"He will never be Cale Makar": NHL fans react as Matthew Schaefer leads all NHL D-men in goals scored

NHL fans on social media reacted to rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer’s performance this season.

Although the New York Islanders have been a struggling team, Schaefer has been fabulous, leading all defensemen with 5 goals.

Here's how fans on X (formerly called Twitter) reacted. One tweeted:

"He will never be Cale Makar..."

Another chimed in:

"Kid’s been unreal. Hope he keeps that spark going all season, he’s injected life into the Isles."

Here are some of the other top reactions on X:

"I think if it’s close he’ll win the Calder even though the Isles are institutionally disrespected simply because the majority of voters are Canadian or American and aren’t gonna vote for a Russian over him," a third fan posted. "Insane. This kid is on pace to score 35 goals. Not something seen by a Dman since the days of Paul Coffey, Bobby Orr, and Doug Wilson," one X user wrote. "What he is doing at his age is unheard of. Hopefully he remains healthy, if so in 2 years he’ll be the best defenseman in the league," another X user posted. "Generational talent. Isles haven’t been relevant in years, nice pop for their franchise," another chimed in.

Drafted No. 1 overall at this year's NHL draft, Matthew Schaefer has accumulated ten points this season.

Matthew Schaefer shines as the Islanders down Blue Jackets

On Sunday, the New York Islanders defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 at UBS Arena. Matthew Schaefer opened the scoring for the Islanders, putting them ahead 1-0 on the power play at 5:53 of the first period.

In the second period, Miles Wood tied it 1-1 for the Blue Jackets. This was the lone goal scored in the period. Denton Mateychuk scored at 12:10 to give the Blue Jackets their first lead, 2-1.

The Islanders rallied with Schaefer’s second goal at 18:53, tying it 2-2. Simon Holmstrom scored the winner for the hosts at 19:22. The Islanders improved to 6-5-1, holding the sixth spot in the Metro Division.

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Edited by Abhishek Dilta