Avalanche Hit With Major Injury Blow to Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar

The Avalanche were hoping for the best injury news for their stars but got the worst.

Nov 10, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) skates during the warmup before a game against the Toronto Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Colorado Avalanche are getting set to take on the Montreal Canadiens in a Saturday night road clash but will have to do it without two significant pieces of their lineup. Head coach Jared Bednar recently announced the updated injury timelines on Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar.

Bednar announced that MacKinnon is going to be out of the lineup for a month and Makar will be out of the lineup for a few weeks, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman on X. It's a blow, but it's better than losing the pair well into next year.

MacKinnon and Makar are two players who are very difficult to replace, as they are absolute superstars. It is going to be a next-man-up mentality for Colorado, but it is going to be hard to navigate these injuries during those periods.

The Avalanche are going to have lean on guys like Brett Kulak, Devon Toews, Gabriel Landeskog, and Martin Necas among others to navigate the loss of two of their best players. The veterans are going to have to do extra and step up their game if Colorado wants to keep pace in the Central Division.

Massive Opportunity Awaits Colorado’s Depth Defensemen With Makar Out

Oct 31, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews (7) controls the puck in the first period against the Calgary Flames at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Colorado Avalanche know they have big shoes to fill, since their superstar defenseman will be out for a little while. This is the ideal time for Devon Toews, Brett Kulak, Sam Malinski, and Noah Juulsen to move up in the lineup and show up and show out.

This is the time when Bednar knows that he is going to need to get whatever he can out of his defensemen and that they are going to have to show some adversity. Makar is not an easy player to replace, as he is arguably the best current defenseman in the league.

Makar is a guy that plays a ton of minutes on Colorado's top defensive pairing and also quarterbacks the top power-play unit. Toews is likely now going to be the powerplay quarterback for Colorado and have to fill those shoes.

But Toews played for the New York Islanders in the past and got a lot of power-play time there, so he is no stranger to getting a lot of time on the man advantage. He has been here before and been in this situation, so he knows what it takes.

It is on Toews to fill the shoes of Makar as best he can and play however it takes to keep helping the Avalanche win games. It is going to be a tough road ahead for Bednar's group, but this is what being a team of Stanley Cup pedigree is all about.