The Norris Trophy is awarded to the “defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position.” Over the years, greatness at defenseman increasingly has become more about the number of points a player puts up instead of defending his own end.
Colorado’s Cale Makar won the Norris for the second time in his career following a 92-point season, and there will hardly be an argument that he wasn’t the top all-around defenseman in the game this season.
The Lightning’s Victor Hedman placed fifth after ranking sixth in scoring among defensemen, the seventh time in his career he was top five in voting. But Hedman probably would be the first to say that one of his fellow blue-liners deserved more attention.
A defenseman’s chief responsibility isn’t filling the net, it’s to keep the puck out of his own. And few players had a more transformative effect on that than the Lightning’s Ryan McDonagh.
Yet McDonagh doesn’t put up the points to receive serious Norris consideration. The fact that he led all players with a plus-43 ratio couldn’t sway voters that are stuck with scoring numbers.
Of the 191 votes cast by select members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association picking the Norris winner — voters select their top-five players — McDonagh’s name appeared on just three ballots (and on just one by a voter outside the Tampa Bay chapter). He placed 14th.
When Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy was asked who the Norris Trophy winner should have been, it took him no time before naming McDonagh.
“All day,” Vasilevskiy said during an interview in April. “It’s just unfair to guys like him who are doing everything to keep the puck out of the net. Obviously, he doesn’t score many goals, doesn’t score many points, but he’s the best defensive defenseman.”
Vasilevskiy suggested creating a new NHL award and naming it the Bobby Orr award to give to the top offensive defenseman, something that NHL legend Wayne Gretzky also suggested on an “NHL on TNT” broadcast in April.
“There should be a different award for guys like Makar,” Vasilevskiy. “For guys who score like 100 points in a season, but the Norris, it should be about defensemen, guys like Mac who have huge plus-minus, 2,000 blocks over his career.
“What more could you ask for? I understand guys like Makar, he’s like super talented and he’s obviously a big reason their team is so good. But to me, I feel bad for those guys like Mac.”
Yes, McDonagh only had four goals and 27 assists, but anyone who paid attention to the Lightning this season — and the season prior — realize the impact he had in 2024-25 in making the Lightning one of the top defensive teams in the regular season.
In the two seasons in which the Lightning were without McDonagh — they traded him to Nashville after the 2022 Stanley Cup Final run — the Lightning ranked 14th and 22nd in goals allowed. This season, following an offseason trade to bring McDonagh back to Tampa Bay, the Lightning ranked fourth in scoring defense.
McDonagh’s impact was greater than any statistics would show. He brought out the best in pairing partner Erik Cernak as the duo consistently drew the toughest matchups against an opponent’s best players. McDonagh brought a calmness to the blue line it needed, and he kept the Lightning’s penalty kill one of the best in the league. Lightning coaches, players and front office officials resoundingly touted McDonagh as a deserving Norris candidate even though he didn’t have the offensive numbers.
But those things aren’t going to get attention for the Norris, especially in an era of high-scoring defensemen highlighted by Makar, who could end up being the best offensive blue-liner since Orr. Over the last four seasons, the winner of the Norris has averaged 93 points. Only twice since 2005 has a Norris winner playing a full season — discounting the lockout season of 2012-13 and the 56-game COVID regular season in 2021 — scored fewer than 60.
Even among defensemen, it’s offense that wins.
Lightning's Victor Hedman finishes fifth in Norris Trophy voting
On Tuesday, the NHL released the voting results for the Norris Trophy. Colorado defenseman Cale Makar took home first place, after having a historically good season, scoring a career-high 30 goals and recording 90 points in 80 games. Makar earned 176 of the 191 first-place votes. He was followed by Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski for second place and Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes for third.
Tampa Bay Lightning captain, Victor Hedman finished fifth, receiving one second-place vote, 11 third-place votes, 55 fourth-place votes, and 38 fifth-place votes. In 79 games this season, Hedman recorded 15 goals, 66 points, and a plus-18 rating.
The veteran defenseman previously won the Norris Trophy for the 2017-18 season, when he posted 17 goals, 63 points, and a plus-32 rating in 77 games for the Lightning.
