Avalanche Regular Season Flashback: Defensemen

Take a look back at how each defenseman of the Colorado Avalanche did during the regular season.

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BOWEN BYRAM

The 21-year-old finished with 24 points (10g/14a) in 42 games played, all career highs. Byram's 24 points required the fewest amount of games among all defensemen who finished with exactly 24 points. Byram had one shorthanded goal this season, which was tied for second among all defensemen. Byram's shot percentage of 15.4% was the seventh-best among all defensemen.

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SAMUEL GIRARD

The 25-year-old ended the season with 37 points (6g/31a) in 76 contests. Girard's six goals and 37 points were both career highs. His eight power play points ranked inside the top-50 among all D-men, t-49th.

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BRAD HUNT

Colorado was Hunt's seventh team in his 10 seasons in the league. Hunt became a vital part of the Avalanche's defensemen group, recording 10 points (4g/6a) and +4 +/- rating in 47 outings.

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ERIK JOHNSON

The former no. 1 overall pick from the 2006 NHL Draft finished with eight points (eight assists) in 63 appearances. Johnson's 12 penalty minutes were the third-fewest among all defensemen who played in at least 60 games.

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JACK JOHNSON

Acquired on February 26 in exchange for defenseman Andreas Englund, Johnson had four points (2g/2a) in 25 outings in his second stint with the Avalanche. An integral part of last season's Stanley Cup Champion roster, Johnson appeared in his 1,100th career NHL game, the 14th U.S.-born defenseman in NHL history to skate in 1,100 career contests. He's the seventh player from the 2005 NHL Draft class to reach the 1,100-game mark.

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KURTIS MACDERMID

Originally an undrafted free agent, MacDermid has become valuable depth for Colorado. MacDermid recorded six points (1g/5a) in 44 games played.

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CALE MAKAR

• The reigning Norris Trophy winner and finalist for this season tallied 66 points (17g/49a) in 60 contests for a 1.10 points per game average. Only San Jose defenseman Erik Karlsson was generating points at a higher clip than Makar as the Swede did so at a 1.23 in his historic 100-point season where he became only the sixth ever defensemen to record 100 points and first since Brian Leetch (1991-92).
• Makar's 66 points were the third most on the team and was one of Colorado's six 50-point scorers this season (Mikko Rantanen (105), Nathan MacKinnon (111), J.T. Compher (52), Artturi Lehkonen (51) and Devon Toews (50).
• Makar's assists (58) were a career-best and his six game-winning goals matched his career high, set last year.
• Makar's productive season included yet another historic milestone as the 24-year-old became the fastest defensemen in NHL history to reach 200-career points in just 195 games. Makar accomplished the impressive feat in 12 fewer games than the previous best mark set by Sergei Zubov, who did so in 207-career games.
• Makar was selected to his second consecutive All-Star Game.
• Makar's 30 power-play points was the sixth-highest total among defensemen and 25th-highest leaguewide.
• Makar's 50 takeaways were the 15th-most among defensemen.
• Makar's 26:23 average of TOI was first in the league among all skaters.

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DEVON TOEWS

In a season marred by injuries, Toews was a mainstay in the Avs' lineup, appearing in a career-high 80 games. He was one of Colorado's six 50-point scorers this season (Mikko Rantanen (105), Nathan MacKinnon (111), Cale Makar (66) J.T. Compher (52) and Artturi Lehkonen (51). Toews' 138 blocks were the 38th-most among all skaters. Toews' +/- of +39 was the fourth highest among defensemen and sixth-highest among all skaters. Toews' TOI average of 25:06 was eighth-highest among all skaters.