2024 NHL Norris Trophy Betting Odds

The James Norris Memorial Trophy, more commonly known as the Norris Trophy, was created in memory of longtime Detroit Red Wings owner Mr. James E. Norris.

The trophy was first awarded to the league’s best defenseman after the 1953-’54 season.

In the 61 seasons the trophy has been awarded, only 26 different players have won this prestigious award.

Names like Doug Harvey, Bobby Orr, Ray Bourque, and Nicklas Lidstrom all won the Norris Trophy at least five times in their career, making it one of the hardest trophies in hockey to win.

The Boston Bruins, thanks to 13 combined by Bobby Orr and Raymond Bourque, are the franchise with the most Norris Trophy winners.

Cale Makar was the betting favorite before the 2023-’24 NHL Season.

Makar has indeed been great this year. But has he been the game’s best?

2022 NHL Norris Trophy Futures Report

The Favorites

Quinn Hughes Was +1100 | Now +100

Cale Makar was the Norris Trophy betting favorite heading into this NHL season, and he has been every bit as good as people predicted.

However, Quinn Hughes has been better.

Despite 76 points in 78 games last year, Hughes was a Norris Trophy longshot to start the year.

That’s how many top-end defensemen are currently playing in the NHL.

Hughes is only 5’10” and 170 pounds – which is still considered undersized for a defenseman in today’s game.

However, he is such a gifted skater and puck mover that he rarely gets hit when retrieving the puck.

The 2018 7th-overall pick scored only seven times last year, but his 69 assists were the second most of all NHL D-Men.

Halfway through this season, Hughes is on pace for more than 100 points and was a +32. Odds on him to win the Norris have moved from +1100 to +100.

Cale Makar Was +240 | Now +175

There is a difference between a conversation discussing who will win the Norris Trophy and who is currently the best defenseman in the NHL.

To win a Norris, a player will not only need to produce at an extremely high level, but they will need fortune and good health on their side.

Cale Makar has not had good health recently and played only 60 games last year.

The Avs two-way threat recorded 66 points in just 60 games last year and averages almost 25 minutes of ice time a game this year.

On a team with names like Nathan MacKinnon and Miko Rantanen, Makar might also be Colorado’s best overall player.

Makar finished third in Norris voting last year despite missing more than 20 games.

Hughes started extremely hot and is still playing at a high level. However, Makar has closed the gap in points.

Don’t be surprised to see him catch Hughes by year’s end.

Evan Bouchard – +1200 EDM Oilers

Evan Bouchard gets to play with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

Bouchard has as many points on the power play as he does at even strength.

I’m not sure what kind of second-half Bouchard would need to wrestle the Norris away from either Hughes or Makar, but it would have to be spectacular.

The Oilers defenseman is playing almost 23 minutes per game and is third in scoring among all NHL blue-liners.

Edmonton had a very slow start, and it cost them their head coach.

However, they appear to have fixed whatever was broken early and are on pace to make the playoffs.

Bouchard’s problem will always be trying to prove he is more than the beneficiary of really good teammates.

Needs A Big Second-Half

Adam Fox Was +650 | Now +4000

The New York Rangers Adam Fox has been offensively dangerous and very consistent in the last two NHL seasons.

Fox tallied 74 points in the 2021 season and recorded 72 more in 82 games last year.

This year, Fox has a low point total halfway through the calendar because he missed a lot of games in November.

However, the Rangers’ D-Man is still very close to a point-a-game average.

A big second half might not be enough to catch Hughes and Makar, but it could see him back in the Norris conversation.

Any player with an opportunity to perform on a power-play that includes Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, and Chris Kreider is going to put up points.

Fox gets to do that in New York again this year.

Rasmus Dahlin Was +650 | Now +5000

In recent years, the Buffalo Sabres haven’t done many things right.

Sabres fans who watched Jack Eichel lead the Vegas Golden Knights to a Stanley Cup victory last year will agree with me.

However, one thing Buffalo did do right was draft Rasmus Dahlin with the first overall pick of the 2018 draft.

Like almost all NHL defensemen, Dahlin’s transition to becoming an NHL star did not happen overnight.

The 2022 season was a huge step in his development and recognition as one of the top-tier defensemen league-wide.

Two seasons ago, Dahlin was strong defensively and physically and recorded 53 points.

Last year, Dahlin continued his strong defensive and physical play, while recording an additional 20 points. (73 total)

Unfortunately for Dahlin and his Buffalo Sabres, the train has come off the track in Buffalo this year. The Sabres began the season with a lot of playoff talk.

Halfway through, nobody is suggesting Buffalo will be a playoff team.

Dahlin is -16, and like the rest of his teammates, he needs to be much better in the second half than in the first.

Miro Heiskanen +850 – DAL Stars

The good news for Dallas Stars fans is the team’s overall play. Dallas is off to a great start, and, once again, is a threat in the Western Conference.

Miro Heiskanen is once again eating up minutes on the Dallas back end, playing over 25 minutes per game.

However, the former third-overall pick is only 14th in scoring among all NHL defensemen.

Heiskanen was 7th in D-Man scoring last year.

A solid offensive second-half, and continuing his strong defensive play will be needed to get some Norris consideration.

