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- Apr 4, 2014
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Makar v Hughes
- Thread starter TheSuperElite
- Start date
You might have that backwards.
McDavid is the only current player that I would take over Makar.
- Oct 26, 2019
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Yeah east coasters think the guy is still a defensive liability who lives off passing the puck to Petey on the powerplay. He dominates possession more than any defenseman in the league (and its not close) and is comparable to peak McDavid in puck on stick time per game. There really isn't any other defenseman who takes games over 200ft the way Hughes does right now. Other guys can produce similarly but Hughes dominates games even when he doesn't put up a point and that just wasn't true for him 3 years ago. He's somehow gotten better every year.. I said before this season I thought he would either regress slightly or be similar to last year but he's better.
The Makar comparison is comparing one guy who is the best player on his team and has the puck all game to an all time great offensive defenseman who is third on his own team in production. Hughes has better defensive metrics too and is very slightly behind in points per game. Makar is clearly the better goal scorer and comparisons to Hughes 3 years ago were unfair since Makar was just clearly better overall.
To me it's clearly Hughes but comparing them is not apples to apples because one of them carries their franchise and controls the game in a way the other one doesn't.
However, I suspect in a 4 nations type environment, Hughes might not be as valuable as Makar. He's used to doing it himself, while Makar is much more used to being part of a team with great players and playing a secondary role. That said there aren't that many guys on the US roster that I'd rather have the puck over Hughes so maybe that dynamic will work.
SillyRabbit
Trix Are For Kids
- Jan 3, 2006
- 9,130
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Makar is far and away Canada's best defenceman and I'd imagine that he and Toews will get a ton of ice time.
I'd also expect to see Makar on the ice for 75% of the PP time, especially when you factor in his chemistry with MacKinnon.
McDavid, MacKinnon, Crosby, Makar and (maybe Marner?) on the PP will be lethal.
I think Makar will have a really strong 4-Nations performance.
Meanwhile, Team USA has a pairing of Slavin-Fox which frankly is just as good as Hughes-Faber/McAvoy.
I do think they'll try out Hughes-Fox on the PP though.
I also think Quinn is creating more offensively than in the past, both with a better shot and moving around more in the offensive zone to open up lanes. He was always dynamite in transition and very good in the offensive zone, but I think he played off what the forwards would create a bit more once the puck was in the zone. I could see those watching him in the past looking at his production being in part due to Pettersson and Miller and not realizing that now he’s also the team’s best offensive player, and everything runs through him.
logan5
Registered User
What makes Hughes better than Makar is how dominant Hughes is in the defensive zone. His puck retrieval and evading the forecheck is elite. His breakout passes are elite. Stickhandling out of the zone is elite. His man on man coverage is excellent - using his skating, he sticks to the puck carrier like glue. Overall he is easily the best in the league at zone exits , plus he scores over 90 points a season.
Last year Hughes scored more points than Makar, then the year before that, Hughes still scored more points than Makar, who benefitted from a shortened season to pump up his PPG. So far this year they are really close in points, so it's a wash offensively, but Hughes is way ahead on the defensive side. That's why Hughes overall impact on the game is only matched by McDavid. Even Elliotte Friedman, who hates the Canucks, said Hughes is in the same class as McDavid now.
Last year Hughes scored more points than Makar, then the year before that, Hughes still scored more points than Makar, who benefitted from a shortened season to pump up his PPG. So far this year they are really close in points, so it's a wash offensively, but Hughes is way ahead on the defensive side. That's why Hughes overall impact on the game is only matched by McDavid. Even Elliotte Friedman, who hates the Canucks, said Hughes is in the same class as McDavid now.
- Oct 26, 2019
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Yeah he has been noticibly better which is crazy since he won the Norris last year. He is controlling the offensive zone far more, taking on 2 guys and beating em regularly.
Hughes is easily the USs best defenseman too but not by the same margin as Makar. As I said, I suspect Makar will probably have a stronger tournament because he's used to playing off of others and being a supporting piece. On that PP, there no way Makar won't be open to wire it a few times each game. He's at best the 4th most dominant possession guy of that group. Hughes is at his best when he has the puck and there's no way a strategy of him skating it around and trying to beat people is ideal for a best on best tournament. Makar also is a much better finisher and thats the role he will have on a lot of plays. We will see though.
logan5
Registered User
Which part is funny? Articulate where you think I'm wrong.
Raistlin
Registered User
- Aug 25, 2006
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The people that mock laughs are the ones who watched Quinn play in 2022 once or twice and formed an opinion of him. You comparing him to McDavid in 2024 blew their cemented minds.
McFlash97
Registered User
- Oct 10, 2017
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Lol how you gon say Hughes is great defensively ? The guy is getting beat off the rush multiple times in a game. What? He's OK defensively. The only difference is his mistakes don't get amplified by the fans because he is an elite puck mover.
Hide under a rock if you believe what Elliott said was remotely true lol. Hughes isn't McDavid. Sorry bro. I'm sure you saw the Oilers Canucks series. Forget McDavid, Hughes couldn't get to Bouchards level in the series let alone McDavid.
Hughes is the games 2nd best defenseman. Just be happy with that man.
avsfan9
Registered User
- Jul 28, 2011
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Makar is great and does things better than Hughes…. Hughes is great and does things better than Makar…. They are both awesome dmen and can outplay each other on any given night. Same with a few other guys in the league. It’s no different than the Bourque, Lidstrom, Leetch era or the Doughty, Karlsson Weber era….
Hughes is excellent defensively by pretty much any metric you choose:
xGA
Retrievals
Retrieval success rate
Entry prevention
And he's annihilating the field in successful exits this year. I don't think anyone in the league is McDavid, but anyone that thinks Hughes isn't excellent defensively is the one living under a rock. He's been great in his own zone for years now.
logan5
Registered User
Makar and Hughes are basically equal in offensive output. agreed? So who is better in the defensive zone?
And which game did you watch where he was getting beaten off the rush multiple times.
McFlash97
Registered User
- Oct 10, 2017
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You really want me to go compile videos now ? He does. Just like every other average defensive defenseman. He isn't a defensive dman guy.
As for Makar. As an Oiler fan I can easily discern the difference between the 2 when they play the Oilers. Makar just str8 up better man. No knock on Hughes. Hes just playing in an era where Makar also plays. That gets wider once the playoffs roll around. Not even close in the playoffs honestly.
McFlash97
Registered User
- Oct 10, 2017
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That lingo I'm using is straight from the streets of Surrey yo ! I'm representing Surrey yo ! What up and shixxx
Such a goofy rebuttal.
logan5
Registered User
McFlash97
Registered User
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WiLBoY
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logan5
Registered User
logan5
Registered User
gritdash60
Registered User
It's Makar, but voting for Q.Hughes is also fine, insane that we have 2 defenders of this caliber for next what 15years?
They’re the #1-2 D-man in the league. Makar has a better career so far, but since we’re projecting rest of career, have to take the player who is trending higher and higher.
Xspyrit
DJ Dorion
Moving the puck is a defensive skill too, something that is still not understood by every hockey fan in 2024. Let's see how long it takes
Some of the best D-men's game is about retrieving the puck quickly and moving it so efficiently that their team turns defense into offense fast enough to not waste a whole forward shift.
Erik Karlsson vs Travis Hamonic. One is tough as nails, can stop the puck with his face, can battle in the corners and in front of the net and throw big hits. Yet, he is the one who is horrible defensively, not the other way around.
One day, people will understand that, just like it took time to understand paces, then expected goals, etc. It's normal, it's the human being in a nutshell, things take time to be assimilated.
