It shouldn't be a shock to see the Detroit Red Wings hung out to dry.
From disastrous national media broadcasts to horrible lottery luck, it seems like the NHL and the media that covers it tends to overlook Detroit. This time around, they took one look at Moritz Seider's outstanding campaign and thought "yeah, let's just nominate Cale Makar again".
Rasmus Dahlin, Cale Makar, and Zach Werenski are the finalists for the 2025-26 Norris Trophy 💥 pic.twitter.com/ShEir81u5i
May 7, 2026It's not that Cale Makar is a bad defenseman. In fact, I'd say he's among the best in the league. But, by his standards, this was far from an effective season. He played on a team with a whopping +99 goal differential -- one of the best in the league. He's on a team with Nathan MacKinnon. Makar could play every shift on autopilot and have a season better than 70% of defensemen in the league.
Why, then, was he given a nod instead of someone like Evan Bouchard or Moritz Seider?
Why the Norris Trophy isn't valuable defensively anymore
There was a shift around the mid-2010s where the Professional Hockey Writer's Association - the board that votes on these awards - began to look at offensive output vs. defensive pedigree. What started as whispers culminated in a narrative shift as the trophy made its way into the hands of players like Brent Burns and Adam Fox. No longer was the Norris awarded to the best defenseman -- rather, it became an award for the best offensive defenseman.
One of two things needs to change to restore the pedigree of the award. Either the award's criteria needs to shift to focus on offensive defensemen, or the PHWA needs to expand its search beyond marquee names. With all due respect to Cale Makar, he received his nomination based on name recognition, not on his overall performance this season.
A new award needs to exist. One geared towards defensive defenseman. The Jaccob Slavins and Moritz Seiders of the world are the most underappreciated players in the league. They deserve their time in the spotlight just as much as someone like, say, Adam Fox. Shouldn't the PHWA - and the NHL by extension - value those traits in players? Why is the voter base so selective about their nominations?
Moritz Seider not the only snub
Seider had among the best performances this season defensively -- but he isn't the only head-scratcher left off this list. Evan Bouchard of the Edmonton Oilers led all defensemen in assists and points this season. If the Norris is an offensive defenseman award (as precedent and history dictates), why was he left off this list? Bouchard played admirably for the Oilers, soaking up an average ice time of 24:41 a night.
These snubs lead to frustrations within fanbases and have left many across the NHL fandom questioning the criteria of the PHWA.
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