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Cale Makar

Cale Makar, Darren Helm Out Indefinitely

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Kyle Fredrickson of the Denver Gazette reports that defenseman Cale Makar and forward Darren Helm will be out indefinitely with lower-body injuries. Both players have dealt with injuries and missed consecutive games multiple times this season.

Although clinching a playoff spot in Tuesday night’s win against the San Jose Sharks, it has not been an easy path back to the playoffs for the Avalanche this season. So far this year, at least 38 different skaters have played at least one game in Colorado, and they have gone through a mixture of five total netminders. In this case, as the team has now clinched and is waiting for the playoffs to begin, it is unknown whether either player will be available for game one, as head coach Jared Bednar would not give a timeline for their return.

For Helm in particular, this will be the third time that he has missed multiple games with injury. He has spent the majority of this season on the injured reserve, only managing to suit up for 11 games, unable to find himself on the scoreboard.

Most importantly for the Avalanche, as well as their playoff aspirations, Makar being out indefinitely is a massive blow. After winning the Norris Trophy and Conn Smythe Trophy last season, he has followed that up with another tremendous campaign, scoring 66 points in 60 games for Colorado. Makar has already missed 16 games this year for the Avalanche, adding to the injury woes that have seemed to plague the team all season.

With six games remaining this season, it is unclear who the Avalanche will be playing in the first round of the playoffs. Given the current standings leading into gameplay tonight, Colorado is most likely to face the Minnesota Wild, Dallas Stars, or Seattle Kraken in the beginning round. They are currently in first place in the NHL’s Central Division with one game in hand on both the Wild and Stars.

Avalanche Injury Notes: Makar, Rodrigues, Johnson

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The Colorado Avalanche will get a big boost to their lineup tonight, welcoming back defenseman Cale Makar as they take on the Arizona Coyotes, per The Athletic’s Peter Baugh.

Makar has been sidelined for the past two games with a lower-body injury and missed a combined nine games due to concussion protocols not too long before that. The 24-year-old Conn Smythe winner has once again been an all-world player for the Avalanche this year, recording 61 points in 55 games. With Makar back on the ice, Samuel Girard slides back down to a second-pairing role alongside Bowen Byram, giving Colorado its full complement of top-four defensemen.

There were more positive updates from Colorado practice today:

  • Forward Evan Rodrigues was practicing in a normal jersey on Friday, per Bennett Durando of The Denver Post, suggesting he could be close to returning to the lineup. Rodrigues missed the team’s last game while in concussion protocol and remains day-to-day. The 29-year-old has recorded 33 points in 58 games this season, his first with Colorado. While he’s not currently projected to play tonight against the Coyotes, he could return when Colorado heads to Arizona on Sunday.
  • Also according to Baugh, defenseman Erik Johnson is set to return tonight against the Coyotes after missing 18 games with a broken ankle. This is close to the healthiest Colorado’s defense has been all season, with now only Josh Manson missing from the fold. The 35-year-old will skate in a bottom-pairing role alongside Jack Johnson in his return to the lineup.

Injury Notes: Hall, Avalanche, Rangers

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With the playoffs beginning in just a handful of weeks, it appears an important piece of the Boston Bruins lineup is gearing up for a return from injury. Winger Taylor Hall was practicing in a non-contact jersey this morning, per The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa.

The skilled winger has been out of action since the end of February with a knee injury, and the Bruins are currently using his $6MM cap hit on long-term injured reserve to stay cap compliant down the stretch. If Hall is ready to return before the start of the playoffs, April 17, Boston would need to operate with an extremely trim roster to stay compliant before the end of the regular season. That likely won’t matter much for their success, with the President’s Trophy all but clinched.

  • While Erik Johnson had already returned to skating in a normal jersey at Colorado Avalanche practice, two other injured players joined him today — Cale Makar and Darren Helm, according to Peter Baugh of The Athletic. Helm, who’s appeared in just five games this year as he’s been sidelined with multiple injuries, is set to rejoin the lineup tonight, says The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando. Makar had missed the team’s last game with a lower-body injury and is day-to-day.
  • Ryan Lindgren and Tyler Motte both had maintenance days for the New York Rangers today, per Larry Books of The New York Post. Lindgren is fresh off returning from an 11-game absence due to an upper-body injury, and the team is likely going to ease him back into a normal game and practice routine with health for the playoffs at the top of everyone’s mind. Motte missed two games with an upper-body injury earlier in the month but has skated in seven straight contests since then, looking no worse for wear with three goals and an assist.

