Colorado Avalanche Season Grades: Cale Makar
In our next installment of Colorado Avalanche Player Grades, we shift our focus to one of the best defensemen in the game, Cale Makar. Spoiler alert, this one is going to be an A+.
Without Cale Makar, this Colorado Avalanche team would not be nearly half as good as they are now. He is truly a generational d-man, that is revolutionizing the way the game should be played from a blue-liner.
The 25-year-old has quickly risen to the tippy top of NHL defenseman, and he still has a lengthy career ahead of him. There is no telling just how many more awards and/or Stanley Cups Makar has in store for him.
Cale Makar Season Recap
The 2023-24 NHL season was a great one for Makar, with a lot of positives coming out of it. He hit a career-high in assists and points with 69 and 90, respectively. On both ends of the ice, he made his presence known by setting new career bests in total shots attempted with 539, and blocked shots with 148.
Makar was every bit as dominant as he was since entering the league in 2019-20. Seemingly, he keeps on getting better and better, and there is a lot of excitement about what's to come from him. Just how high of a ceiling does he have, and will he punch through those expectations as well.
In 2023-24, Makar was a top-3 defenseman. He was a force to be reckoned with, and in all honesty, should have gotten a little more love in the Norris Trophy voting. I have to give all the credit in the world to Quinn Hughes, who had an incredible season himself, but Makar set career highs for himself that were not easy to break.
Cale Makar Grade: A+
This shouldn't surprise anybody. Makar was an A+ in 2023-24, as he was the second-best player on this team. At some point, you will know exactly who that first player is, as I will continue these season grades.
Makar, alongside his fellow defensive partner Devon Toews, were the best pair on the team by a long shot. They were great in all areas on the 200-foot sheet of ice, and kept you on the edge of your seat whenever they touched the puck.
As each season passes, the expectations for Makar get higher and higher. As it stands now, he may have to be named a nominee for the Norris every season for the rest of his career or else it would be considered a failed year.
What would you grade Cale Makar for his performance in 2023-24?
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