Cale Makar debuted for the Colorado Avalanche in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, scoring a goal in his first NHL game just days after winning the Hobey Baker Award. He won the Calder Trophy in 2020, then had a historic 2021-22 season with 28 goals and 86 points, winning the Norris Trophy, Stanley Cup, and Conn Smythe as playoff MVP, becoming the first player to capture all three honors in a career. Makar has set multiple Avalanche/Nordiques records for goals and points by a defenseman, became the fastest in NHL history at his position to reach 200 points, and is a four-time Norris finalist. In 2024-25, he became the ninth defenseman ever to score 30 goals in a season, the first since 2008-09, and the first with back-to-back 90-point seasons since the early 1990s, earning his second Norris Trophy. The Calgary native, drafted fourth overall in 2017, is regarded as one of the most dynamic and complete defensemen in NHL history.
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