Morning Notes: NHLPA Poll, Quick, Canadiens

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The NHLPA Player Poll has become a yearly fixture, giving fans an insight into what players have to say in popular public debates. This year’s edition dropped this morning with mostly expected results.

Tampa Bay Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy was voted by a wide margin as the goalie players would want in net with one game on the line for the second straight season, while the Colorado Avalanche’s Cale Makar was voted best defenseman in the league by a landslide. Connor McDavid won “most impactful forward in a must-win game,” no doubt buoyed by last year’s electric playoff performance. Other winners were Patrick Kane for best stick-handler, Leon Draisaitl for best passer, Sidney Crosby for most complete player, Brad Marchand for least enjoy playing against (but want on your team), Joe Pavelski for most effective net-front player, and Aleksander Barkov for most underrated. Marie-Philip Poulin was also voted as the women’s hockey player that NHL players would most like to play alongside, past or present, and the Bell Centre was voted as having the best ice in the NHL for the fifth time.

In off-ice results, Las Vegas was voted the best road city to have an off day, Marc-Andre Fleury was voted best locker room presence, and Auston Matthews was voted as having the best shoe game.

More notes from around the NHL this morning:

  • Now a Vegas Golden Knight, Stanley Cup-winning netminder Jonathan Quick continues to move up the all-time ranks. With last night’s road win against the Vancouver Canucks, Quick moved into sole possession of second place on the all-time wins list for American-born goaltenders, trailing only Ryan Miller. Quick now sits just 16 wins back of tying the all-time record with 375 wins under his belt.
  • In some rare positive injury news for the Montreal Canadiens this season, Jake Evans has returned to practice in a full-contact jersey, while Jesse Ylonen has returned to practice after missing the team’s last game with an illness, per TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. Ylonen hasn’t looked out of place in his first extended NHL look this season, recording five goals and 12 points in 29 games. Evans is nearing a return after missing over two months with a lower-body injury.

Injury Updates: Golden Knights Goalies, Makar, Aho

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While the Vegas Golden Knights have maintained their place in contention for the Pacific Division title this season, it hasn’t been an easy road for them, especially in the crease. Injuries to the team’s stable of goaltenders (starting way back over the summer when Robin Lehner underwent hip surgery) forced them to acquire the legendary Jonathan Quick from the Columbus Blue Jackets and has also forced Jiri Patera, who spent time in the ECHL last season, to make two starts. Thankfully for Vegas, though, it seems there could be a light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to the health of their goaltenders.

As relayed by Ben Gotz of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy has revealed that all three of Quick,  Logan Thompson, and Laurent Brossoit are traveling with the team on their three-game road trip. As a result of that trio nearing a return to the ice, the team sent Patera back to their AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights. The return of Thompson in particular would come as a major boost to Vegas, as he had been the team’s number-one goalie before going down with an injury. He has posted a .914 save percentage in 36 games, and should he hit the ground running upon his return to the ice is in pole position to be the team’s playoff starter.

  • While he remains a player widely considered the best defenseman in the NHL, injuries have proved to be a roadblock for the Colorado Avalanche’s Cale Makar, and have caused him to fall behind in the Norris Trophy race when compared to players such as the San Jose Sharks’ Erik Karlsson. While he has thankfully seemed to put the concussion issues that sidelined him earlier this year behind him, there’s a new injury for him to deal with. Per the Denver Post’s Bennett Durando, Makar is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said that the injury is “nothing too serious,” and that he is being held out for tonight’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks as a precautionary measure. Makar has scored 61 points in 55 games this season and leads all NHLers in time-on-ice per game, averaging 26:36 TOI per game.
  • New York Islanders defenseman Sebastian Aho left last night’s New York Islanders game with an injury, prompting the team to recall defenseman Samuel Bolduc to fill Aho’s spot in the lineup. Newsday’s Andrew Gross has more details on Aho’s injury, reporting that the Swede is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury. This season has been a breakout one of sorts for Aho, who has flown past his career-high in games played with 66 so far and seen his average time-on-ice tick upwards. He has scored 21 points this season and will hope to return to the lineup quickly to help New York clinch a return to the playoffs.

Avalanche Activate Cale Makar, Josh Manson Out Indefinitely

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The Avalanche are getting some good news and some bad news regarding their back end.  NHL.com’s Ryan Boulding relays that Cale Makar has been activated off injured reserve and will play today against Dallas.  However, Josh Manson’s lower-body injury sustained on Wednesday is going to keep him out for a while; Boulding lists him as out week to week.

Makar is returning from his second stint in concussion protocol in a matter of weeks with this one keeping him out for the last five games.  Fortunately for both him and the Avs, he told reporters including Kyle Frederickson of the Denver Gazette (Twitter link) that the symptoms were “very, very mild”.

When healthy, the 24-year-old is one of the premier offensive defensemen in the NHL and is hovering around the point-per-game mark with 13 goals and 32 assists in 46 games so far while averaging 26:57 per night, a career-high.  Makar will undoubtedly be a big boost for their back end, especially on the power play.

As for Manson, his first full season with Colorado has not gone according to plan.  Injuries have limited the 31-year-old to just 27 games so far in 2022-23 which is not what anyone was hoping for as he begins a four-year, $18MM deal.  At this point, the Avalanche are likely just hoping that he’ll be able to get back late in the season to get ready for the playoffs next month.  Even with his absence, there are seven blueliners on the active roster so no recall from AHL Colorado is likely.

Colorado Avalanche Place Cale Makar On Injured Reserve

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In order to facilitate today’s call-ups from their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, the Colorado Avalanche placed defenseman Cale Makar on injured reserve, according to CapFriendly.

This move comes as Makar has dealt with concussion issues, something that has kept him out of the lineup since a February 18th contest with the St. Louis Blues. In that game, Makar collided with Blues forward Alexey Toropchenko, and he entered concussion protocol. That game had been his first since February seventh, when he was also sidelined with concussion symptoms.

While this placement on injured reserve is more about clearing a roster spot than anything else, it is an indication that Makar may still be a ways away from returning to the ice. It was not made clear if the IR placement was retroactive to the date of Makar’s last game, as the Dallas Stars did with today’s placement of Luke Glendening on injured reserve, but regardless one has to assume that Makar’s return to the ice isn’t imminent.

While the Avalanche have remained in the playoff hunt despite Makar’s absence for most of this month, this injury means the Avalanche remain without someone who is arguably their best player. The 24-year-old has shouldered an increasingly demanding defensive role this season and has scored 45 points in 46 games.

The reigning Norris and Conn Smythe Trophy winner is widely considered to be the best defenseman in the NHL, and his return to full health would do wonders for the Avalanche’s odds to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. But concussions are an extremely tricky issue, and the best course for Makar’s long-term personal health, as well as the long-term interests of the Avalanche, may be to be as patient with Makar’s timeline as possible.

Now, with Makar on injured reserve and his roster spot opened for another player to occupy, the team is free to give him as much time and space he needs to recover without the pressures of nightly games and roster math playing a major role.

Cale Makar Enters Concussion Protocol

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For the second time in less than two weeks, Colorado Avalanche superstar Cale Makar has entered the concussion protocol. Head coach Jared Bednar confirmed on Denver radio that Makar experienced delayed symptoms, just like he did earlier this month. He is out for now as the team continues to monitor the effects of this latest issue.

Makar had just returned to the Avalanche lineup but collided with Alexey Toropchenko in the third period of Saturday’s game against the St. Louis Blues. As Peter Baugh of The Athletic reported, it wasn’t the concussion spotter who pulled him from the game initially; Makar believed his nose was cut by his visor and went to the room on his own before eventually returning.

