Cale Makar has set a high standard for defenseman in the NHL. The Colorado Avalanche star is regarded as the best defenseman in the world by, well, the world of hockey. Makar scored his first goal in his very first game in an Avalanche sweater during a playoff game against the Calgary Falmes in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final.
Beyond that, he has been named the recipient of the Norris Trophy and the Conn Smythe trophy. Those all before he turned 25 years old.
Recently, Chris Pronger, a member of the NHL Hall of Fame replied to a post on X about Makar. It all started with Drew Livingstone, the producer of SDPN Sports, posting how Makar has more goals than some of the best forwards in the league right now. Those include Sidney Crosby, Auston Matthews, and Connor McDavid.
Pronger said the following:
”Is he ever a monster Drew. The way he takes over a game is unlike anything we have seen in quite some time. Complete package. And does not ever seem to get tired. He is just as good at the beginning of games as he is at the end. Love watching him play.”
It’s not a huge surprise that one of the league’s all-time best defensemen came out and said this publicly. We’ve seen that sort of thing happen with a lot of people talking about Nathan MacKinnon and how he easily can take over games. Makar currently leads all defenseman in points this season with 78, nine points ahead of second place’s Zach Werenski. A fun fact (for Makar fans) is that he is 13 points ahead of another current star defenseman: Quinn Hughes.
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar’s path to all-time greatness
Cale Makar is only in his mid-20’s and has taken the NHL by storm since his first career game. There’s no telling what more he will do to clinch a spot in the Pro Hockey Hall of Fame one day. I completely believe that he will win at least three more Conn Smythe trophies as went as maybe another Hart—though that’s going to be a tougher one due to the likes of Nathan MacKinnon and other great forwards in the NHL.
Makar has 111 goals and 303 assists in 383 career regular season games. He has 25 goals on the season this year, which is a personal-best. This year, through 68 games, he has a shooting percentage of 12.1, which is also a career-best.
Makar has a tremendous skill set that is unlike any other player in the league right now and is often compared to Bobby Orr. Whether he ends up surpassing Orr as the NHL’s all-time best defenseman, there’s plenty of time for that. However, even if he doesn’t reach those heights by the end of his career, he’s still one of the league’s best and nothing can take that away from him.
For now, we get to witness some superb play by Makar as we inch close to the end of the regular season and into the NHL postseason, where Makar can continue to set records and make his mark on the league.