At 23 years old the young Colorado Avalanche defenseman has taken the league by storm as a true superstar in the NHL and an elite offensive threat on the blue line. Makar had an incredible regular season that has made him a top three nominee for the Norris Trophy thanks to his 28 goals and 58 assists for 86 points across 77 games.
That offensive success has continued into this years playoffs as Makar has been a key reason why the Avalanche are now headed to the Stanley Cup Finals after winning the Western Conference Finals by sweeping the Edmonton Oilers.
After game four’s impressive performance where Makar had one goal and four assists, he became the first defenseman in NHL history to record five points in a potential series-clinching game. Only two skaters have posted more points in that scenario: Wayne Gretzky (7) and John Anderson (6). With the impressive feat “The Great One” had some high praise for Makar while live on NHL on TNT as he shared who he thinks the young defenseman compares to. Gretzky had the hot take that Makar compares to the one and only Boston Bruins legend Bobby Orr.
Throughout this years 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs Makar has tallied five goals and dished out 17 assists for a total of 22 points in only 12 games. On top of his offensive statistics, Makar has provided shutdown defense as he was key in limiting the threats of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl over the four games. In this series McDavid and Draisaitl combined for just 13 points after combining for an insane 29 points in five games in their previous series against the Calgary Flames.
The Sky is the limit for Makar as his pure talent will allow him to potentially reach heights only Bobby Orr has achieved. While Makar is no Bobby Orr, he definitely reminds fans of the great defenseman with his ability to play both ends of the ice. Makar has accomplished so much in such a short amount of time and fans should not take for granted the amazing talent they get to watch every time Makar’s skates touch the ice.
