Makar the standard-bearer for NHL’s younger generation
Makar #Makar
Cale Makar is the standard-bearer for the NHL’s younger generation.
Makar is No. 1 in Craig Button’s ranking of the Top 50 U-24 NHL-affiliated players and prospects who were 23 or younger as of the start of the NHL season Oct. 11.
Since then, the Colorado superstar has turned 24 and reached 200 career points faster than any defenceman in NHL history.
Makar, who plays the game at breakneck speed, reached the milestone in 195 games, 12 fewer than any other blueliner.
Teammate Nathan MacKinnon has famously said Makar could develop into the greatest defenceman ever.
Button doesn’t share that perspective but sees Makar ending up as one of the all-time greatest by career’s end.
“Makar has a brilliant future ahead of him,” says Button. “I think he could eventually be the third best defenceman behind Bobby Orr and Nicklas Lidstrom.”
Orr won eight consecutive Norris Trophies and Lidstrom won a total of seven best defenceman honours. Makar won his first last year and doubled down by winning the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP with the Stanley Cup champions.
Makar (6-20-26) is one of three players who earned AAA superstar status in Button’s grading – placing ahead of No. 2 Dallas left winger Jason Robertson (23-20-43) and No. 3 New Jersey centre Jack Hughes (16-19-35).
Robertson and Hughes lead a dazzling group of young Americans, with six of Button’s top 11 representing the stars and stripes. The others: No. 7 Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger, No. 9 Vancouver defenceman Quinn Hughes, No. 10 Ottawa left winger Brady Tkachuk and No. 11 Anaheim centre Trevor Zegras
Montreal centre Nick Suzuki is No. 4 and the highest-ranked player from a Canadian team. The Canadiens and Ottawa Senators each have four players in the top 50, most among Canada-based clubs.
The Canadiens are Suzuki, No. 15 left winger Cole Caufield, No. 28 defenceman Kaiden Guhle and No. 39 left winger Juraj Slafkovsky.
The Senators are Tkachuk, No. 17 centre Tim Stutzle, No. 26 defenceman Jake Sanderson and No. 27 centre Josh Norris.
Dallas has three representatives in the top 10: Robertson, Oettinger, and No. 8 defenceman Miro Heiskanen. Button ranked Dallas’s collection of U-24 players as best in the league.
Ten countries are represented in Button’s ranking. Canada, USA, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Russia, Switzerland, Czechia, Slovakia, and Austria.
Three members of the Top 50 have turned 24 since season’s start: Makar, No. 6 Vancouver centre Elias Pettersson and No. 45 Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner.
For more info go to TSN.ca.
Rank Player Nationality NHL affiliation
1 Cale Makar Cda Colorado2 Jason Robertson USA Dallas3 Jack Hughes USA New Jersey4 Nick Suzuki Cda Montreal 5 Rasmus Dahlin Swe Buffalo6 Elias Pettersson Swe Vancouver 7 Jake Oettinger USA Dallas 8 Miro Heiskanen Fin Dallas 9 Quinn Hughes USA Vancouver 10 Brady Tkachuk USA Ottawa 11 Trevor Zegras USA Anaheim 12 Moritz Seider Ger Detroit 13 Bowen Byram Cda Colorado 14 Owen Power Cda Buffalo15 Cole Caufield USA Montreal 16 Andrei Svechnikov Rus Carolina17 Tim Stutzle Ger Ottawa 18 Lucas Raymond Swe Detroit19 Nico Hischier Swi New Jersey20 Martin Necas Cze Carolina21 Matt Boldy USA Minnesota 22 Matty Beniers USA Seattle23 Robert Thomas Cda St. Louis 24 Noah Dobson Cda Islanders25 Spencer Knight USA Florida 26 Jake Sanderson USA Ottawa 27 Josh Norris USA Ottawa 28 Jamie Drysdale Cda Anaheim 29 Kaiden Guhle Cda Montreal 30 Cole Perfetti Cda Winnipeg31 Wyatt Johnston Cda Dallas 32 Mason McTavish Cda Anaheim33 Kent Johnson Cda Columbus 34 Simon Edvinsson Swe Detroit 35 Jesper Wallstedt Swe Minnesota36 Sebastian Cossa Cda Detroit 37 Dylan Guenther Cda Arizona 38 Juraj Slafkovsky Svk Montreal 39 Pavel Mintyukov Rus Anaheim 40 Luke Hughes USA New Jersey 41 Dylan Cozens Cda Buffalo 42 Marco Kasper Aut Detroit 43 Shane Wright Cda Seattle 44 David Jiricek Cze Columbus45 Stuart Skinner Cda Edmonton46 Logan Cooley USA Arizona47 Zach Bolduc Cda St. Louis48 Brandt Clarke Cda Los Angeles 49 Jimmy Snuggerud USA St. Louis50 Yaroslav Askarov RUS Nashville