The Tape: Cale Makar's talent is in the details

Rookie Sensation Cale Makar is no stranger to highlight-reel scoring plays that get widespread coverage. Those plays are the results of the hard work and immense talent he puts to use on nearly every shift. Part of what makes Makar such a special rookie is all of the little things he does. On this roll of The Tape we look at a handful of those little things.

1. Puck poise. Puck touches come in all shapes and sizes, each one presenting its risks and rewards. Makar has the confidence and ability to make a positive impact on nearly all of them. The play below shows just how calm Makar is with rubber on his stick as he is able to collect a loose puck in the neutral zone and pull the puck back to safety away from the Red Wing in front of him and feeding to a teammate’s tape. A lesser D likely would have fired the puck back into the offensive zone, conceding possession. He then follows this play up by managing a pass reception, it’s one he has to reach for against his momentum but he has read the ice and knows there is plenty of room to work with. He simply stops the puck and lets it float in open ice as he shifts direction back up the ice and carries on his way, no panic all.

2. Change of direction. We’ve all seen MacKinnon come barreling down the boards only to pull up and wait for his teammates to enter the zone. Many people are even frustrated by how often this plays out as they want to see MacKinnon drive the net. However, what this play does is create a significant amount of space to work with as the momentum of the player marking MacKinnon carries them significantly deeper into the zone. For a forward, this is a skill that is becoming more and more necessary but for a defenseman like Makar, the ability to create space like that is much rarer. Make no mistake, Makar can leave defenders behind with the best of them.

3. Straight-line speed. When Makar turns on the jets, flying through the neutral zone with the puck, the electricity in the building gets turned up. Everyone knows they could be witnessing something special. Where this skill often goes unnoticed however is on the backcheck. A puck is turned over when Makar is pinching deep? No problem he can simply chase down his man and it’s as if he was back all along. In the clip below Makar does both in succession. Leading a rush down the middle immediately turned into a backcheck that he recovers before his own blue line.

4. Filling space. One of my pet peeves – when the opposition is willingly giving you ice to step into, take it. Makar is always willing to step up throughout this sequence and despite being the point man on the PP, he is still willing to come in off the blue line significantly. Even when he mishandles a puck he is still able to gain significant ground in the offensive zone while recovering the puck. He also provides the same opportunity to teammates as he runs out of space he adeptly shifts the puck to someone else standing in the open.

5. First move. Cale Makar’s head fake is not from this world. There are pro basketball players that would kill to be able to do that move on solid ground let alone on ice. Whether to set up a pass or open up a shooting lane he can consistently get NHL veterans to bite on it and it’s glorious.

6. Physicality. The idea that offensive defensemen have to be smaller and less physical is just not the case and Makar proves it regularly. Players like Tyson Barrie or Quinn Hughes have their merits but you won’t see them lay anyone out in the neutral zone. Makar has also shown the ability to out-muscle opponents in the corners as well and isn’t afraid to give someone the business if necessary. Still, big hits make good clips.

7. Eleven. The number of goals Makar has scored, just shy of double any other rookie defenseman. Also, the number of posts he has hit this season. A few inches different and Makar is a 15-goal scorer at the All-Star break.