Norris Trophy Halfway Winner

 James Norris Winner at the Halfway Point


I am going to start this short article by saying I fully understand the qualifications for winning this award now seems to be whoever finishes with the most points. With that being said I think it would be difficult to not give Makar the award, even if that wasn’t the case. If he was 3rd or 4th in points I believe his outstanding +/- of +30 should get him the award. As good as Colorado is and has been for a couple of years now he is without a doubt a main reason for their success. The combination of those two statements and the fact he does lead defenseman in points solidifies my case for him winning the James Norris trophy.


One argument you could make against Makar is that compared to other defenseman who will be in the running for the award, such as Werenski or Lane Hutson, his production is only due to being surrounded by high level talent. Whether he is playing with guys like MacKinnon, Necas, and his partner Toews or not doesn’t matter. What matters is the level he is playing at with those guys and he is at the highest. He is not just some extra piece of the puzzle floating around the ice waiting for a backdoor play; he is an active skater and an elite playmaker. Only McDavid and MacKinnon can compare to his ability to skate with the puck and aggressively fly through the ice and defenders to set up plays in the offensive zone. There also isn’t another D-man that can match his ability to be as aggressive in the o-zone as he is and still find a way to get back on defense and prevent an odd man rush. Werenski is a close second but still not on the same level as Cale, which is supported by his +/- of +30.


If Cale continues to lead defenseman in points and maintain his high +/- he will without a doubt win the Norris. I could see a potential case for Werenski to win the Norris without him passing Makar in points. Werenski currently leads D-men in goals with 17 and is 3 points behind Cale who has 53. The issue is with Zachs +/- compared to Cales. Zach is +5 Cale +30. If their +/- numbers are closer than they currently are at the end of the season and Werenski has a solid lead in goals over Makar, I could see the award potentially going to Zach. 


To sum this all up I think Makar is the obvious winner of the Norris trophy at the halfway point and highly likely to win it at the end of the season. I do think there is a realistic potential for Werenski to steal it from him in the second half, but he would have to have an unbelievably good second half of the season.

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