Who Is the NHL’s Best All-Around Defenseman: Cale Makar or Quinn Hughes? – The Hockey Writers Colorado Avalanche Latest News, Analysis & More

Many of the storylines during the 4 Nations Face-Off break focused on the health of the two best defenders in the game, Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks and Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche. Hughes was not cleared initially to participate in the 4 Nations Face-Off, though speculation loomed before the championship game that he could make an appearance (he did not). Makar dealt with an illness during the tournament but represented Canada in the championship victory over Team USA.

Hughes and Makar have accounted for two of the last three Norris Trophy wins as the league’s best defenseman, and both have been stellar again this season. So, who is better?

Disclaimer: This discussion refers to this season alone. We are not comparing career resumes because that would change the discussion about who has been the best since both came into the league in 2019-20.

Hughes vs. Makar: Offensive Game

Let’s start with Hughes. For some historical context, he posted career-highs in goals (17), assists (75), and points (92) while also operating at a career-best 1.12 points per game last season. Though he has dealt with injuries this season – he missed the 4 Nations Face-Off and hasn’t played since Jan. 31), he is on a better points-per-game pace this season (1.25) and assists-per-game pace (0.95) than in 2023-24.

Offensively, Hughes has taken his play to another level. He’s always been one of the premier setup players from the backend, but his goal-scoring boom isn’t an anomaly. He’s operating at the best goals-per-game clip (0.29) of his career, already at 14 goals through 47 games.

Hughes’ skating and edge work are game-changers. Very few in the game can match his vision. Most importantly, he is dangerous on the power play but isn’t a power play merchant. He consistently finds offense in a way that almost no player outside of Makar can do as a defenseman.

Speaking of Makar, he is just shy of his career-best points-per-game average from a season ago (1.16 last season, 1.10 this season), and he is the most complete offensive defenseman in the game. He leads the league in goals (22) and points (63) by a defenseman, buoyed by a smoking-hot start to the campaign.

If anything, Makar’s production is more impressive, given the struggles of the Avalanche’s power play. He is on pace to match his 90-point output of a season ago but is always a threat to put up points in bunches. If they get their power play going, his production will shoot up.

Like Hughes, Makar’s skating is a difference-maker. His ability to freeze defenders, make a move, and create space for himself is akin to the elite forwards in the league. His shot is superior to Hughes’, though the latter may be the better setup man.

Edge: Tie

Hughes vs. Makar: Defensive Game

Though neither player gets recognition as being an elite defender like Jaccob Slavin of the Carolina Hurricanes or Gustav Forsling of the Florida Panthers, both are much better defensively than they are given credit for. They average over 25 minutes of ice time per game, logging critical minutes for their teams in all situations as vital contributors to their team’s defensive efforts.

Hughes is underrated defensively. His ability to maintain possession and get the puck out of his zone before the opposition can even get into the defensive zone is a credit to his defensive play. He also uses his quickness and underrated stickwork to pick his opponent’s pockets. Even criticisms of his size and strength have been mitigated, and he wins his share of battles in front of the net.

Related: Canucks Notebook: Hughes for Hart Trophy, Rutherford Makes Waves & More

Makar is a higher-risk, higher-reward defender. He outpaces Hughes in takeaways (46-19) but also has substantially more giveaways (74-58) and defensive zone giveaways (47-35). Some of that could be trying to overcompensate for all the injuries to the Avalanche early in the season, especially given his takeaways vs. giveaways track record.

At the moment, Hughes is the superior defender and the numbers back that up. The Avalanche also have a much stronger, more aggressive offensive attack, and Makar is a key part of that. It isn’t a massive difference, but Hughes is clearly among the top 10-15 shutdown defenders in the league right now even though he’s among the handful of the best offensively.

Edge: Hughes

Hughes vs. Makar: Intangibles

This is the “feeling” (hence “intangible”) you get when you watch these blueliners play, what they bring to the table, etc. This is where a lot of the debate stems from.

For starters, Makar is bigger and more physical, especially in his own zone. He’s laid his share of big hits on unsuspecting forwards, which makes him feel tougher to play against in the defensive zone. Hughes is smaller and can sometimes be bullied by bigger, more aggressive forwards. Though he has largely shored those issues up, it has dogged him since the early days of his career.

Hughes is deadly from the back end, and everyone knows it, but when Makar is dancing around the offensive zone, fans are on the edge of their seats expecting something to happen. It seems like Makar is making a bigger impact from play to play even if the metrics support Hughes as the better overall defender. It’s really a “choose your flavor” discussion with Hughes and Makar, but Makar is a game-breaker in the visual sense.

Very slight edge: Makar

Hughes vs. Makar: The Verdict

Based on stats alone, Makar has the edge. But when you get into the nitty gritty and compare the impact of both players in all three zones, it is hard to argue against what Hughes has done this season. Makar remains the favorite to win the Norris Trophy, but the race will be tight – as long as injuries don’t play a factor.

When push comes to shove, Hughes is the best overall defenseman in the NHL today. The margins are razor-thin, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see either one of them walk away with a second Norris Trophy at the end of the season. Between the two, we are watching the careers of two all-time great defensemen play out before our eyes.