NHL: Montreal Canadiens at Florida Panthers - Source: Imagn — Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson (48). (Credit: IMAGN)

NHL insider names his top favorites for Norris and Calder trophies ahead of Stanley Cup playoffs

Modified Mar 31, 2025 15:59 GMT

Hockey analyst Elliotte Friedman gave his take on potential Norris and Calder Trophy winners. The James Norris Trophy is awarded to the best defenseman in the league each season, while the Calder Trophy is awarded to the best rookie of the year.

During Monday’s edition of the “32 Thoughts” podcast on Sportsnet, Friedman picked his top three candidates for the Norris Trophy.

“I have Hughes and Werenski there, because if I'm considering them for MVP, I have to consider them for the Norris,” Friedman said. “Cale Makar. I've also other, like, the guy who got ruined by injury, Heiskanen, yeah, he got ruined by injury.

"Other names I've had around there, but I think Hughes, Werenski, Makar are in a tier above everybody else. There's those three guys and everybody else staring at them.” [8:00 onwards]

Vancouver Canucks' defenseman Quinn Hughes and Columbus Blue Jackets’ Zach Werenski are on the shortlist because they have had a large impact on their teams’ season.

Friedman also talked about the Calder Memorial Trophy rookie of the year candidates with his co-host Kyle Bukauskas.

“It's (Lane) Hutson and (Dustin) Wolf and (Matvei) Michkov and (Macklin) Celebrini,” Friedman said. “Like watching Hutson against Florida on Sunday, I don't know how you couldn't vote for him, especially if they make it, but he looks fantastic. I mean, Wolf has been great. Celebrini has been good. Michkov, very good. He's hot lately. To me, it's, it's Hutson or Wolf.”

Philadelphia Flyers forward Matvei Michkov has 56 points this season, with San Jose Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini third on the list with 53 points.

Elliotte Friedman discusses Lane Hutson and Dustin Wolf’s Calder Trophy chances

Elliotte Friedman also broke down Montreal Canadiens' defenseman Lane Hutson and Calgary Flames goalie Dustin Wolf’s performances this season and elaborated on the players’ chances.

“But if you look at Calgary's underlying numbers, Wolf has been incredible for them," Friedmans said. "They don't score very much until, like last week, when they started winning comeback games. If they don't score. He had them right there.

"But you know, we'll see how this goes for Hutson and Montreal. But right now, I think he's my guy, still two weeks left, but right now he's my guy."

Hutson is the leading point scorer on the rookie chart with 59 points, while Wolf has a GAA of 2.67 and a save percentage of .909 this season.

About the author

Tushaar Kuthiala is an NHL journalist at Sportskeeda with over a decade of experience in the field. Tushaar was an avid ice skater in his childhood and his love of competitive sports and background in writing led him to sports journalism.

Tushaar doesn't have a favorite NHL team as such, which allows him to watch and write from a truly neutral perspective. If he had to pick, Tushaar most enjoys watching the Boston Bruins and Edmonton Oilers.

Wayne Gretsky, Bobby Orr and Alexander Ovechkin are Tushaar's favorite players of all time. Their highlights reels, stats and accolades speak for themselves.

When not working, Tushaar writes fiction and reads books and manga.

Know More

Wayne Gretzky’s wife Janet responds to critics questioning his loyalty to Canada, Bobby Orr's support following 4 Nations drama