How The Blue Jackets Stacked Up in 2025-26 NHL Award Voting

By Will Chase on June 19, 2026 at 12:15 pm
Zach Werenski wins the 2025-26 Norris Trophy.
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The awards are in, and it was notable for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Zach Werenski’s Norris Trophy win was the lone major award for the Blue Jackets in 2025-26, though several members of the organization received recognition on league awards ballots.

Charlie Coyle has been one of president and general manager Don Waddell's best acquisitions since Waddell took over the front office in Columbus.

Acquired in a trade with the Avalanche last June, Coyle registered 58 points, the second most in his career, scored 20 goals, the third most in a single season, and matched a career high 38 assists. All while being one of three Blue Jackets players to play in all 82 games. The others are Adam Fantilli and Ivan Provorov.

Coyle parlayed a huge 2025-26 campaign into a six-year extension that will keep him part of the organization through 2031-32.

Below, we break down the awards for which several Blue Jackets received votes.

James Norris Memorial Trophy

Columbus didn’t just get recognition — they got franchise-defining validation.

Werenski (22 goals, 59 assists) won his first Norris Trophy in 2025-26, marking the first Norris winner in Blue Jackets franchise history.

A first-time Norris finalist in 2024-25, Werenski and last year's winner, Cale Makar, swapped places this season.

And overall, it was a landslide victory.

Despite the Blue Jackets' faltering down the stretch and Werenski only producing six points (two goals, four assists) over the final three weeks of the season, the vote reflected Werenski’s dominance.

Hart Memorial Trophy

A Norris Trophy in hand, Werenski earned MVP consideration, finishing seventh in voting for the Hart Trophy with 10 fourth-place votes. He finished with the most votes among defensemen. Chris Pronger is the last defenseman to win the Hart Trophy (2000) and one of eight defensemen, 13 combined winners, to claim the prize.

2025-26 NHL All-Star Team

The accolades continued to rack up for Werenski, who also added first-team NHL All-Star to his campaign with 149 first-place votes and 864 points. Like the Norris results, Makar was second with 108 first-place votes and 759 votes.

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy

As defined by the NHL, the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy is an annual award given "to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability."

Werenski earned votes for the award for the first time, finishing fourth with 21 first-place votes and 468 points. Denton Mateychuk earned 9 votes and 35 points, finishing 25th. Coyle was 26th with seven votes and 27 points, and Sean Monahan rounds out the Jackets on this list with eight votes and 24 points to finish 29th.

Frank J. Selke Trophy

Coyle's name started popping up throughout the season as a possible Selke candidate for his two-way play. He wound up 23rd in the voting with two third-place votes and three fourth-place votes. Coyle also received votes for the Lady Byng and Selke in 2023-24.

Jack Adams Award

It seemed likely that Blue Jackets head coach Rick Bowness would garner votes for the Jack Adams Award. The long-time coach was a finalist for the award in 2023-24.

After all, the Blue Jackets were 10-0-1 under Bowness heading into the Olympic break.

It would have to take an impressive turnaround for a head coach hired midseason to crack the award voting at all. Ultimately, the Blue Jackets’ failure to reach the playoffs hurt Bowness’ chances, as he did not receive a vote. The club went 21-11-5 under Bowness.

It’s reminiscent of Craig Berube’s midseason takeover of the Blues in 2018-19. After Mike Yeo was dismissed in November, St. Louis sat near the bottom of the Western Conference and appeared headed for a rebuild year rather than a playoff push.

Berube ultimately guided that group from last place on New Year’s Day to a Stanley Cup championship, one of the most dramatic turnarounds in modern NHL history. Even that season, however, he was only a finalist for the Jack Adams Award, which went to Barry Trotz in his first year with the Islanders. Jon Cooper, despite another strong season in Tampa Bay, finished as the runner-up.

This year marked Cooper's first win. The future Hall of Famer and two-time Stanley Cup champion received 226 votes.

The Blue Jackets enter a defining season as they look to snap a six-year playoff drought and win with a core they began assembling in 2021.

Werenski, one of the franchise's greatest players, can add to his legacy by leading his club to the postseason in 2026-27 and adding additional Norris and even Hart Trophy consideration in the process.

Coyle put together a huge season in a contract year and looks to be the stabilizing force for the Blue Jackets.

Mateychuk, who played his first full season and got votes for hardware, can continue his emergence next season. It'll also be a key developmental year for Fantilli, a restricted free agent. Fantilli will enter next season with a new contract in place, and it's an important year for him as he looks to take a step forward in his fourth NHL season.

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