The Colorado Avalanche will be without star defenseman Cale Makar for the first game of their Western Conference Final series against the Vegas Golden Knights, head coach Jared Bednar announced today. Bednar classified Makar’s undisclosed injury as day-to-day and said that he does expect Makar to return relatively quickly – but not in time for game one.
Makar’s health is one of the key storylines to track for the upcoming series given Makar’s importance to the Avalanche as well as his status as arguably the game’s top defenseman.
The status of Makar has been the subject of speculation since game one against the Wild, when he left the ice after taking a big hit from Wild forward Marcus Foligno. He was limited to just 17:11 time on ice per game in the team’s 9-6 win. It’s not known whether the injury Makar is currently dealing with is in any way related to what happened in game one of the previous round.
The loss of Makar – even for just a single game – is very significant for the Avalanche. As mentioned, he is arguably the top blueliner in the world. The 27-year-old is a two-time Norris Trophy winner, and has routinely elevated his game in the playoffs. His heroics in the 2022 postseason, when he scored 29 points in 20 games, resulted in a Stanley Cup championship for his team and a Conn Smythe Trophy win recognizing his individual efforts.
Colorado now sits as the favorites to win another Stanley Cup, but Makar hasn’t been leading the charge in quite the same way. The Avalanche’s power play has struggled all year, and that can partially explain why Makar’s production is down somewhat from prior campaigns. After two consecutive years reaching the 90-point plateau, Makar scored 79 points in 75 games this past season. That’s still exceptional production, of course, but a little shy of the normal standard he’s set. So far in these playoffs, Makar has five points in nine games.
His slight decline in numbers should not diminish the significance of his injury. The Avalanche have lost one of their very best players for the start of this series, and even though they are favored against the Golden Knights, they would surely prefer to navigate game one with one of their best players roaming the blueline.