NHL.com's fantasy staff continues to cover the latest trends and storylines in the League through the lens of NHL EDGE puck and player tracker stats.

Today, we compare the underlying metrics of defensemen Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche and rookie Matthew Schaefer of the New York Islanders ahead of their matchup Sunday at Ball Arena (9 p.m. ET; MSGSN, ALT, SN, TVAS).

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New York Islanders rookie Matthew Schaefer, who’s thriving at 18 years old, is already drawing comparisons to Colorado Avalanche superstar Cale Makar, who’s widely viewed as the best defenseman in the NHL.

Schaefer, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, is leading NHL defensemen in goals (seven), with one more than Makar (six), approaching the one-quarter mark of his first season (Nov. 20) and leads his rookie

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