Make no mistake about it, this has been the year of the defenceman.

Sure, Nathan MacKinnon has put together a dazzling season, Connor McDavid continues to wow, Nikita Kucherov is scoring at a torrid pace and Macklin Celebrini is mesmerizing, but it’s been an incredible campaign for blueliners.

Six defencemen have already scored 20 goals, and Rasmus Dahlin could still make it seven. That’s the most in any season since 1992-93.

One of those players with 20 tucks is Evan Bouchard, who is having an excellent season. Unquestionably his best ever. But it’s almost happened quietly and even a little under the radar. With someone like Matthew Schaefer bursting on the scene to transform the New York Islanders or Quinn Hughes heading to the Minnesota Wild and instantly making them a major contender, Bouchard has been lost in the shuffle somewhat in 2025-26.

That could be in part because most people have already made up their mind about Bouchard. He’s an immensely talented offensive player who is flawed defensively, critics might say. Someone who will never quite be looked at in the same way as Cale Makar and Hughes are, some might add. Bouchard, of course, was even passed over for Team Canada’s roster at the Olympics, they would point out.

However, this season, Bouchard is doing his best to rewrite his narrative. He leads all defenders in points, and momentum is building around him regarding the Norris conversation.

Bouchard deserves the Norris this season

With only a couple of games to go, Bouchard has 91 points, 10 more than Zach Werenski among blueliners. Bouchard became just the fifth defenceman since 1995 to score 90 points and it’s certainly not uncommon for the Norris winner to be the leader in points among defenders. That, combined with slightly down years from Hughes and Makar, could really open the door for Bouchard.

While offence is always a big part of the award, most will point out that other factors besides points should be considered for the Norris. There are a number of strong candidates this season that don’t lean on just points for their resume. Werenski has posted his second straight 80-point season and has carried the Columbus Blue Jackets at times, while averaging more than 26 minutes per game. That’s the second most in the NHL, next to Hughes. Moritz Seider might be the most complete defenceman in the league and is a stalwart defensively with 178 blocked shots. And where would the Buffalo Sabres be without Rasmus Dahlin? He does a little bit of everything for Buffalo and has helped them finally end a lengthy playoff drought.
There are probably as many as half a dozen candidates worthy of consideration for the Norris this season, but it does feel like Bouchard may be separating himself from the pack.

One of the things that really stands out from Bouchard this season is that he isn’t just an elite point producer among defencemen. From Jan. 17 onwards, only Nick Suzuki, McDavid and Kucherov have more points than Bouchard. He’s even outscored Nathan MacKinnon over that stretch. Not only that, but Bouchard has really stepped up his game since the Oilers lost Leon Draisaitl. Bouchard has 14 points in 12 games since Draisaitl went down and is plus-4, while playing over 24 minutes a night.

The Oilers have really needed Bouchard’s offence more than ever before this season, as they’ve struggled to get a save all year. Edmonton has the league’s 30th-ranked save percentage and has allowed at least four goals in almost half its games. Without a career year from Bouchard, there’s no way the Oilers are still in the mix to win the Pacific Division and would likely be on the playoff bubble instead.

If you put all the defencemen in the NHL right now in a draft, I’m not sure Bouchard would even be a top-five selection. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that in 2025-26, he’s having the best season among all his peers and is worthy of claiming the Norris Trophy.

Not landing Quinn Hughes was the beginning of the end for Tom Fitzgerald in New Jersey

Tom Fitzgerald became the second general manager to lose his job in the span of a week, after he and the New Jersey Devils parted ways last Monday. The Devils will miss the playoffs this season, making it four times in six years during Fitzgerald’s tenure. That’s far too many for a team as talented as New Jersey. When you have Jack Hughes, Timo Meier, Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier and others, the Devils needed to have a much better campaign than they delivered this year.

That said, what could’ve been the last straw for Fitzgerald was not landing Quinn Hughes back in December, when the Vancouver Canucks dealt him to the Minnesota Wild. The Hughes brothers haven’t exactly been hiding the fact that they all want to play together and the Devils have two of them. New Jersey was rumoured to be in the mix for Hughes when the Canucks were shopping him but couldn’t close the deal. Given how Hughes has taken the Wild to another level since his arrival, you’d have to think he would’ve been able to change New Jersey’s trajectory this season as well.

