather than later, Hutson will capture the Norris trophy, given the way he performs on the ice and just how important a role he plays for a young and upcoming Canadiens’ team. The blueliner has done it all for the Canadiens this season, quarterbacking the power play, munching an incredible number of minutes, averaging 23:46 of ice time, and even playing on the penalty kill at times.
While he’s already a household name in Montreal, the fact that he didn’t make the Team USA roster at the Four Nations Face-Off and the Olympics certainly didn’t help put him on other markets’ radar, but that will come in time.
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