2024-25 NHL Norris Trophy Award Odds and Predictions

Before long, the NHL Awards ceremony will arrive and we will be crowning a new Stanley Cup champion. Until that day comes, though, NHL fans and bettors alike will be wondering who will win marquee awards such as the Norris Trophy.

If the latest 2024-25 Norris Trophy odds are any indication, there’s little doubt who it will be. If you’re into professional hockey, you might as well save your time and worry more about betting on the NHL Conference winners.

That is, unless you plan on putting major money on Cale Makar to win, or think it’s possible he gets upset by the competition. Before you commit any cash to this bet, join me as I comb through the most recent Norris Trophy betting odds and work my way to a prediction.

What Is The Norris Trophy?

Defense wins championships, so it makes sense that the NHL highlights the best defensemen in the league every year. That’s what the Norris Trophy is for, with the Professional Hockey Writers Association deciding who gets the award each year.

NHL Norris Trophy Odds

Check out the latest NHL Norris Trophy odds, courtesy of the top sports betting sites:

The NHL odds for this particular betting market are pretty unappealing. Cale Makar is the undeniably betting favorite and with a price like -2500, there’s really nowhere to go with this wager.

Makar is a very logical and deserving pick. He opened the year as the most likely winner and top favorite (+250) and now he’s a virtual lock. Most people don’t have the bankroll to make betting on him worth it, while few betting experts would suggest rolling with either of the remaining value bets.

Quite simply, it’s now extremely unlikely that Makar isn’t the Norris Trophy winner. You can read on for my full breakdown and ultimate prediction, but if you’d like more advice for this market or others, be sure to check out the best handicappers you’ll find anywhere online.

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Norris Trophy Contenders

The following NHL players are contenders to win this year’s Norris Trophy Award:

Cale Makar (-2500)

As noted, Makar was the top favorite to win the 2024-25 Norris Trophy before the season even began. A former winner and part of a strong Colorado Avalanche team, Makar was a really strong candidate, but far from a lock.

That narrative has obviously shifted incredibly, of course, with Makar once again playing a key role on a team that is locked into the NHL playoffs and making noise in the Central Division. 

Colorado wasn’t the best defensive squad in the NHL this year, though, so Makar’s plight to win his second Norris Trophy is admittedly more about his own personal dominance.

As great as he is defensively, he’s thrived on offense. He became the first defenseman to register consecutive 90-point seasons since Paul Coffey, while he’s just the ninth defensemen to put up 30 goals in a season.

I’d agree that if we were grading Makar strictly on his personal and team defense, he wouldn’t be an auto lock. However, his offensive aptitude does put him over the top, and his current betting odds give him a 96% probability of winning.

Zach Werenski (+1200)

Makar feels like a shot to an empty goal, to be sure, but let’s turn over every stone and give Zach Werenski a fair shake. 

The 27-year old Werenski is still in the mix as an elite value bet. That’s partially just to keep things interesting, but also because he actually has a bit of a case. He wasn’t in the running back when it broke down the Norris Trophy award odds during the preseason, but he sure is now.

Werenski is statistically behind Makar when it comes to offensive production. However, he’s still second among defensemen in points (80), ranks 14th with 58 assists, and has come up clutch quite a few times this year (five game-winning goals).

Unfortunately, Werenski’s individual impact has not turned his Columbus Blue Jackets into either a defensive stalwart or a playoff contender. Columbus is on the outside of the playoffs looking in, while they’ve coughed up 268 goals on the season.

The Blue Jackets weren’t a laughing stock. They only finished fourth inside the Metropolitan Division, and very nearly made the playoffs. But there wasn’t enough meat on the bone to propel Werenski to where he needed to go to truly contend with Makar.

Werenski is a fun value bet, but not a super logical bet to actually get the win here.

Quinn Hughes (+10000) 

Lastly, there’s Quinn Hughes, who actually opened the year with the second best Norris Trophy odds, just behind Makar. He won’t close things out in that same standing, but he’s not far off.

One could make a case he’s at least a more appealing bet than Werenski. Based on price alone, I’d say that’s an easy sell. Hughes was a legit contender coming into the 2024-25 NHL campaign, and he’s dropped from +800 odds to an absurd +10000 price tag.

That clearly means he has next to no shot to turn the tables, but Hughes at least played for a Vancouver Canucks squad that was better collectively (253 goals allowed) than Werenski’s team, even though they did struggle in the Pacific Division.

In addition, Hughes was not far behind Werenski when it came to his offensive contributions. He finished the regular season with 76 points, and was actually ahead of him (9th) with 60 assists.

The other thing giving Hughes a pulse in this debate is the fact that he won this very award a year ago. That doesn’t guarantee a thing, but it goes to show that he is held in high regard by the people casting the votes.

If you want to peel back the layers a bit more, you could consider that he’s been more efficient than his competition (2.9 points per 60 minutes). That’s more than Werenski (2.2) or even Makar (2.0).

Norris Trophy Predictions

When you’re looking for NHL picks, you don’t want great value or crazy sleepers – especially if they have no chance at winning. I think Werenski and Hughes both had solid seasons, and they have mild cases to at least be in the conversation.

But it’s a quick debate that ends with them sobbing uncontrollably into their own hands. The harsh reality is that Cale Makar was expected to win this thing before the season started, and he has done absolutely nothing to make anyone think he won’t win it now.

Makar has been the hands down best defensemen all season long. It’s just too bad that his price is so out of control that bettors can’t really take advantage of him being such an obvious bet.

Bet: Cale Makar (-2500)

Norris Trophy Prop Bets

Check out the latest NHL Norris Trophy prop bet, courtesy of Bet365:

To Win The Norris Trophy

• Cale Makar (-2500)
• The Field (+1100)

There is actually a separate Norris Trophy prop bet you can wager on, but I won’t waste your time here. You’re really just getting Cale Makar at the same price, versus literally anyone else surprising to get the win.

However, the top NHL betting sites have clearly priced Makar as a borderline “beyond a shadow of a doubt” favorite, so this is just another way for the books to pull in some extra cash.

I wouldn’t really focus too much energy on betting on a guy priced at -2500, but I certainly wouldn’t suggest betting against him at this point, either.

Bet: Cale Makar (-2500)

Norris Trophy Winners

The following is a list of the most recent Norris Trophy Award winners: