"Quinn Hughes will literally never": NHL fans hail Cale Makar after he hits 1st major NHL D-man scoring milestone since 2008-09

Hockey fans erupted on social media after Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar scored his 30th goal of the season on Thursday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The goal made Makar just the second NHL defenseman to hit the 30-goal mark since Mike Green did it with 31 goals for the Washington Capitals in 2008-09.

Fans immediately began comparing Makar to Canucks' defenseman Quinn Hughes.

"Quinn Hughes will literally never. Get that 3rd rate player out of here," one fan tweeted, comparing Makar's milestone to Canucks' captain Hughes who has 16G and 70P in 61 games this season.

"And they tell us Hughes is close. Not even," another fan wrote.

Here are some more fan reactions:

"Makar > hughes and its not even close," a fan wrote.

"Quinn Hughes clears unfortunately. He’s taking his entire team to Cancun in 2 weeks. What other defensemen is putting up those numbers?" another fan wrote.

"Wasn’t that long ago, some fans were chirping that Quinn Hughes was better than Cale," a user wrote.

"Reminder that Mike Green was absolutely robbed of the Norris that season," another user wrote.

Cale Makar became the ninth defenseman in NHL history to reach 30 goals. He joins Ray Bourque, Paul Coffey (who did it four times), Kevin Hatcher, Phil Housley, Bobby Orr (who did it four times), Denis Potvin (three times), Doug Wilson, and Mike Green.

Coffey has the highest goals by a defenseman at 48 during the 1985-86 season.

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NHL analyst Coby Maeir on "greatest defenseman" Cale Makar

NHL analyst Coby Maeir weighed in on whether Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar could win his second Norris Trophy this season. Makar previously claimed the award in 2022 as the league’s best defenseman.

Maeir shared his thoughts on Thursday while discussing other potential candidates for the Norris Trophy.

"If Makar wins the Norris, he’ll become the 14th defensemen in league history to win the award multiple times, and he’d do it in the first six regular seasons of his career," he said. "He'd add another Norris Trophy to a trophy case that includes a Stanley Cup, a Conn Smythe and a Calder Trophy.

"If he were to win the Norris Trophy, Makar would continue to solidify his case as one of the greatest defensemen in the history of the game."(per NHL.com)

Cale Makar has 90 points this season with 30 goals in 77 games.