Matthew Schaefer has barely gotten his NHL feet under him, and already his name is showing up in Norris Trophy conversations.
Matt Larkin of the Daily Faceoff put the New York Islanders defenseman seventh on his list of top 10 Norris Trophy candidates for the 2026-27 season. The group ahead of him is loaded with established stars: Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, Lane Hutson, Zach Werenski, Rasmus Dahlin and Evan Bouchard.
For a 19-year-old entering just his second NHL season, that’s a striking spot to land.
Schaefer’s rookie year gave the hype plenty of fuel. As an 18-year-old, he tied Brian Leetch’s NHL record for goals by a rookie defenseman with 23. Daily Faceoff also pointed out that he was an elite offensive play driver while still grading above average defensively, even though he was taking on some of the toughest competition in the league.
Larkin didn’t exactly dial back the praise either, calling Schaefer “superhuman” and citing his intelligence, speed, goal-scoring ability and leadership as reasons he is already being viewed as the Islanders’ franchise player. The outlet also noted that a sophomore slump is always possible, but said Schaefer may be more likely to keep climbing and move closer to Norris finalist status.
The Norris race is crowded every year, with a long list of elite defensemen capable of getting real attention. But Schaefer is already in that mix after one season, and that alone says plenty about how high his ceiling looks.
We will he win the award this year? Probably not.
Be a finalist? Unlikely.
But the fact that he is already being discussed as a legitimate candidate shows just how high his ceiling appears to be.
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Eklunds case is complicated by the fact that he is still early in his NHL journey, which makes training camp the critical proving ground for where he belongs. The Islanders have veterans lining up for third- and fourth-line minutes, and the decision will come down to how Eklund stacks up once the games and practices start counting for real. For a team looking to balance present-day reliability with a little long-term upside, this is the sort of opening-night choice that can reveal a lot about where the roster is headed. [Read more 🡒]