Avalanche stars MacKinnon and Makar get props in NHLPA poll

The NHLPA released its annual player poll on Wednesday morning, and both Avalanche stars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar received a lot of love.

During the season, 639 NHL players were surveyed on 15 hockey-related questions, and the Avs earned their props. MacKinnon finished in the top-5 in four questions while Makar earned the top spot in two questions.

Perhaps the most fascinating result was for the question: “If you need to win one game, who is the defenceman you want on your team?” Makar took it in landslide fashion, getting more than 56 percent of the vote across the league.

He defends the blueline for the @Avalanche but most players across the league would love to have @cmakar8 on their side with one game on the line. #NHLPAPlayerPoll pic.twitter.com/qS6a3CkTFW

— NHLPA (@NHLPA) April 10, 2024

That’s a stunning number, considering second place was Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman with 10.5 percent of the vote.

Makar also finished first on “who is the best breakout passer in the game?” with 26.56 percent of the share. Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes came in second with a little more than 10 percent.

MacKinnon was all over the survey, getting props in categories like “if you need to win one game, who is the forward you want on your team,” and “who is the best stick-handler?”

He also fared well in questions about “who is the most complete player?” and “which player do you least enjoy playing against but would like to have on your team?” Overall, he finished third in one category (win one game) and fifth in the other three.

Ball Arena was also voted the fourth toughest place to play at as a visiting team. The Avalanche are 30-8-1 at home this year after MacKinnon’s ridiculous performance against the Wild on Tuesday night. He scored his 50th goal of the season and registered another hat trick.

And while the likely Hart Trophy winner didn’t take first in any of the survey questions, he was well represented across the board.

To see the full results, click here.