Should Evan Bouchard have been a Norris finalist?

The top three defensemen in the NHL have been revealed, but one notable name has been left off the sheet.

The NHL announced that Buffalo Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin, the Colorado Avalanche’s Cale Makar and the Columbus Blue Jackets‘ Zach Werenski have been named the finalists for the 2025-26 James Norris Memorial Trophy on Thursday.

However, many are surprised that Edmonton Oilers defender Evan Bouchard should’ve at least been in the running for the honor. He led all NHL blueliners with 95 points during the regular season, scoring 21 goals and 74 assists in 82 games. However, some point to his defensive errors as a reason he isn’t in the running.

On Thursday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and Colby Cohen discussed whether Bouchard should’ve been one of the three finalists for the award.

Colby Cohen: It just feels like his mistakes just end up magnified. I think part of his reputation is unfair, and part of that is the reputation that he’s earned. I think that, for whatever reason, his blunders just seem to end up in the back of the net in bigger situations more than others. So, my personal opinion would be Zach Werenski. … I don’t have a problem with these three guys. That doesn’t mean there aren’t other guys that should be involved. It doesn’t mean Bouchard shouldn’t be talked about. It doesn’t mean he won’t get votes. … Like, there can only be three, right? A lot of times in these awards, one or two guys that are probably deserving into the conversation and deserving to be a part of the award part does not make it into it.

Tyler Yaremchuk: I do think a lot of people look at 95 points and say, ‘You know, when [Roman] Josi had the year when he put up all those points, when [Erik] Karlsson had his 100-point season and was, quite frankly, dogshit defensively, still got the award.’ So, that’s where I think there’s a bit of a gripe.

You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…