Once again, the longtime Penguins' captain will have a chance to lead Canada on the international scene, vying for a fourth gold medal in four tries

NHL analysts Frankie Corrado and Carlo Colaiacovo weighed in on the ongoing debate between Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar as the top defenseman in the league.

DENVER — Cale Makar deflects not only shots but any mention of milestones related to him. It’s just the nature of the Colorado Avalanche’s dynamic defenseman. He’s not a big spotlight person even if he constantly finds himself in the limelight.

BOTTOM LINE: The St. Louis Blues enter the matchup with the Colorado Avalanche after losing three games in a row. Colorado is 29-21-2 overall and 7-8-1 against the Central Division. The Avalanche have conceded 164 goals while scoring 169 for a +5 scoring differential.

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar, right, is congratulated as he passes the team box after scoring ...

Makar scored two goals in the first period and dished the game-winning assist in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Rangers.

However, their defensive play appeared somewhat unstable, as both of the Jets' regulation goals stemmed from lapses in coverage in front of the net. Despite the loss, Cale Makar expressed strong admiration for Nathan MacKinnon, who scored a goal during the game.

Over the weekend, a bit of news dropped, as the Vegas Golden Knights announced that Alex Pietrangelo won’t be part of Team Canada’s entry at the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off.

Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar found himself in awe of Cale Makar after the star defenseman enjoyed another prolific game during Colorado's 6-3 victory over the Dallas Stars on Saturday night. "I'm a little biased,

Sidney Crosby will wear the captain’s ‘C’ for Team Canada at the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off. It will be the fourth time Crosby has captained Canada at a best-on-best tournament, a run that includes gold medal wins at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics and a championship victory at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Will he re-sign in Carolina after this season -- and if not, where else? And what will other contenders do to keep pace ahead of the March 7 deadline?