Wayne Gretzky believes Avalanche's $54,000,000 star is best defenceman to grace the NHL since Bobby Orr

NHL legend Wayne Gretzky has high praise for Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar.

Makar is one of the top defensemen in the NHL as he chips in offensively and defensively and was a key reason for the Avalanche winning the Stanley Cup two years ago.

With Makar still playing at a high level, Gretzky compares the defenseman to Bobby Orr.

"I don't know if we've seen a defenseman as good as Bobby Orr (until) Cale Makar, he's that good. I watch him get off the ice and he's not even breathing hard, and he plays like 30 minutes a game."

This is also not the first time Wayne Gretzky has compared Cale Makar to Bobby Orr, as during the Stanley Cup Finals in 2022, he also compared the defenseman to the Hall of Famer.

“I would say probably, the closest player we’ve ever seen that offensively and defensively can make an impact on the game that much, probably Bobby Orr,” Gretzky said about Makar’s game during the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals, via MassLive.

Gretzky is also not the only person to compare Makar to Orr, as the Colorado Avalanche defenseman has taken the NHL by storm.

"Very humbled anytime the great one mentions my name,” Makar said on the TNT postgame. “I’m very honored and humbled, but at the end of the day, we have one more step to go and the boys are excited."

Cale Makar says he mimicked Bobby Orr's game

It also shouldn't be a surprise that Wayne Gretzky has compared Cale Makar to Bobby Orr, as the defenseman says he grew up mimicking his game on the NHL legend.

“Growing up I took a lot from his personal aspects of the game,” Makar said. “My dad would always talk about how he treated people off the ice. That’s what I wanted to emulate."

Makar was drafted fourth overall in the 2017 NHL Draft by the Avalanche. The defenseman made his NHL debut during the 2018–19 season and since then, he has taken the league by storm.

In his career, Makar has 308 points in 293 games and was the Conn Smythe winner in 2022, which was awarded to the playoff MVP the year the Avs won the Cup.