My Norris Trophy Vote: Cale Makar Made It an Easy Call

I voted Cale Makar for the Norris Trophy. And it was one of the easier decisions I had on my ballot this year.

Makar had a historic season for the Avalanche, becoming just the ninth defenseman in NHL history to score 30 goals in a season. Even though it wasn’t just his offense that was on display, he managed to shatter some notable personable numbers along the way.

That’s ultimately what earned him 176 of a 191 first-place votes.

There are many obvious reasons why the Avs’ 26-year-old superstar is deserving of this award. But I wanted to share some of the offensive numbers that were part of my research when I submitted my official ballot.

Read More: Cale Makar Wins 2nd Norris Trophy

Of his 30 goals, 12 were scored on the power play — a new career high. He also managed 34 primary assists, shattering his previous best. According to Natural Stat Trick, Makar had 252 scoring changes, which is 99 more than he had when he won the Norris in 2022. It’s also 74 more than he had in 2023-24, his previous career high.

Makar had 45 high-danger opportunities, nearly doubling the 23 he had the previous year. It was his first time reaching the 30-mark, and he blew past 40, too.

One of my favorite offensive metrics to follow are the number of points a player records when his team is trailing. Makar led blueliners in that department with 33, according to Natural Stat Trick.

Offensively, Makar was already one of the best ever. But this season, he made it even more clear that he and Nathan MacKinnon are Colorado’s two-headed monster in terms of offensive production. With Mikko Rantanen gone, any season where a healthy Makar isn’t in the top two in points on the Avs will be a rarity.

He had 60 takeaways, one back of Jaccob Slavin among defensemen. He also drew a league-most 26 penalties (tied with Rasmus Dahlin).

His defensive metrics, in general, were on par with what we often see from the superstar defenseman since he broke into the league six years ago.

My ballot:

1. Cale Makar
2. Zach Werenski
3. Quinn Hughes
4. Victor Hedman
5. Josh Morrissey

Final voting results for the 2024-25 Norris Trophy: pic.twitter.com/oJWXDnBpP3

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) June 11, 2025