In the NHL, one of the early-season favorites for the James Norris Memorial Trophy is Evan Bouchard, the Edmonton Oilers’ outstanding defenseman.
Each year, the NHL awards the Norris Trophy to the league’s top defenseman. Bouchard placed fourth in the balloting while Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets took home the prize last year.
Is 2026-27 the year Bouchard finally takes home the prize? He’s one of the front-runners to win the prize this season, so it’s definitely going in that direction.
Norris Candidate Evan Bouchard Bouchard has the second-best odds in the league of any defenseman to win the Norris Trophy, according to Draft Kings Sportsbook, at +350 betting odds, behind only Colorado Avalanche star Cale Makar, who has +300 betting odds to win the prize.
Bouchard’s quick start to the season puts him ahead of other regular Norris Trophy candidates like Quinn Hughes of the Minnesota Wild (+400), Werenski (+600), last year’s winner, and Rasmus Dahlin of the Buffalo Sabres (+900).
Bouchard is being given a lot of respect by sportsbooks and bettors since winning the Norris is difficult and he is definitely putting up a good performance this season.
Evan Bouchard Is Having a Fantastic Season
Bouchard is already having a fantastic season, despite having only four games under his belt, scoring an NHL-leading six goals and five assists for eleven points in only four games for Edmonton.
Given that it would place Bouchard on a 200-point pace for the entire year, which clearly won’t happen, it would be amazing if he could sustain that rate of production all season long. However, Bouchard has a very good chance of surpassing the 100-point mark this year, which would put him in a strong position to win the Norris Trophy.
Bouchard played in all 82 regular-season games for the Oilers last season, tallying 21 goals and 95 points.
This year, Bouchard will attempt his best to exceed the triple-digit barrier, which is a rare accomplishment for a defender in the league and demonstrates his skill, given that the NHL season has been extended to 84 games.
