Cale Makar (Talia Sprague-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/6c16ce9f-e809-4720-888d-74132440c74f.jpeg] Cale Makar (Talia Sprague-Imagn Images) Although there are many NHL records that will be challenged by new generations of players, one that will be especially hard to reach is defensemen who’ve scored 40 goals or more in a regular season. Should Gabriel Landeskog return for the playoffs? As it currently stands, only two blueliners have been able to put up at least 40 goals – and those two are Hockey Hall-of-Famers and all-time legends, Bobby Orr and Paul Coffey. Since Orr and Coffey did it, no D-men have reached the 40-goal plateau. But here’s how tough the 40-goal mark is for defensemen: Colorado Avalanche [http://thn.com/colorado] superstar Cale Makar has four goals in his past seven games and currently sits at 30 goals this year – a new career-high for the 26-year-old. But even then, Makar is still 10 goals short of the 40-goal plateau. Makar is the best-scoring defenseman of his generation, but for various reasons, getting to 40 goals will be next to impossible for him. Indeed, take a look back at the two superstars who did get to 40 goals, and you’ll see why it’s so difficult for modern-day blueliners to reach that plateau. Of course, Orr is one of the greatest players of his generation or any generation, and certainly, the D-man who revolutionized the position. But in his shortened NHL career, Orr was only able to get to 40 goals once [https://records.nhl.com/records/skater-records/scoring-by-a-defenseman/most-goals-defenseman-one-season], when he posted 46 goals for the Boston Bruins [http://thn.com/boston] in 1974-75. Meanwhile, Coffey put up at least 40 goals twice – the first time, when he posted 40 goals for Edmonton in 1983-84, then, he put up what is still a record for D-men of 48 goals for the Oilers [http://thn.com/edmonton] in 1985-86. Coffey was a terrific talent, but he was also fortunate to (a) be on an incredible Oilers team that had a plethora of otherworldly offensively-adept stars, and (b) be in an era where the game lent itself to high-octane scoring threats, regardless of their on-ice position. It’s certainly true that the current NHL product is more friendly to offense-minded D-men, but let’s be honest – NHL goalies are better than ever, and players are scouted better than ever. So you can see why today’s defensemen have an exceedingly-difficult time generating a slew of goals. Even the offense-minded defensemen closest to Makar in the goal department – Columbus Blue Jackets [http://thn.com/columbus] blueliner Zach Werenski and Washington Capitals [http://thn.com/washington] D-man Jakob Chychrun – have only 20 goals this season. It’s hard to imagine a circumstance in which they could double the amount of goals they’ve scored this season. Absent some astonishing performance for the ages, Coffey and Orr are likely to remain the only defensemen to put up 40 goals or more in one season. That doesn’t mean Makar or his fellow current star blueliners aren’t some of the best to ever do it. But anytime you’re talking about records that are hard to be broken, you have to acknowledge that the stars had to line up perfectly for players to get to the level that separated them from the rest of the field. In the case of Orr and Coffey, it’s clear that they were a product of both the eras that they played in and that their particular talent was exactly what was needed to get them to the 40-goal mark. If Makar isn’t able to join Coffey and Orr in the 40-goal club, it’s not a slight on the Avs superstar. He’s entering his prime, and who knows – maybe he gets to 35 goals, or maybe he defies the odds and does get to 40 goals. But even if he doesn’t get there, we should be marveling that Makar is even able to post 30 goals in one season. In this day and age, that’s no small feat – and Makar is headed for the Hall of Fame in no small part because he’s the most offensively talented D-man of his generation. Forget about the record – getting to 30 goals only underscores Makar’s talent, and you’d better believe any and every team would be ecstatic to have a blueliner capable of doing what Makar does with the puck. Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.
