Seattle Kraken’s Vince Dunn on matching up with Cale Makar in playoffs

The Seattle Kraken’s top defenseman agrees with an idea the Avs have pondered.

As Vince Dunn evaluated the challenges of matching up against Cale Makar in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he made sure to highlight the Avalanche defenseman’s, well, actual defense.

“He’s a very dynamic player back there not just offensively but defensively,” Dunn said before Game 1 Tuesday at Ball Arena. “A lot of the time when guys put up numbers, (people) don’t really look at the defensive part of the game for those players. But he does a solid job on both ends of the ice.”

Which begs the question: What does Dunn consider to be the true nature of the Norris Trophy for best NHL defenseman?

“Well, I think if you want to change the definition of what the trophy is, then it should only be how many points you’re getting — but the definition of the trophy is the best all-around defenseman,” Dunn told The Post. “And sometimes it’s just always looked at as points. So yeah, it can kind of be a little mismanaged that way. I think, especially, they look at more players that maybe go further in the playoffs or get to the playoffs, even though they say that shouldn’t really matter.”

Makar won the Norris last season despite finishing with 10 fewer points than Nashville’s Roman Josi (96). This year as voting closed after the regular season, the debate was primarily between the 100-point scorer, San Jose’s Erik Karlsson, and the blueliner favored for his two-way play, Adam Fox of the Rangers. Sprinkle in a few other worthy contenders including Makar (despite playing just 60 games), and a tight Norris race is expected.

Dunn’s sentiment about what the trophy often is vs. what it should be is shared by a number of players and coaches throughout the NHL, including Avalanche personnel. Coach Jared Bednar has expressed the same belief about needing to prioritize not just offensive stats. And before the playoffs, Avs goalie Pavel Francouz said the team has discussed the idea of separate individual awards for defensemen.

He had a blunt and insightful answer when asked if he would vote for Karlsson or someone else this year.

“Karlsson had an incredible year,” Francouz said. “He scored so many points. Obviously, tough year for their team, so I think he was like, ‘I’m just going to focus on scoring more than defending,’ maybe. But he had an incredible year. … We were talking with the boys that there could be a Bobby Orr Trophy for most-scoring D-man, and then the Norris Trophy for the most overall D-man.

“And I would just give it to Cale because he’s such a great guy,” he added with a smile.

Dunn is an offensively gifted defenseman himself, entering the first-round series off a breakout season with 14 goals and 64 points. The matchup with Colorado isn’t the first time one of his teams has seen Makar in the playoffs — Dunn was on the 2021 Blues team the Avs swept.

So he has some idea of what to expect.

“Try not to bite on a lot of his moves,” Dunn told The Post. “With all these elite players, you just try to sit in your chair and let them make the first move, not you. Because they want you to bite first, and then they want to get around you that way. He’s solid on his skates. Very efficient skater. Everybody knows.”

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