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Red Wings' Moritz Seider finishes behind Michigan native for Norris

A Detroit Red Wings player did not win the 2026 Norris Trophy. But for Michiganders, the winner might represent the next best thing.

Columbus Blue Jackets defender Zach Werenski was announced the winner of the 2026 Norris Trophy, presented to the NHL's best defender. Werenski, a Grosse Pointe native and Michigan alumnus who finished second in the vote in 2025, is the first Columbus player to win the award, topping Colorado's Cale Makar and Buffalo's Rasmus Dahlin.

Detroit's Moritz Seider finished fifth in the vote held by the media, earning five first-place votes and 21-second place votes. The 2021 Calder Trophy winner had previously never appeared on the Norris Trophy tally and represents the highest finish for a Red Wing since Nicklas Lidström finished fifth in his final season in 2012.

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Seider played in all 82 regular-season games for the Red Wings this season, registering a career-high 60 points (10 goals, 50 assists, both career-highs) and leading all Detroit skaters in ice time. Seider also represented Germany at the Winter Olympics in Italy, with the Germans advancing to the quarterfinals before losing 6-2 to Slovakia.

A Red Wings player has won the trophy nine times: Lidström racked up seven of those wins (2001-03, 2006-08, 2011), with Paul Coffey winning in 1995 and Red Kelly in 1954.

Werenski has played in 10 NHL seasons, all with the Blue Jackets. Before his NHL career began, the defender played two seasons at Michigan from 2014-16, where he was named the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Year as a freshman. He also represented the United States at the 2026 Olympics, appearing in all six games and scoring a goal against Seider's German side during the preliminary round.

Werenski appeared in 75 games for the Blue Jackets this season, tallying 81 points (22 goals and 59 assists), one short of his career-high of 82 from the 2024-25 season.

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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: NHL's Norris Trophy belongs to Michigan ... but not to Moritz Seider

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