It is very soon and possibly unfair to set sky-high comparisons, but Cale Makar has done something that not even Bobby Orr could do.
On Monday night, the Colorado Avalanche defenseman wired a one-timer from the top of the faceoff circle off the post and in to become the fastest defenseman in NHL history to reach 200 career points.
Makar got to 200 points in 195 games, 12 fewer than the next fastest, Sergei Zubov’s 207 games.
His 1.03 points per game are fourth all-time among NHL defensemen with at least 120 games under their belt. Orr, considered by many to be the best defender ever despite career-limiting injuries, is first with 1.39 points per game, but he’s tied for sixth-fastest to 200 career points at 216 games.
Makar also has a Stanley Cup, Norris Trophy, Conn Smythe Trophy and Calder Trophy in his resumé. But Orr won eight Norris Trophies, two Conn Smythes, the Calder, the Lester Patrick Trophy, the Ted Lindsay Award, two Art Ross Trophies, two Stanley Cups and three Hart Trophies as league MVP.
It might not even be feasible in this era to come close to the same accolades as Orr, particularly winning the Hart Trophy three times in a league with such dominant forwards.
On the Nov. 22 episode of The Hockey News Podcast, Mike Stephens asked the question: Does Cale Makar have a chance to become the best defenseman in NHL history? He and Ryan Kennedy dug deep into this “mind-boggling” thought.