The 24-year-old has logged an incredible amount of ice time for Colorado this season, averaging close to 27 minutes a night in his 46 appearances. Those appearances have unfortunately been limited in recent weeks and are now unclear moving forward.

The Avalanche can’t really afford to lose him for very long. The team is in third place in the Central but has a very tenuous grasp on that position, with the Minnesota Wild behind them. Sure, the rest of the defending champions are good enough to keep them in a playoff spot, but Makar is the engine that makes everything run, playing nearly half the game and contributing a ton at both ends of the rink.

Two concussions in such a short period is a scary thought and one that should keep Makar out for a little while as they make sure he won’t have any lingering effects.

Injury Updates: Landeskog, Makar, Kane

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The Colorado Avalanche could be getting a significant player back from a long-term injury. The Denver Post’s Bennett Durando reports that Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog has arrived in Denver and plans to skate individually tomorrow, indicating that a return from the knee injury that has kept him off the ice all season is getting closer. Landeskog has not played this season, and in his absence the Avalanche have struggled to return to the level of dominance they often displayed last season.

Getting Landeskog back into the lineup in time for a stretch run of the season will be a major win for Colorado. Landeskog scored 59 points in 51 games last season and has hovered at about the point-per-game mark since the 2018-19 season. He would give coach Jared Bednar the opportunity to put the dynamite Landeskog-Nathan MacKinnon–Mikko Rantanen line back together or could opt to balance his top-six with that trio alongside Artturi Lehkonen, J.T. Compher, and Valeri Nichushkin in some sort of combination. While he may not be a full participant or ready to return in the immediate day-to-day future, it appears Landeskog’s return is within sight.

Some other injury updates:

  • Just as the Avalanche prepare to get a difference-maker back into the lineup, they lose one. As relayed by The Athletic’s Peter Baugh, franchise defenseman Cale Makar is out with an upper-body injury. While it’s not known whether this is a head-related injury, Baugh did note that there is the possibility that this injury is related to contact made with his head/face area, and concussion-related symptoms, but that is not confirmed at this time.
  • The Edmonton Oilers have announced that Evander Kane will not play in this afternoon’s game due to an upper-body injury. Per the announcement, his status is to be considered day-to-day. That’s not a great development for Edmonton, as Kane has already dealt with a major injury this season and is one of the team’s most important offensive difference-makers. Kane has scored 19 points in 24 games this season and scored 13 goals in 15 playoff games last season. As the Oilers hope to establish their position in the Western Conference’s playoff race, the health status of Kane will be something of major importance to monitor.

Snapshots: Makar, Lauko, Cicek, Berni

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The Colorado Avalanche won’t have Cale Makar for at least the next two games, as he deals with a head injury. Peter Baugh of The Athletic confirms that it is from the collision with Jeff Carter, and notes that while the star defenseman passed the initial concussion protocol, he woke up feeling unwell the next day. So far, he has only been ruled out through the rest of this road trip, which ends on Saturday against the Florida Panthers.

Makar has 45 points in 45 games so far this season and is playing an incredible 27 minutes a night for the Avalanche. The 24-year-old has maintained a point-per-game pace through his first four seasons in the league and will likely once again receive Norris Trophy votes. Here are some more minor notes from around the league:

  • The Boston Bruins have recalled Jakub Lauko, and had him skating on the fourth line as the team awaits the return of Jake DeBrusk. The latter’s flight was canceled, meaning he missed practice today, and head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters, including Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic that DeBrusk isn’t expected to play against Washington on Saturday night.
  • Nick Cicek is back up with the San Jose Sharks after spending the All-Star break in the AHL. The young defenseman has played 14 games this season for the Sharks, last appearing on January 24 and playing just under 15 minutes. Still looking for his first NHL goal, he’ll join San Jose as they continue this road trip in Florida today and Washington on Sunday afternoon.
  • Similarly, the Columbus Blue Jackets have brought Tim Berni back up, ahead of their back-to-back against the Maple Leafs that starts tomorrow night. The 22-year-old defenseman has played 28 games for the Blue Jackets this season, scoring his first NHL goal and racking up 18 penalty minutes.

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