The Longshots

Erik Karlsson +5000 – PIT Penguins

The fact that Erik Karlsson started the year +1300 to win the Norris Trophy tells us how deep and talented the list of quality NHL defensemen is.

Last year, playing on a terrible San Jose team, Karlsson was doing things hockey fans hadn’t talked about since Bobby Orr roamed the ice way back in the 1970s.

In his three seasons before last year, Erik Karlsson recorded 97 points total.

In his 82 games last year, the former 15th-overall pick recorded 102 points.

Incredible!

Karlsson joins a list that includes;

• Bobby Orr (6 times)
• Paul Coffey (5 times)
• Al MacInnis (once)
• Brian Leetch (once)
• Dennis Potvin (once)

As the only NHL defenseman to record over 100 points in a single season.

However, this past off-season, E.K was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Penguins now have Kris Letang and Karlsson playing more than 24 minutes a game and putting up very good offensive numbers.

If both players stay healthy, it will be great for Penguins fans but bad for Erik Karlsson Norris’ trophy bettors.

Norris Trophy Futures Betting

Futures betting favors the bold, and those who are rewarded are those who are well-researched and ahead of the market.

Last year, nobody was predicting Erik Karlsson would win the Norris Trophy, nor did anyone suspect he would be close to reaching 100 points.

At the beginning of the season, the odds for E.K. to win the Norris were very long.

But as the season progressed and his point total continued to climb, his odds started falling.

Savvy bettors ahead of the curve were able to get their Karlsson for Norris tickets in early before the masses could understand what a historic performance Karlsson was putting on.

Those who are well-researched, with a bold personality are built for NHL futures betting.

Where Can You Bet On NHL Norris Trophy Futures?

As the US sports betting landscape continues to legalize and expand rapidly, the competition by sportsbooks to earn your business has never been stronger.

This means bettors now have an advantage over the house.

The best thing that any sports bettor can do to give themselves a significant edge is to exploit the many bonus offerings currently available by legalized sportsbooks.

The bonus offers are paid out in the form of free bets, increased odds, and often even free money for a bettor to play with.

All reputable sportsbooks operating legally in the US market will have NHL futures bets available.

As a bettor, check out the bonus page, set up accounts at the sportsbooks offering the bonuses that work best for you, and away you go.

How To Place An NHL Norris Trophy Futures Bet

To place an NHL MVP futures bet, here are the steps that you need to follow:

• Choose a sportsbook with a bonus offer that excites you the most.
• Click on NHL betting.
• Once you are at the NHL betting section, go to “awards”.
• This section might also be called “Futures” or “Player Futures”.
• Click on the “Norris Trophy” market.
• Select the defenseman that you think will win the Norris Award.
• Select your wager amount and confirm your bet.
• We always recommend you track all your bets.
• Either with a spreadsheet or software designed to help you keep a record of your wagers.

How Is The NHL Norris Trophy Decided?

After each NHL season, the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) votes on who the league’s best defenseman is.

The PHWA consists of approximately 180 total voting members, and the group also votes on several other NHL player awards, including the Hart Trophy, awarded to the game’s best player.

NHL Norris Trophy History

Red Kelly was the first-ever recipient of the Norris Trophy, but Doug Harvey dominated the early years of the award.

Harvey won seven of the next eight Norris Trophies on his way to 6 Stanley Cups, 11 all-star teams, and the Hall of Fame.

Six years after Harvey won his last Norris Trophy, Bobby Orr won his first.

Orr would win a record eight consecutive awards as the league’s best defenseman and is also one of only two players ever to win a Norris and Hart Trophy in the same year. (Chris Pronger is the other.)

Imagine being a 5-time Norris Trophy winner and still not being the best defenseman to ever play for that franchise.

Ray Bourque is precisely that. Although nobody on any team in any era has been able to match what the great Bobby Orr accomplished, Bourque gave it his best shot.

Bruins fans were very fortunate to transition from the Orr era to the Bourque era, and combined, the two Boston Hall of Famers were named the NHL’s best defenseman 13 times.

Not only did Nicklas Lidstrom win the Norris Trophy in three consecutive years, he accomplished that impressive feat twice.

The Detroit Red Wings legend won seven Norris titles over 10 years – Second all-time only to Orr.

Recent Norris Trophy Winners

Season	Norris Trophy Winner	Team
2022-23	Erik Karlsson	San Jose Sharks
2021-22	Cale Makar	Colorado Avalanche
2020-21	Adam Fox	New York Rangers
2019-20	Roman Josi	Nashville Predators
2018-19	Mark Giordano	Calgary Flames
2017-18	Victor Hedman	Tampa Bay Lightning
2016-17	Brent Burns	San Jose Sharks
2015-16	Drew Doughty	Los Angeles Kings
2014-15	Erik Karlsson	Ottawa Senators
2013-14	Duncan Keith	Chicago Blackhawks

Most Norris Trophy Awards

Player	Total	Team
Bobby Orr	8	Boston Bruins
Nicklas Lidstrom	7	Detroit Red Wings
Doug Harvey	7	Montreal Canadiens
Raymond Bourque	5	Boston Bruins