The Eastern Conference is wide open this year and adding a player like Hughes would’ve made a massive difference for the Devils. Not only that, but it also felt like the air really went out of the team after they missed out on the superstar blue liner. New Jersey endured a stretch where it lost eight of 10 games, not long after the Wild acquired Hughes. There were rumblings that the reason the Devils couldn’t bring Hughes in was because of cap issues and they couldn’t clear out enough contracts in time, which could’ve been complicated because of no-move clauses.

Obviously, other things ultimately led to it not working out for Fitzgerald, but it really seemed like the organization couldn’t get over the fact that they didn’t secure Hughes. Given the brothers’ desire to play together, there was obviously a good chance Quinn would’ve signed long-term in New Jersey, too. What could have been.

Alex Tuch is destined to hit the open market in free agency

After a slow start, it’s been mostly a dream season for the Sabres. A lengthy playoff drought is over and there is excitement about hockey once again in Western New York, but if there is one concern around the Sabres right now, it’s Alex Tuch’s contract. The 29-year-old is set to be a free agent this summer, and he’s one of Buffalo’s most important players. Tuch will no doubt be looking for a major raise on the $4.75-million AAV he’s currently earning and the two sides have yet to bridge the gap. The Sabres forward could be hoping for something in the neighbourhood of Adrian Kempe’s recent extension, which is going to pay the Los Angeles Kings forward $10.6-million per year.

In a thin free agent class and with a rising cap, Tuch very well could be the best player available if he makes it to July 1 and Buffalo would be at risk of losing him if he hits the market.

Usually if a player makes it into the spring without an extension, they’ll often test free agency, but that isn’t always the case. The Florida Panthers are a recent example of retaining players like Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand on the eve of free agency and it happened with Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2016 as well.

The key thing here for the Sabres is to keep a good thing going in the playoffs and go on a long run, which would ultimately make it harder for Tuch to leave. Buffalo looks like they are a good young team on the rise that’s going to have an excellent chance to compete for the foreseeable future, so that figures to be something Tuch would want to prioritize on a long-term deal. Keep in mind, Tuch is also from Western New York, which may give the Sabres an advantage in retaining him.

Ultimately, this feels like a situation that has been beneficial for both sides and there’s still plenty of time to reach an extension. It’s premature to think Tuch will definitely hit the market.

The Ducks are in danger of missing the playoffs

Someone has to win the middling Pacific Division and it doesn’t look like it’s going to be the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks appeared to be in control of their fate atop the division until a recent six-game slide opened the door for the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights to overtake them. That included some tough losses to teams like Toronto, Calgary and St. Louis, who are out of playoff contention. What’s worse? Anaheim could be at risk of missing the playoffs entirely. The Ducks are now just two points up on the final wild card spot and three up on the Nashville Predators, who are currently sitting in ninth in the West. It’s not inconceivable that Anaheim could end up on the outside looking in if this slump continues.

The Ducks are down to three games left with only one favourable matchup. They’ll take on the last-place Vancouver Canucks at home Sunday and then go on the road for contests against Minnesota and Nashville. The Predators are battling for the final spot in the West and the Ducks were recently embarrassed on home ice by a 5-0 score against Nashville.

Joel Quenneville’s team is really struggling defensively, as there are now only three teams in the league that have given up more high-danger chances than the Ducks. That led to Anaheim allowing at least four goals in every game during that aforementioned losing streak. If they don’t sort out their defensive woes soon, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Ducks miss out on the post-season once again.

James Hagens will make a major impact for the Bruins in the playoffs

Boston Bruins fans are eagerly awaiting the arrival of James Hagens and the timing couldn’t be better. The Bruins are a surprise playoff team this season and have now officially clinched their spot, so Hagens could be a big boost to the roster heading into the post-season. Hagens, the seventh-overall pick in the 2025 draft, notched 47 points earlier this year at Boston College and collected four more in six AHL contests in Providence. With the trade deadline long gone, the best way to add to your team at this time of year is often to bring in impactful college players to give your roster a jolt. Hagens would certainly fit the bill for the Bruins and could be a difference maker for Boston when the playoffs get underway.

Hagens is a tremendous talent and likely has a long NHL career ahead of him, but there are few things harder than jumping full speed into the NHL playoffs. Keep in mind, Hagens is just five-foot-11 and 177 pounds, so it’s a big ask for him to contribute meaningfully right away in the most physical hockey he’s ever played. My guess is the Bruins ease him in slowly and use him selectively in certain situations to highlight his skills and shelter him somewhat. Maybe he chips in some offence here and there on the power play, though it would be unfair to expect Hagens to do any heavy lifting this spring. Temper your expectations where Hagens is concerned.