It is usually a pretty short list of Players when it comes to who The Best Defenseman in the NHL right now is, Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, Zach Werenski, and after last year Matthew Schaefer. But think the consensus vote in the league is Makar, a 2-time Norris Trophy Winner, Conn Smythe, Calder, Hobey Baker, and most importantly Stanley Cup Champion. Combine the Trophy Case with the on-ice abilities: dynamic speed and Skating, Powerful and Precision Shooting, Elite Stick Skills and Edges.
Plays 25 minutes every night, scores over a point per game, and leader in the room. Now you’re probably thinking, all those guys check those boxes, and you are right. But the eye test tells you more than just the stats, and when he does all this while effortlessly floating on the ice and taking over games in every aspect, it just feels different when Cale Makar is at the top of his game.
It is hard to deny his already great career, and he could easily be the NHL’s first $20 Million Man, but I don’t think he wants to be, not because he doesn’t feel he deserves it, but because he understands the mindset, standard, and culture in the Avalanche Locker Room. While at the time of signing, Nathan MacKinnon was the highest-paid player on his most recent contract, he has since become a bit of a bargain contract again with a Cap hit of $12,604,000 per season. With contracts like Leo Carlsson’s $18 million, Kirill Kaprizov’s $17 million, Connor Bedard’s $15 million, and when his new Extension begins, Macklin Celebrini’s $18,800,000.
The other thing to remember, is that the Cap is continuing to go up at a pretty exponential rate. So with the current rate for a Top Center in the League being about $15 Million on average, with the high-end of $18 Million, and Top Wingers are around $11 Million average, with the high-end of $17 Million. Where do top defensemen land? Currently, about $10.5 Million average, with the high-end of $12.5 Million after Bo Byram signed his big deal.
You look at the variance of salaries, centers typically command the most money as they have arguably the most total responsibilities with the expectations in the offensive zone as well as the defensive zone. Wingers are expected to score more while overall maintaining slightly fewer defensive responsibilities. So in theory, Defensemen are the flip side to wingers, more defensive responsibilities but not as many expectations to score as frequently.
He is a top-15 scoring player in the League over the past 5 seasons, among all skaters, not just Defensemen. Also has the fourth-best +/- of any player over that time. So what happens when he impacts the game as much or more than any player or position out there? Where do you draw the line between Franchise Player and Generational Player? But don’t think he wants to be known as the highest paid player, or the biggest contract. He wants to be the Best Defenseman in the League, on the Best Team in the League, and he knows that a $20 Million Contract can hinder that.
When you’re the best of the best, there is always pressure to take the most money, but when your teams culture has seemed to set the precedent of leave some for the next guy, and spread the wealth to offer a better team on the ice, it feels like he will end up taking what ends up being a team friendly deal that he still gets his value from. When you and your team have multiple Championships in mind, you need to be on the same page and pull the rope in the same direction, and that starts from your Top Players and carries throughout the Lineup and Organization.
The differences that separate Good Organizations from Great Organizations start with the Culture. Joe Sakic has nothing but Respect for the Game and a Locker Room’s Culture, and has the Track Record of Proven Success as a Player and an Executive. Cale’s shown dedication and desire to be an Avalanche for his entire career, keeps him here long-term on a reasonable salary. Sakic seems to agree, saying “Cale will finish his career as an Avalanche” in his Offseason Conference.
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