Cale Makar has been off to an incredible start to the year, already with 12 points in 6 games that has him tied with Artemi Panarin and Sam Reinhart for the league lead in points. It’s been a much needed help for the Colorado Avalanche, who have had their struggles but are staying afloat for now, but can he keep up that pace all season and potentially hit 100 points for the first time in his career?
Tyler Yaremchuk and Jonny Lazarus talked about Cale Makar’s start, and what percentage of a chance they’d give him to hit 100 points this season.
Jonny Lazarus: I’m going to say 60%. I’m gonna give him the benefit of the doubt. I’ve known Cale for a few years now and I know he’s not happy with his defensive game right now, but you know everything that he’s doing offensively, chipping in the way he has. I mean, half of his points are on the power play. Colorado’s power play is tied for second in the league right now, and I don’t see them slowing down at all at that clip. When you look at Makar, Rantanen, MacKinnon, Ross Colton has six goals already on the year.
He’s been hot so far to start. I don’t see that production slowing down for Cale. Maybe averaging two points per game is going to be tough to sustain, but this guy had 90 points last year and his team needs him to produce even more offensively this year if they’re gonna allow four, five, six goals a game.
So I give Cale the 60% chance of getting a hundred points just because it’s such a hard feat for a defenseman but if there’s one guy that can do it, it’s him.
Tyler Yaremchuk: I think I’ll go a hair lower just because it’s so hard to do. I’ll say 55%. I’m generally in the same ballpark as you.
Out of the five best statistical seasons by a defenseman this century, Makar has two of them. He had 90 points in 77 games last season and a couple of years ago, he had 86 points in 77 games. So hey, if he plays all 82, it’s more than possible, and I think it’s more than likely. But again, one defenseman has done it in the last 25 years. It is really, really hard to accomplish.
Jonny Lazarus: Well, they’re not fully healthy yet either, right? So if they get Gabriel Landeskog, Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen back, they’re missing a couple of key contributors offensively that can come back and really help. So if they do get fully healthy, it’s only going to uplift Cale’s chances.
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