Avs defenseman Cale Makar does not win Norris Trophy, takes second

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar will not be adding a third Norris Trophy to his name.

At least, not this season.

Makar finished second in the voting, released by the NHL on Tuesday morning. The award is given to the league’s top defenseman and it went to Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was surprised with the the Norris over the weekend, hence why the results leaked before NHL Honors later this month.

Final voting totals for 2025-26 Norris Trophy: pic.twitter.com/UA2LXqi2so

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) June 2, 2026

Cale Makar earned 47 first-place votes while Werenski received 113, so the final tally wasn’t all that close. Still, Makar was comfortably ahead of Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin who finished third.

Makar became the first player since the legendary Bobby Orr to earn a Norris Trophy nomination in six of his first seven years in the NHL, which is an amazing accomplishment on its own. Makar’s won it twice including as recently as the 2024-25 season.

He had another stellar season, posting 20 goals and 59 assists, good for 79 points. That was third in the NHL amongst defenseman and Makar scored at least 20 goals for the fourth time in five seasons. Werenski finished with 22 goals and 59 assists (81 points), so the two had nearly identical stats.

Of course, Cale Makar would rather win another Stanley Cup than Norris, but that didn’t happen. He missed the first two games of the Western Conference against Vegas with shoulder and hip injuries. Colorado was shockingly swept out of the playoffs.

We’re still waiting word on the exact injuries for Makar, but a report has already surfaced he could miss the start of next season. Whatever he’s dealing with specifically might require surgery and sideline him a few months.

Regardless, 2025-26 was excellent for Cale Makar with a disappointing ending for him and the whole Avalanche team. Still, a second-place Norris finish is yet another feather in the cap of an already brilliant career.

Related

Cale Makar voted NHL’s best defenseman a fifth year in a rowAvalanche name new head coach for AHL affiliate EaglesFive most important Avalanche games during the 2026-27 seasonNHL drops schedule for 2026-27 Avalanche seasonFirst Avalanche game of 2026-27 season announced, it’s in SeptemberAvs make three more depth signings, including forward with 477 NHL games