Cale Makar 2025–26: Norris Favorite and Avalanche Cornerstone
Makar enters 2025–26 as the unquestioned engine of Colorado's rebuild around Nathan MacKinnon, putting up points at a pace that keeps him in every Norris Trophy conversation from opening night. After posting back-to-back 90-plus point seasons, the question isn't whether he's elite — it's whether he can carry more defensive load as the Avalanche shuffle their blue line depth. Colorado's front office leaned heavily on Makar's contract structure during the offseason as they navigated cap constraints, making his deployment and minutes a storyline worth tracking every single week. Injury management is also a quiet concern after previous seasons saw him play through lower-body issues that never fully surfaced publicly until the playoffs.
Why Cale Makar's Play Style Changes the Game for Colorado
Makar's impact is almost unfair to measure by traditional defensive stats because he breaks every model built for stay-at-home blueliners. He averaged over 25 minutes of ice time last season, led all defensemen in even-strength points, and his zone-exit efficiency ranks among the top 2% of NHL skaters tracked by analytics. What separates him from other offensive defensemen is his gap control — he doesn't just rush up ice, he reads plays two moves ahead and eliminates danger before it starts. His shot from the point is a true weapon: hard, accurate, and almost always on net to generate second-chance looks for MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen.
Avalanche Fans and the Cale Makar Obsession Explained
Colorado fans treat Makar with the reverence that Avalanche faithful once reserved for Ray Bourque and Rob Blake — except Makar arrived as a 20-year-old and immediately looked better than both on the power play. The debate in hockey circles isn't whether he's great; it's whether he's already the best defenseman in NHL history on a per-season basis, a conversation that intensifies every time he puts up a five-point game. Outside Colorado, casual fans who only caught him during the 2022 Cup run are consistently shocked to learn he's still only in his mid-20s. He's become the face of a new generation of offensive defensemen in a way that's genuinely shifting how GMs draft and develop blue-line prospects across the league.
Why Scoutcast Is the Best Way to Follow Cale Makar Daily
Makar's season moves fast — a big power-play night on Monday, a questionable hit that sparks injury speculation by Wednesday, and a lineup shuffle by Friday that changes how Colorado uses him in the playoffs. Scoutcast's AI audio briefings pull all of that together into a 3-minute morning update built around the players you actually care about, so you're never catching up, you're always ahead. If you're tracking Makar's Norris Trophy odds, his point pace, or just want to know if he's on the injury report before puck drop, Scoutcast delivers it in your ears before your coffee gets cold.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most analytics and traditional metrics say yes — Makar leads or ranks top-3 in nearly every offensive category for defensemen while still grading out as a strong defensive player. The argument is hard to make against him at this point in his career.
Makar has posted back-to-back seasons above 90 points, which puts him in rare company among NHL defensemen historically. He consistently ranks as one of the top five scorers in the league regardless of position.
Makar signed a six-year, $54 million extension with Colorado in 2022, carrying a $9 million AAV through 2028. Given his production, it's widely considered one of the most team-friendly deals in the NHL.
Yes — Makar won the Norris Trophy in 2022, the same year he won the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP and the Stanley Cup with Colorado. He's been a finalist in multiple seasons since and remains the frontrunner most years.
Makar has a history of playing through lower-body issues without much public disclosure, which makes his injury status worth monitoring closely throughout the season. Check Scoutcast for daily updates on his availability and lineup status.
Makar is from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and played college hockey at UMass before being drafted 4th overall by Colorado in 2017. He made his NHL debut in the 2019 playoffs and never looked back.
At his current pace and age, the conversation is legitimate — Bobby Orr's single-season record of 102 points by a defenseman is within reach in a strong year. Paul Coffey's all-time career points record is a longer timeline but not dismissible.