Who is the best defenseman in the NHL and what makes them so valuable? That has been a tough question to answer in recent years.

Gone are the days when one blueliner dominated the game consistently, as Bobby Orr did in the late 60s and early 70s.

There was no disputing that he was the best defenseman in the game at that time, as he had captured the Norris Trophy in eight consecutive seasons.

But these days, there are so many exceptional defensemen in the league, it’s hard to point to one of them as the best.

Case in point – there have been nine different winners of the award in the last nine seasons.

Recent Norris Trophy Winners

Year	Winner	Team
2024	Quinn Hughes	Vancouver Canucks
2023	Erik Karlsson	San Jose Sharks
2022	Cale Makar	Colorado Avalanche
2021	Adam Fox	New York Rangers
2020	Roman Josi	Nashville Predators
2019	Mark Giordano	Calgary Flames
2018	Victor Hedman	Tampa Bay Lightning
2017	Brent Burns	San Jose Sharks
2016	Drew Doughty	Los Angeles Kings

In fact, Erik Karlsson is the only active defenseman in the NHL who has won the Norris Trophy multiple times, winning it twice with the Ottawa Senators and once with San Jose.

Will we see another new name added to the list, or will a recent winner once again capture the award?

2025 Norris Trophy Favorites

Cale Makar (-120) – Colorado Avalanche

When healthy, he can put up points with the best of them. He finished second last season amongst defensemen with 90, just two shy of Quinn Hughes.

Makar has averaged at least a point per game in every season besides his rookie campaign.

The 2021-2022 Norris Trophy winner is an elegant skater with size and speed. He got off to a blistering start this year with 16 points in his first nine games.

A second Norris Trophy may not be too far away for this generational talent.

Adam Fox (+500) – New York Rangers

The Rangers blueliner is in search of his second Norris Trophy after winning it back in 2021 in just his second season in the NHL.

And he’s in great company because the only other D-man to accomplish that feat is the great Bobby Orr.

Fox is as consistent as they come, recording between 72 and 74 points in each of his last three seasons. He’s also a rock in his own zone.

Over his career, he is a combined +108 over five seasons with his worst rating being +18.

Quinn Hughes (+800) – Vancouver Canucks

Hughes is trying to become the first back-to-back winner of the award since Nicklas Lidstrom in 2007 and 2008.

The Canucks’ blueliner is known for his incredible skating and puck-possession skills.

He led all defensemen last season with 92 points and finished fourth in the entire league with 75 assists, behind Connor McDavid, Nikita Kucherov, and Nathan MacKinnon.

He also impressed many with his strong defensive play and +38 rating. He is the youngest captain in the NHL, at the age of 25, and is entering the prime of his career.

Evan Bouchard (+1100) – Edmonton Oilers

Many people have the Oilers’ blueliner high on their Norris Trophy list this year.

That’s because Bouchard is coming off a breakout season in which he finished with 82 points, fourth most amongst defensemen.

He followed that up with a historic postseason in which he recorded 32 points, second only to Connor McDavid.

Paul Coffey and Brian Leetch are the only defensemen to have more points in a single playoff run.

In just his fourth full season in the NHL, don’t be surprised if Bouchard doesn’t earn himself some hardware sooner rather than later.

Longshot: Josh Morrissey (+3000) – Winnipeg Jets

It may have taken some time, but Josh Morrissey has found his offensive game.

Now, in his ninth full season in the NHL – all of them with the Jets – the skilled blueliner averaged more than 72 points over the last two seasons.

And he got off to a great start this year with 13 in his first 11 games. Nicknamed Josh “Norrissey”, his odds may be too good to pass up if you think another first-timer will win the honor.

*odds provided by BetMGM

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Always Shop Around

If you like a particular defenseman to take home the Norris Trophy this year, don’t just settle on the first set of odds you see.

My advice is to shop around, as not all sites set their lines the same. The chance of finding a better number elsewhere is extremely high.

For example, you can find Evan Bouchard at +1100 on BetMGM, but wouldn’t it make more sense to bet him at +1600 on FanDuel?

That is a considerable difference in profit and ROI. So, shop around for your Best Odds and get every edge you can over the sportsbooks.

Also, check out our other dedicated NHL futures betting articles:

• Playoffs Betting Odds
• Vezina Trophy Odds
• MVP Betting Odds