December 25, 2024

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

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