Makar in legendary company amid blistering start to career

It's suddenly not so far-fetched to say Calder Trophy favorite Cale Makar should be in the early conversation for a Norris Trophy nomination.

The Colorado Avalanche phenom racked up a career-best four points - all assists - in Saturday's win over the Vancouver Canucks, giving him 22 points through 20 games this season.

Makar's second helper of the contest put him in rarefied air, as he became the first rookie defenseman with 20 points in his team's first 20 regular-season games since Hall of Famer Brian Leetch in 1988-89, according to Sportsnet.

The 21-year-old reached the 20-point mark faster than any other defenseman to debut with the Quebec Nordiques or Colorado Avalanche, and only five skaters in franchise history required fewer games to notch 20 points in their first season. Those forwards were Real Cloutier, Hall of Famers Peter Stastny and Joe Sakic, and Stastny's brothers, Marian and Anton.

Makar leads by seven in the NHL's rookie points race and sits tied for second among all of the league's rearguards entering Sunday's action.

He burst onto the NHL scene last spring, posting six points across 10 games in the playoffs. The 2017 fourth overall pick won the Hobey Baker Award as the NCAA's top men's hockey player in April after piling up 49 points through 41 contests in his sophomore season with UMass-Amherst.

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