Cale Makar has done it all for the Colorado Avalanche this season.
The defenseman not only is second at the position in scoring (66 points) and first in goals (21), but is tied for first in game-winning goals (five), third with a plus-37 rating and 23 power-play points and 11th in average ice time per game (25:17).
This season he's even taken on more defensive responsibility. He's averaging 1:18 per game shorthanded, his most in three NHL seasons, and has 73 blocked shots and 28 takeaways.
At the three-quarter point of the season, Makar is a unanimous selection to win the Norris Trophy by a panel of 15 NHL.com writers.
Makar received 75 points, finishing comfortably ahead of Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning (54 points) and Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators (40 points). Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers was fourth (32 points) and Adam Fox, who won the Norris last season, was fifth (17 points).
"Cale is a quiet guy, he is pretty reserved, but when he says something everyone is listening because they know the role that he has on the team and the job that he is doing for us on a nightly basis," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said Feb. 15. " ... The way he practices and prepares, I think there's a lot that our younger guys can learn from him. He just approaches the game in a real professional way."
Makar is a big reason the Avalanche lead the NHL standings (43-13-5, .746 points percentage) and are second in the NHL in scoring (3.82 goals per game).
He had 18 assists during a 13-game assist streak from Feb. 13-March 8, the longest in Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques history. It also ranks
fifth in NHL history among defensemen
behind Paul Coffey (17 games, 1985-86), Brian Leetch (15, 1991-92), Phil Housley (14, 1992-93) and Bobby Orr (14, 1970-71).
"Obviously I want to be contributing on both ends of the ice, but guys are just putting the puck in the back of the net right now and luckily I'm able to help them or to contribute on those plays," Makar said March 5 of his assist streak. "... I don't think most of it comes down to me. I'm just getting a little bit lucky."
Makar hadn't scored a goal in 14 games before scoring three in his past four games, including two goals on eight shots in a 5-4 win against the New York Islanders on March 7.
"We were talking this morning about how Cale hadn't scored in a while," Bednar said after that game. "... [Makar was] real dangerous tonight."
Makar could be the first defenseman to score at least 30 goals in a season since Mike Green did so for the Washington Capitals in 2008-09 (31 goals).
"Obviously all the talk was about how many goals I was scoring earlier on in the year and I knew that wasn't going to keep up," Makar said. "... But everybody thinks about it."
Voting totals (points awarded on a 5-4-3-2-1- basis): Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche, 75 points (15 first-place votes); Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning, 54; Roman Josi, Nashville Predators, 40; Aaron Ekblad, Florida Panthers, 32; Adam Fox, New York Rangers, 17; Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins, 3; Devon Toews, Colorado Avalanche, 2; Thomas Chabot, Ottawa Senators, 1; Morgan Rielly, Toronto Maple Leafs, 1
