Avalanche Journal: Cale Makar’s remarkable feat, through his teammates’ eyes

Keaton Middleton found a way to put Cale Makar’s incredible season into perspective.

Makar is the first NHL defenseman in 16 seasons to score 30 goals, and only the ninth player at his position to ever reach that milestone.

“What year did Mike Green do it? And Cale is a ‘98 (birthday)?” Middleton said. “So he was about 10 years old the last time it happened. We were all children back then.

“It’s honestly an honor to just be part of it. To watch it happen, it’s super cool.”

Green was the last NHL defenseman to do it, scoring 31 times for the Washington Capitals in 2008-09. And yes, Makar was 10 years old the day he did it.

Sam Malinski had another pretty good idea when asked the same question.

“I think it just means we are witnessing greatness,” he said. “That’s an unbelievable accomplishment, and it’s something we are all blessed to witness here.”

Makar played in the Avs’ first 80 games this season, but is expected to get the final weekend off. The Avs finish out the regular season Sunday in Anaheim, with a first-round playoff heavyweight fight looming against the Dallas Stars.

He still set a new franchise record for points by a defenseman with 92, giving him the top three spots on that list — all in the past four seasons.

“It’s awesome. I’m so happy for Cale,” Erik Johnson said. “I know he doesn’t care about it, but it’s pretty cool from our standpoint to have him do that and then probably have another Norris (Trophy) all locked up. It’s really exciting.”

“I think the game has changed since a defenseman last scored 30. I think there’s more scoring now than there was then, but I also just think the way the defensive position has changed, I think you’ll see it from Cale again, maybe a couple other guys I think have the talent to get there. But it is pretty remarkable.”

Before this season, the Denver Post wrote about what a peak season from Makar might look like — if he has “one of those years” like Nathan MacKinnon had in 2023-24. ESPN analyst Ray Ferraro suggested 30 goals and 100 points. Makar’s teammate, Josh Manson, also pointed to triple digits in points.

The scary thing is, this probably wasn’t the peak for Makar.

“Yeah, 30 goals by a defenseman is insane,” said Ryan Lindgren, who joined the team last month. “For me, you know how good of a player he is, but I used to only see him twice a year. You see the highlights and stuff, but then coming here and actually playing with him and seeing what he does on a nightly basis — I don’t want to say it’s not surprising that’s he able to do that, but I guess it kind of is. He just creates so much every night. It’s pretty cool to see.”

Makar’s list of traits that make him a world-class player is as long as the list of accomplishments that has him barreling toward a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He’s the complete package — skating, skill, smarts, selflessness and self-imposed expectations that can’t be satiated.

It’s always interesting to hear what some of the best hockey players in the world think about a guy who reaches heights that few can ever realistically dream of.

“Well, there’s a lot of things that he can do that not everyone can do,” Middleton said. “Obviously his skill set and skating is elite. But I think how he processes the game so fast — he can read through plays, he can pick off passes.

“Honestly, I think of it like the all-star QBs in the NFL, and how they process the game so quickly and efficiently. That’s what I see in Cale. It’s incredible, man. It really is impressive.”

Lindgren spent several years skating next to Adam Fox when he was with the New York Rangers. Fox has a Norris Trophy on his resume and is one of the top five defensemen in the league annually. Even in this woebegone Rangers campaign, Fox has been one of the best defensemen in the league.

He’s not Makar, though. And that might be another way to find proper perspective with what the kid from Calgary just accomplished, and what might be yet to come.

“Just the way he skates, the way he’s able to get out of any situation. He’s got it all,” Lindgren said. “His hands can actually able to keep up with his skating. The way he thinks the game — also his shot, too. I didn’t realize how much of a bomb he has. His wrist shot is — he fires that thing.

“Yeah, he’s got it all. That’s why the best defenseman in the world.”

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