Hughes gets Norris finalist nod and here’s who the Vancouver Canucks captain is up against

Quinn Hughes has been named as a Norris Trophy finalist for a second straight year.

Though his team took a major step back this season, the Vancouver Canucks defenceman’s play remained consistently elite. Hughes ended the 2024-25 campaign with 16 goals and 78 points in only 68 games.

Hughes led the Canucks in scoring by a whopping 26 points this season. Erik Karlsson is the only defenceman in NHL history to lead his team by a wider margin, when he had a 34-point lead on his San Jose Sharks teammates in 2022-23. The Swedish blueliner wound up winning his third Norris Trophy that season.

The 25-year-old Canucks blueliner is up against Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche and Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets for the Norris Trophy this year. Makar had another incredible season, scoring 30 goals and 92 points in 80 games, while Werenski had 82 points in 81 outings.

Hughes will be looking to take home the Norris for the second-straight year, as he won it last year following a 92-point season.

The Hughes nomination is a feel-good story in what was a season full of drama for the Canucks. Several questions are still lingering about the future of the team, perhaps most notably the status of head coach Rick Tocchet, who has yet to sign a contract extension.

There is also concern surrounding Hughes’ future in Vancouver after some rather odd comments from Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford, who made it clear Quinn wants to play with his brothers.

Hughes currently has two seasons remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $7.85 million. As one of the best defencemen on the planet, he’s sure to see a significant uptick on his next deal, though being able to add a second straight Norris Trophy to his resume would help increase that even further.

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