A deeper dive: Yep, it’s still Makar over Hughes

As much as I’d like to throw Adam Fox in the mix here, this analysis is purely about the Cale Makar/Quinn Hughes debate, which overlord Dater started the other day and promptly started a meltdown in Canuckland. Consider this piece Phase 2 of the debate, where I drill down even deeper into the numbers. First, my objective:

– Who had the better season?

– Who deserves the Calder?

In all that is fair, BOTH had stellar seasons and both camps have valid points for their respective studs to be crowned the league’s best rookie. But in a world where everything and everyone has a title, gotta pick one to win it.

My votes will cast as such on each category:

1 = Clear Victory

.75 = Victory

.5 = Draw

.25 = Valor in Defeat

Makar vs. Hughes: The Ice Isn’t Tilted

There is no middle ground here, no fence to be sat upon. I love Quinn Hughes as a player. He’s legit. But as an Avs fan, my heart has said Makar for Calder all season. My eye test says Makar. The stats say Makar. People can argue age, roster strengths and strength of competition all they want, but they are all out of a player’s control. They don’t cause injuries, they don’t control the roster, heck, they can’t even pinpoint what their ceiling is at a young age. So how can you judge a player off what is not in their control? You can’t. Simple as that. All you can judge is what evidence is left behind, statistics.

Statistics, My Cheese And Vegemite