While Alexander Ovechkin is rightfully getting much of the media attention for his chasing of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record, Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche is also having himself a season for the ages. The 26-year-old defenseman currently leads all NHL blueliners in goals (25), assists (53), and points (78), and is likely to win the second Norris Trophy of his already storied career.
Makar recently became the sixth-fastest defenseman to score 100 goals in NHL history, and also became the fastest active defender to accomplish the feat. Now, the Norris hopeful has his sights set on breaking the single-season goals record by a defenseman set by the eternally-underappreciated Mike Green, who scored 31 goals in 68 games as a member of the Washington Capitals during the 2008-09 season.
Makar has already played 68 games this season which means he cannot match or eclipse Green’s per-game scoring rate, but the overall single-season tally remains within reach.
Makar Scoring Goals at Historic Pace
Makar was on pace to obliterate the salary-cap era record during the 2021-22 season and was even within striking distance of Paul Coffey’s all-time record for much of the season. Makar faltered down the stretch and only finished with 28 goals in 77 games (the third-best mark of the 21st century), but he demonstrated he could one day leapfrog Green in the record books.
In a separate-but-related note, Makar owns three of the top 25 single-season goal-scoring campaigns by a defenseman of the last 25 years, and two of the top 10. The 25 goals he has already scored this season put him in a two-way tie for sixth, while also putting him six goals from matching Green. If he continues to produce at his current pace and plays in each of the Avalanche’s 14 remaining games, he has a shot to assume the record for his own by the end of the season.
| Statistic | 2024-25 (Per-Game) | Projection |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 0.37 | 30 |
| Assists | 0.78 | 64 |
| Points | 1.15 | 94 |
While 30 goals and 94 points would both represent new career-highs for Makar, neither would be enough to give him either of the respective single-season records. Green remains the goal-scoring king in this situation by a single tally and Erik Karlsson maintains his hold on the single-season points record by a defenseman in the cap era (101 in 2022-23).
Assuming he maintains his current pace, Makar would own the second-best goal-scoring season of the 21st century, and the third-highest points tally. Neither mark is anything to scoff at and he will have many more chances to set a new benchmark, but missing the record by only a goal or two would sting nonetheless.
Makar Increasing Pace During Second Half of the Season
Working in Makar’s favor is that, as the team around him has gotten healthier, his production has improved. Valeri Nichushkin (26 points in 30 games), Jonathan Drouin (30 in 35), and Artturi Lehkonen (41 in 56) have all missed 12 or more games this season, but their returns to the lineup have made the Avalanche much more dangerous. Makar and Nathan MacKinnon are no longer the sole recipients of opposing team’s top defenders, and have found more space to breathe in the offensive zone as a result.
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Since the start of 2025, Makar has scored 14 goals in 30 games, representing an 82-game pace of 38. That rate of production would set the new single-season standard by a wide margin and would also beat Green’s 37-goal pace in 2008-09. If Makar scores at that pace over the final 14 games, he would collect an additional six goals to tie Green at 31. He needs to slightly elevate his already-extraordinary finishing to hit 32 and finish with the most goals in a single season since Kevin Hatcher scored 34 in 83 games in 1992-23, but the Avalanche’s remaining schedule should work in his favor.
The Avalanche are near the middle of the pack by remaining strength-of-schedule, but their slate of opponents is mostly comprised of some of the league’s worst defensive teams. Of their 14 remaining games, nine come against teams in the bottom half of the NHL by goals against per game, including five against the bottom 12. The defensive environment will be ripe for picking, and Makar should be motivated to capitalize on a vulnerable string of opponents.
Makar on Pace To Challenge All-Time Greats
Even if Makar never beats Green’s single-season cap era record, the defenseman remains on pace to finish his career alongside some of the sport’s all-time legends at his position, health permitting. Among qualified defensemen, Makar ranks third all-time in goals-per-game (0.29), fourth in assists-per-game (0.79), and third in points-per-game (1.08).
Makar has only played in 87 percent of the Avalanche’s games since his regular-season debut during the 2019-20 season due to injuries so let’s use that as a conservative estimate for his career going forward. Assuming he plays 10 more seasons, that would tack on an additional 713 games to give him a career tally of 1096.
Assuming he continues to score at his career pace, Makar would rank fifth all-time in goals (318), seventh in assists (866), and sixth in points (1184). The only thing standing between him and climbing even higher in the record books is health and longevity as all of the defensemen projected to rank ahead of him all played in at least 1409-career games.
Those are numbers based on a conservative estimate for the rest of his career given his previous injury concerns, but the evidence is clear. Makar is a Hall-of-Famer in the making, so come along and enjoy the ride.
Data courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and the NHL.
