HOW DO YOU SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE MAKAR? JETS DEALING WITH DEFENCEMAN WHO IS BEING COMPARED TO BOBBY ORR
As though it’s not difficult enough for the Winnipeg Jets to deal with Hart Trophy favourite Nathan MacKinnon in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, they’re also going up against a defenceman who draws comparisons to Bobby Orr.
Cale Makar, the 25-year-old blue-liner from Calgary, has won the Calder Trophy (top rookie), Norris Trophy (top defenceman), Conn Smythe Trophy (MVP of the playoffs) and the Stanley Cup already in his young career and can be so dominant that some people liken him to Orr, widely considered the greatest defenceman to ever play the game.
And through two games of the series between the Jets and Avs, Makar has been the most dominant player, putting up a goal and five points, leading all players with 26:21 of ice time per game and using his remarkable skating to be ever-present at both ends of the ice.
“Cale’s deserving of some of that credit he gets,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said of the comparisons to Orr.
“He’s an elite player, early in his career his numbers would say that, the eye test says that. It’s a matter of time before everyone sees what he’s capable of as they are just watching his career unfold.
“Certainly there’s an appreciation here in Denver and I think growing across North America, anyway, of what he’s able to do and how he’s able to play in a really tough league.”
Makar has been stellar in the regular season throughout his career, putting up 28 goals and 86 points in 2021-22 and then 21 goals and 90 points this season.
But it’s in the playoffs where he has really impressed people, having scored 17 goals and 70 points in 63 games.
Some players wilt in the post-season and others are built for it. The 6-foot, 187-pound Makar is clearly the latter.
He can handle the rigours of a playoff series physically and dominate with the puck on his stick. Bednar pointed to his ability to get shots through to the net from the blue-line, even when it looks like there is no lane.
He has scored once on a point shot and two more of his shots were tipped in front for goals.
The Jets are doing their best to block Makar’s offerings, but he’s so good at moving along the line, changing angles and mixing up slap shots and waist-high wristers that simply throwing yourself in front of him isn’t going to work.
The Jets have the same luxury in defenceman Josh Morrissey, but he’s not quite in the same stratosphere at this point in his career.
Veteran Colorado defenceman Jack Johnson said it’s impossible to truly compare Makar to Orr because of the different eras, different styles of hockey, different rules in today’s game, but he doesn’t deny that Makar is uber-elite.
“I’ve gotten to see him first-hand for a few years now and it’s as good as it gets,” Johnson said. “I think he’s the best defenseman in the league, the way he skates, he’s bigger than people think, he’s got a mean streak, but his skating and skill and everything separates him from everyone else.
“He does some things you can’t teach. For the most part, he just skates better than everyone else and with his size and everything. He’s pretty unique.”
The Jets were hoping they could keep Makar grounded when they played the Avalanche in Game 3 of their best-of-seven on Friday night in Denver.
The series was tied 1-1 heading into that game, but there were certainly concerns that the Jets were not keeping up offensively.
Part of changing that included reining in Makar.
He’s not the only Colorado player who can skate, and the Jets needed to find a way to slow all of them down.
“Any pace that’s elevated benefits this group,” Makar said of his team. “I think we’re a fast, hard skating group. For us, we want to play hard and we want to put our identity on them.”
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2024-04-26T21:33:49Z dg43tfdfdgfd