Norris: Lane Hutson officially out of the top 5

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Norris: Lane Hutson officially out of the top 5
Credit: Matt Garies/NHLI via Getty Images

We knew Lane Hutson wasn't going to win the Norris. He wasn't even among the three finalists.

But one might still have thought that the Canadiens defenseman would finish close to the podium in the voting. That said, it turns out that wasn't the case.

The Habs defenseman finished in sixth place, outside the top five.

Zach Werenski (who won by a wide margin) and Cale Makar each received over 100 points in the voting. Rasmus Dahlin and Evan Bouchard also finished well ahead of the Habs defenseman.

On the other hand, Moritz Seider has only three more points than Lane Hutson, who is ahead of Quinn Hughes. After that, there's a real drop-off in terms of scoring.

I don't think seeing Hutson in this position is a huge deal. He certainly deserved to be higher, but the other guys above him aren't slouches either.

He received three first-place votes among the 73 people who voted for him.

We've said it before, but Hutson will surely have a chance to win a Norris one day. His 78 points in 2025-2026 prove he belongs among the NHL's elite.

Last year, he finished ninth in the voting, and this year he did even better. It's a tough trophy to win, even for the best in the business, in fact.


In a nutshell

– Wow.

– Is the Avalanche going to lose its GM, a finalist for Executive of the Year?

– JP Hurlbert: a name to watch in the draft. [Ratings]

– Wow.

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