As the NHL starts looking ahead to the Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2026, one name stands out for the Colorado Avalanche: Cale Makar.
He’s only 28, and he hasn’t even reached 500 regular-season games yet, a mark that often helps frame a player’s body of work. Even so, the case for Makar is already strong enough that you can make the Hall of Fame argument right now.
This isn’t about guessing what he might become over the next decade. It’s about what he’s already put on the table. The résumé is loaded, and it starts with the kind of hardware that usually belongs to players who have been around much longer.
Makar has won the Stanley Cup, the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, two Norris Trophies as the league’s top defenseman and the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year. For someone who is still early in his eighth NHL season, that’s a staggering list of honors.
The individual recognition goes even deeper. Makar has been named a First Team All-Star four times and a Second Team All-Star twice, and he finished in the top three in Norris Trophy voting in each of his first six seasons. That kind of consistency at defense is rare, and it says plenty about how long he has been operating at an elite level.
What makes the case even stronger is the way he has done it. Makar isn’t just piling up points; he’s reshaping expectations for what a top defenseman can be. He drives offense, skates at an exceptional level and still handles the defensive side without giving up control of the game.
The numbers back that up. According to NHL.com, his 525 points in 485 games are the most by any active player with fewer than 500 appearances. He also leads all NHL defensemen in points per game since entering the league in 2019-20.
And there’s still more room to grow.
Makar could add more Norris Trophies, another Stanley Cup or even push toward some of the league’s historical defensemen benchmarks. His new eight-year extension in Colorado gives him plenty of time to keep stacking accomplishments.
But he doesn’t need the next chapter to make his Hall of Fame case. Based on what he has already done, Makar’s current résumé is enough to put him in the conversation.
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