Cale Makar has been on a remarkable run of late, even by his lofty standards.
If there was one specific sequence that reminded everyone of his brilliance, it came just past the midway point of the third period Wednesday night, when Makar stole the puck from Vancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller, raced to the other end of the ice and sealed a Colorado Avalanche victory with a breakaway goal.
Look, it’s way too early in the season to be worrying too much about the NHL’s individual awards. That disclaimer in place, anyone who holds a futures ticket for the Norris Trophy that doesn’t have the Colorado star’s name on it probably doesn’t feel all that great about it after Makar has spent the past couple of weeks reminding everyone why so many of his peers believe he’s the best defenseman on the planet.
“They are similar in ways, but Makar has been the best defenseman in the league for a while now,” said Nashville’s Roman Josi, who won the Norris in 2020.
The players Josi was referencing were Makar and Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes, who left Ball Arena on Wednesday night as the leading scorer in the NHL, regardless of position. Hughes is off to an incredible start this season, and it looks like he’s in the process of taking the final leap from potential superstar to being in the discussion for the best defenseman in the league.
But Makar is already there, has been for a while and could be the back-to-back winner of the Norris were it not for injuries last season. Erik Karlsson had a historic offensive season for the San Jose Sharks, becoming the first defenseman to reach 100 points in three decades. He was a deserving winner … but it would have been a much tougher vote if Makar had played, say, 75-80 games instead of 60.
Now Makar and Hughes are both on pace to soar past 100 this year as most clubs are nearing the one-quarter mark of the season. Getting to watch them on the same playing surface this past week was a great early-season event, the type of thing that injects some extra juice into a midweek November contest.
Hughes made some strong plays and nearly had a flashy goal after a quick turn to shake a defender and release a backhanded shot. But Makar made the biggest play and added a signature moment for a potential Norris sizzle reel at the end of the season.
“I think the thing that sets both of those guys apart is their skating,” Nashville’s Tyson Barrie said. “You watch most guys play and you can recognize a good game or a good player, but the way those two guys skate, it just separates them right off the hop with how they can get around the ice. You add in all the other stuff — the hockey sense, the hands, the shot. Both of those guys kind of have it all. It’s so fun to watch.
“They are kind of in a class of their own with the way they use their edges and how they can get moving from a standstill. It’s just incredibly impressive.”
Hughes has more goals this season, but Makar is also creating them at an elite level through his shot. The most effective strategy for the Avalanche on the power play has been to get one or two big bodies, typically Valeri Nichushkin and Ryan Johansen, to stand in front of the goalie and let Makar try to find one of their sticks for a deflection or a hole for his wrist shot to beat the goalie on his own.
Makar and Mikko Rantanen have also found a connection with the latter standing off to the side of the goalie, but still being able to redirect a Makar shot-pass from tight angles because of his ridiculous skill level.
Hughes and Makar were tied for the league lead with 24 assists before the games Saturday. Makar had seven primary assists in a five-game span before the two teams met, and five of them were shots that teammates deflected into the net.
“The way they skate, the way they use their feet is pretty unbelievable,” Josi said of Makar and Hughes. “They just always seem to be in motion. Both of those guys always seem to have the puck, too. They both have great offensive instincts and a great shot, too. I think sometimes it is underrated with guys who skate that well and make so many great plays, but they both have really good wrist shots, too.
“They are fun to watch. Not that fun to play against, but you see how they play and it is fun to watch.”
While Hughes has wedged himself into the top tier of elite defensemen, Makar has finished second, first and third in the Norris voting over the past three seasons. The best defenseman in the league doesn’t always win the Norris, but the guy who is a near-consensus pick and remains healthy is a pretty good bet.
Other players like Hughes, Karlsson and Toronto’s Morgan Rielly are off to strong starts. Elite players like Dallas’ Miro Heiskanen, Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman and New York’s Adam Fox, depending on when he returns from injury, could all be part of the discussion by the end of the season.
It’s just hard to see anyone keeping up with Makar’s consistent, all-around impact … with the obvious caveat that he remains healthy enough and plays in enough games.
“Don’t get me wrong, there are so many good defensemen. Adam Fox is also an unbelievable defenseman, but it sure feels like … yeah, Cale is just on another level,” Josi said. “That record he just set, the fastest to 200 assists — that’s an insane record. Personally, I think he’s definitely the best defenseman in the league right now.”
Makar has added some lofty accomplishments to his resume already this season. He was the fastest defenseman to 200 assists, besting the pace Hughes had set in March. He was also the fastest to 250 points, doing it in six fewer games than Bobby Orr. And Makar had the most points by a defenseman after 250 games, with five more than Orr.
To say that Makar is a top contender for the Norris is obvious at this point. But can he aim higher?
A defenseman has not won the Hart Trophy as league MVP since Chris Pronger did it in 2000. Before that? It was Orr, who won it three times (1970-72).
One time in five decades does not inspire a lot of confidence in the voters actually choosing a defenseman as their most valuable player. Makar might make a strong case if he keeps this pace up and blows by 100 points.
Makar leads the league in Average Game Score, a catch-all value metric from The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn, ahead of players like Aleksander Barkov, David Pastrnak, Nikita Kucherov and his two teammates, Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon.
There’s also the slow starts from some of the forwards who are perennial contenders. Neither of the Edmonton superstars, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, would be anywhere near a Hart ballot right now. Toronto’s Auston Matthews scored a bunch of goals early on, but has cooled off. Even MacKinnon is not having quite the same game-to-game impact that he’d expect of himself, though he still has 24 points in 19 games.
The best way for a defenseman to creep into the MVP discussion is for none of the forwards to have a commanding case. If there’s three or four of them who are all about the same, then there might be a door cracked for a defenseman, if he’s clearly the best candidate at the position.
And if he keeps playing like he has in the first quarter of the season, there’s a very good chance that guy will be Makar.
“(Makar)’s special, really special,” said Carolina defenseman Brady Skjei, who played with Fox in New York. “He’s a guy that kind of jumps off the video when you’re watching and you recognize some of the plays he makes and the high-end skill. I think he is right now the best defenseman in the league. He’s just out of control, playing really well.”
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