Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes Set First Stanley Cup Playoffs Showdown
cale makar and Quinn Hughes will meet for the first time in the Stanley Cup Playoffs when the Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild open Game 1 Sunday night at Ball Arena. The series sends two of the league’s most productive offensive defensemen into the same postseason bracket, with a spot in the Western Conference Final on the line.
Makar And Hughes At Ball Arena
Sam Malinski did not soften the comparison. “I’d say they are the two best defensemen in the world,” he said of Makar and Hughes, and the numbers back up why the matchup carries that label. They made their NHL debuts 18 days apart, and this is their first postseason meeting against each other.
Since the 2019-20 season, Makar has 26 more goals than any other defenseman. Hughes leads all defensemen with 45 more assists in that span. Makar has 507 points, 76 more than any defenseman not named Hughes, who has 482.
Two Elite Tracks Collide
Their awards history matches the production. Makar and Hughes have won three of the past four Norris Trophies, with Makar finishing in the top three for five consecutive seasons and Hughes doing the same for the past two years. That track record has turned this series into more than a first-round playoff test; it is a direct comparison of how each drives offense from the blue line.
Colorado and Minnesota are carrying more than star power into Game 1. The Avalanche are without Josh Manson to start the series, and the Wild are missing Jonas Brodin, leaving both clubs to absorb an early defensive absence while the spotlight settles on the players who move the puck the most.
Minnesota’s Trade And Hynes
The path to this matchup also runs through Minnesota’s Dec. 13 trade, when the Wild sent a huge package of assets, headlined by former University of Denver star Zeev Buium, to Vancouver for Hughes. John Hynes said the move “Made (me) a better coach, that’s for sure,” and Hughes called the comparison with Makar “It’s just funny.”
Hughes also said, “You want to play the best and have that opportunity,” while adding, “This series with Colorado, I think it’s just a great opportunity to go up against those guys.” Makar returned the respect in kind, saying, “There’s so much (he respects),” and noting, “He’s ultra competitive.”
For Colorado, the opening night assignment is simple: handle the puck, handle the pressure, and avoid giving Hughes room to dictate pace. For Minnesota, Game 1 is the first chance to see whether the trade that brought Hughes in can push the Wild past one of the West’s top contenders and into the conference final round.
