DENVER (AP) — Cale Makar deflects not only shots but any mention of milestones related to him.
It’s just the nature of the Colorado Avalanche’s dynamic defenseman. He’s not a big spotlight person even if he constantly finds himself in the limelight.
Makar accomplished his latest milestone Saturday when the Canadian scored his 100th career goal in his 362nd career NHL game. By doing so, he became the fifth-fastest defenseman since 1943-44 to reach that particular mark. The only blue liners speedier are Hall of Famers: Bobby Orr (299 games), Paul Coffey (300), Ray Bourque (329) and Denis Potvin (348).
In typical Makar fashion, he downplayed the impending achievement.
“I guess just another thing along the way,” Makar modestly said two days before reaching the 100-goal mark. “I don’t really look at (milestones) like that. I wish it would come and go.”
That's OK. His teammates will gladly do the boasting for the 26-year-old from Calgary, Alberta, who is the top point-producing defenseman (15 goals, 37 assists) in the league this season.
“You kind of forget how special he actually is,” said forward Mikko Rantanen, who has played alongside the defenseman since Makar broke into the league during the playoffs in 2018-19 and followed it up by winning the Calder Trophy the next season. “He’s one of the best ‘D’ ever to play the game.”
With 101 career goals — he scored twice Saturday — and 287 assists, Makar is averaging 1.07 points a game. Should he keep up that pace, it would rank up there with the likes of Orr (1.39) and Coffey (1.09) for the highest marks over a career by a defenseman in NHL history.
“I’m a little biased, but you’re watching one of the best defensemen that’s ever played the game,” coach Jared Bednar said of Makar, the MVP of the 2022 playoffs when Colorado hoisted the Stanley Cup. “The league has a handful of guys that are super-dynamic right now. I think that’s a trend that we’re going to see moving forward. But in my opinion, he’s the best of the best.”
He is relied on heavily, too, averaging 25 minutes, 37 seconds of ice time a game, which is the third most in the league.
“The stuff he does on the ice, it’s incredible,” fellow defenseman Keaton Middleton said. “He’s one of a kind."
Middleton listens to whatever Makar tells him, especially when it comes to generating offense. The 26-year-old from Edmonton, Alberta, is hoping the knowledge pays off as he searches for his first NHL goal.
“If he’s saying, ‘Try and shoot here,’ I’m going to be like, ‘OK, I’m listening to him.' Just try and learn as much as I can,” Middleton said. “I’m not going to try and play like him, because that’s not my role. But I definitely could take what he knows and his knowledge and his skill and try to apply it to myself.”
Makar's combination of skating and vision were on display when he scored his 100th career goal on a power play Saturday in a 6-3 victory over Dallas. Makar was up top and moved the puck around the ice before receiving it back from Nathan MacKinnon. That set up Makar to unleash a rising wrist shot that beat Dallas goaltender Casey DeSmith.
“It’s certainly impressive,” Bednar said of Makar hitting another milestone. “We’ve talked about that for years now, some of the milestones that he hits, and the timing of him, how quickly he hits them.”
Makar, who is set to take part in the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament for Team Canada next month, already has notched his fifth 50-point season (most by a defenseman in team history). He also started the season on a 13-game point streak, the second longest by a blue liner to start a season behind only Orr (15 games in 1973-74).
“It’s fun to watch,” Middleton said. “I don’t know what (other) words I can use to describe him. I guess I’ve got to get a thesaurus.”
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AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
Pat Graham, The Associated Press
