Avalanche’s Cale Makar joins exclusive Bobby Orr territory after Norris Trophy finalist announcement

The Colorado Avalanche are the envy of the rest of the National Hockey League thanks to the generational talents that they boast, both up front and on the back end.

Forward Nathan MacKinnon continues his other-worldly run and has deservedly been regarded as one of the three best forwards in the NHL. Additionally, defenseman Cale Makar has cemented his status as one of the three best defensemen in the league, and that status was officially confirmed yet again in a recent announcement.

For the sixth time in his seven-year NHL career, Makar has been nominated for the James Norris Memorial Trophy, awarded annually to the top NHL blueliner for that respective season. And in doing so, he’s joined a notable Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman by the name of Bobby Orr as the only rearguard ever to earn nominations in six of their first seven years.

“Cale Makar becomes just the 2nd defenseman in NHL history to be a Norris Trophy finalist in 6 of his first 7 seasons,” wrote Avalanche Insider Evan Rawal on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Bobby Orr is the other.”

So far in the postseason, Makar has scored four goals with an assist and is averaging just under 24 minutes of ice time per game. He’s helped the Avalanche not only complete the sweep of the Los Angeles Kings in the opening round, but also remain undefeated with a two-games-to-none series lead over the Minnesota Wild.

Makar also suffered an injury scare in their opening game of the series, though he eventually returned to score twice as part of the back-and-forth 9-6 victory for the Avalanche at Ball Arena.

Game 3 will be played on Saturday evening, beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET from Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul.

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