Norris Trophy Odds 2026-27: Makar Favored to Chase a Third Win

Cale Makar opens as the favorite to win the Norris Trophy for a third time at +300, with Quinn Hughes next at +400 and reigning winner Zach Werenski close behind at +550, per consensus pricing tracked by Sports Betting Dime as of Sept. 15. Rasmus Dahlin sits fourth at +700. The market has barely moved since books opened Sept. 3, but camp has added a wrinkle: Makar is working through a lower-body injury that could push his debut past opening night.

The Norris Trophy goes to the league's best all-around defenseman, and this year's board is a rematch of last season's three finalists, minus the guy who actually won it. Werenski denied Makar a third Norris in 2025-26, and Makar is favored to try again in a race that already has an injury subplot before puck drop.

Norris Trophy Odds 2026-27: The Board

Sports Betting Dime's consensus odds, drawn from DraftKings, FanDuel and other major books and last updated Sept. 18, have Makar as the clear favorite. The wider board comes from Covers' BET99 pricing, dated to a July 13 open, and those numbers still match the September consensus at the top, so nothing has moved through the top four all summer.

| Player | Team | Sept. 15 consensus (SBD) | BET99, July 13 (Covers) | |-|-|-|-| | Cale Makar | Avalanche | +300 | +300 | | Quinn Hughes | Wild | +400 | +400 | | Zach Werenski | Blue Jackets | +550 | +550 | | Rasmus Dahlin | Sabres | +700 | +700 | | Lane Hutson | Canadiens | Not listed | +1000 | | Moritz Seider | Red Wings | Not listed | +1000 | | Evan Bouchard | Oilers | Not listed | +1200 | | Matthew Schaefer | Islanders | Not listed | +2000 |

Implied probability is 100 divided by (odds plus 100), so Makar's +300 works out to 25%, Hughes' +400 to 20% and Werenski's +550 to about 15.4%. Those three alone account for roughly 60% of the implied market, which is tight for a trophy that has changed hands three times in the last four seasons.

The Top Contenders

Cale Makar, Avalanche (+300). Makar finished third among NHL defensemen last season with 79 points (20 goals, 59 assists) in 75 games and was a Norris finalist for the sixth straight year, per NHL PR's official finalist announcement. He signed an eight-year, $163.2 million contract on Aug. 28, and is chasing his third Norris after winning in 2021-22 and 2024-25. Only Bobby Orr has made the Norris shortlist six times in his first seven NHL seasons, a group Makar just joined.

Quinn Hughes, Wild (+400). Hughes won the 2023-24 Norris with a career-high 92 points before Minnesota acquired him from Vancouver in a Dec. 12, 2025 trade that sent Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, Zeev Buium and a 2026 first-round pick back to the Canucks, per NHL.com. He was also a finalist in 2024-25 with 76 points. A deeper Wild roster and a contract year with free agency looming after 2026-27 add extra motivation to reclaim the award.

Zach Werenski, Blue Jackets (+550). Werenski beat out Makar and Dahlin for his first Norris last season, putting up 22 goals, 59 assists and 81 points in 75 games, the sixth American-born player ever to win the trophy. He led NHL defensemen in shots (260) and ranked second in points and average ice time (26:37), per NHL PR. Defending the award from a non-Presidents'-Trophy team will be the tougher path, but voters already rewarded his two-way game once.

Rasmus Dahlin, Sabres (+700). Dahlin posted a career-high 74 points and helped Buffalo make the playoffs for the first time since 2010-11, finishing third in Norris voting. His 74 points are the third-highest total by a Buffalo defenseman in franchise history, per NHL PR, so a repeat trip to the postseason keeps him in the mix behind the top three.

What Could Move the Board

Makar's camp status is the earliest storyline of the season. Avalanche coach Jared Bednar told reporters Sept. 16 that Makar is "on a little bit of a lighter program" with a lower-body injury unrelated to the upper-body issue that cost him two playoff games last spring, and called it something "not to be worried about." Whether he is full-go for Colorado's season opener or eases in over the first week matters for anyone betting the favorite now rather than waiting.

The Norris has real history patterns worth knowing before you bet. Per Sports Betting Dime, the most games a winner has missed in the last 11 years is six, when P.K. Subban sat out the start of 2012-13 in a contract holdout, so voters have punished absences even in otherwise dominant seasons. It is also not a pure point chase: Werenski's 81-point, two-way 2026 season beat out bigger offensive numbers elsewhere, and Adam Fox in 2021 remains the only winner from a non-playoff team since 1954. A slow start for a contender's team can matter as much as raw production.

For live trends once games start counting, StatSniper's AI sports picks hub tracks daily model reads across the league, and our NHL win totals and over/under odds piece covers Colorado, Minnesota, Columbus and Buffalo entering the season. Chad AI tracks futures markets like this one alongside nightly game picks inside the Chad app.

Betting Angles and Value

At +300, Makar needs better than a 25% chance to be worth a straight bet, and he has cleared that bar twice in the last five seasons. The safer lean is fading the field: with Makar, Hughes and Werenski combining for roughly 60% of the implied probability, there is little room for a fourth name to sneak in unless one of the top three stumbles.

Dahlin at +700 is the value play if Buffalo's breakout was more than a one-off, since a repeat playoff berth keeps him in the finalist conversation without unseating the top three. Further down, the July BET99 board had Hutson and Seider at +1000 and Bouchard at +1200, longer prices backed by real production last season. Track how the board reacts once Makar is back full-time before locking in a ticket, since an extended absence is the fastest way for Hughes or Werenski to shorten.

FAQ

Who is favored to win the Norris Trophy in 2026-27? Cale Makar is the favorite at +300 as of the Sept. 15 consensus tracked by Sports Betting Dime, with Quinn Hughes next at +400 and reigning winner Zach Werenski at +550.

Is Cale Makar injured heading into the 2026-27 season? Yes. Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said Sept. 16 that Makar is dealing with a lower-body injury and working on a lighter camp program, and called it unlikely he is ready for the first day of training camp, though the team does not consider it serious.

Did Quinn Hughes get traded? Yes. The Vancouver Canucks traded Hughes, the 2023-24 Norris Trophy winner, to the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 12, 2025 for Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, Zeev Buium and a 2026 first-round pick.

Who won the Norris Trophy last season? Zach Werenski won his first Norris Trophy for the 2025-26 season, edging finalists Cale Makar and Rasmus Dahlin with 81 points in 75 games for the Blue Jackets.

When does the NHL season start? The 2026-27 regular season opens Sept. 29, when Carolina hosts Florida, with most teams beginning play in the following days.

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