It is time to have a heart-to-heart about the Hart.
While the Avs seem determined to finish with the most points in franchise history, they have a player poised to make history.
Defensemen don’t win the Hart Trophy. This has been pressed into our brains in the same way that only quarterbacks can claim NFL MVP honors.
This should not be the case. When the ballots are submitted after the regular season, Cale Makar should be in a dead sprint with teammate Nathan MacKinnon for the NHL’s MVP award. And if the duel is close, as is currently the case, duality should win out.
Makar is on pace for 107 points, which would rank 10th most by a defenseman all-time and the highest since Calgary’s Al MacInnis collected 103 in the 1990-91 season.
His candidacy remains unique.
Nobody is saying Makar is Travis Hunter or Shohei Ohtani, but show me a better two-way player.
The idea of someone on D as MVP is gaining traction. Coach Jared Bednar did not dismiss it out of hand, even while knowing that Chris Pronger was the last defenseman to pull it off in the 1999-2000 season.
“He definitely has the talent. He’s having the type of year to do it,” Bednar said Wednesday. “You are bringing a whole lot of players in, with goalies, forwards. But certainly if you did a poll right now, Cale is in the conversation.”
If you value versatility, it is Makar. If you want scoring, it is Makar. If you are not afraid to think outside of the (penalty) box, it is Makar.
MacKinnon is the favorite, and his presence could split the vote. He is a menace on ice, leading the NHL in points (33) and goals (14) entering Thursday’s home game against the New York Rangers. A Hart Trophy already sits on his shelf, so the voters know his credentials.
But if the Avs’ wagon remains a freight train, culminating in a top seed, will their eyes gravitate toward novelty? There will be players with more points than Makar. If he finishes in the top 15, it is time to look beyond the statistics and reward generational greatness.
Makar is different.
His stick work is beyond description. And not seeing his value defensively is simply negligent. Makar is plus-17 when on the ice, and he did not register a single minus game rating in October. As Bednar pointed out, there is no way Makar would play 25 minutes a night if he were one-dimensional.
“You have to go against another team’s top guys and win that matchup,” Bednar said. “And he has dedicated his game to that, knowing that is first and foremost.”
It is how he does it that makes him special. Makar is equal parts Barry Sanders, NFL corner and Roger Federer.
His dominance lies in nuance.
He will deliver a hit, picking his spots like on Jordan Staal, but is not a bruiser. He will gamble, but not cash out. Spending the past year as Makar’s teammate, goalie Scott Wedgewood put his skills in context.
“It’s a smooth flow, rhythmic,” Wedgewood said. “He is almost effortless on both sides of his feet. It reminds me of a great tennis player. You know how they can get overextended and make it back to the next shot? Cale does that. A lot of guys have to chop themselves back to a neutral stance, and he’s so good at extending and staying balanced without losing his power. I don’t know what he did to get it, but he’s got it.”
Makar exhibits body control like Neo in “The Matrix.” He has taken seven hits this season and blocked 32 shots. His speed remains mesmerizing.
Remember when he chased down Ivan Barashev in Las Vegas, turning a breakaway into a broken heart, knocking the puck off his stick before he got off a shot?
“He just sees the game two steps ahead. Whether that’s offensively or defensively. He’s always in the right position,” Altitude analyst and former NHL defenseman John-Michael Liles said. “And his skating is such a weapon. Very rarely do you see him get wide or stuck in a corner. And when he does get a puck, he is able to escape.”
He does things others can’t. Or won’t. The ability to cover ground quickly and change directions reminds me of someone else in Denver: Broncos reigning defensive player of the year Patrick Surtain II.
“Those guys like (Surtain) are insane athletes. To play that position in the NFL and back track against the fastest runners in the world is pretty spectacular,” Makar said. “I am doing a fraction of what he does.”
Makar is being modest. Even Surtain cannot match Makar’s impact because he rarely possesses the football.
This is not to suggest Makar as MVP is anything but a long shot. Since the introduction of the Hart Trophy in 1954, only Boston Bruins legend Bobby Orr (three times) and Pronger have won it.
Makar needs Connor McDavid’s Oilers to remain underwhelming. He needs San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini and Chicago’s Connor Bedard to cool off, and for the Avs to hold off Jack Eichel’s Golden Knights for the best record.
Is this scenario likely? No. Is it possible? Yes.
“I think what he is doing this season is sustainable. This team is very good on 5-on-5, and the power play hasn’t really come alive save for a game or two,” Liles said. “If the power play clicks, watch out.”
Because of Makar’s ability to close a player out and leave the scrum with a puck, it leaves a man open for a rush. Because of his speed, he makes Devon Toews better. And vice versa.
“It’s just a huge asset playing with him. It’s a good relationship. I know I can trust him. And I hope he knows he can trust me,” Makar said. “For us, it’s a lot of give and take. We have really gotten quite a bit better as far as the defensive zone structure works for both of us.”
Because of all it — the scoring, the skating, the spacing — when submitting their MVP ballots, voters need to be prepared to pivot. And do something different. If not historic.
“It would be crazy if it happened,” Liles said. “But given how good he is, it is not crazy to think it could happen.”
Want more Avalanche news? Sign up for the Avalanche Insider to get all our NHL analysis.