Cale Makar's Practice Exit Raises New Concern for Avalanche
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Injuries have been hard on the Colorado Avalanche so far in the 2026-27 season. Josh Manson is expected to be out until the calendar nearly turns to 2027. Zachary L’Heureux is still on the injured list with no expected date of return yet.
Now there is concern around defenseman Cale Makar.
The Avalanche are coming off a convincing shutout of the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday when they finished with a 4-0 score.
During the matchup, Colorado’s superstar defenseman, Cale Makar, took an awkward fall and had to leave for one series, but came back to finish the game.
On Sunday, Makar left the practice early with a team trainer after he appeared to be in pain, according to Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now.
Cale Makar Injury Concern
After practice, head coach Jared Bednar addressed Makar’s departure.
“He went off for precautionary reasons, and then we’ll just see how he presents tomorrow,” Bednar said.
The team is traveling on Monday in preparation for a four-game road trip, and the good news is that Makar was expected to be traveling with them.
That doesn’t mean that he will be seen on the ice on Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, nor should it.
While everyone knows how important Makar is to the team, if he needs to rest, certainly that should be the choice.
While it has not been reported, nor should it be assumed that Makar leaving the game momentarily on Saturday and then exiting practice early on Sunday should be connected, it certainly is worth watching.
Avalanche Have Important Decisions to Make
Colorado begins a four-game road trip on Tuesday, November 10. Makar’s availability could significantly affect how they approach the upcoming games.
In all honesty, the 27-year-old plays a critical role in nearly every aspect of the Avalanche’s game.
He anchors the defense, creates offensive opportunities from the blue line and is the quarterback for the top power-play unit.
All of this was on display against Detroit when Makar recorded three points.
Another notable point here is that Bednar had just adjusted the defensive pairings putting Brett Kulak beside Makar and pairing Devon Toews with Sam Malinski.
If Makar happens to be unavailable, Bednar is going to have to make more difficult lineup decisions.
There is also a very strong argument for the Avalanche to be very cautious with Makar, especially given the upcoming schedule.
The first three opponents Colorado will face on this road trip are Eastern Conference teams — Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, and Montreal Canadiens.
Finally, on November 18, the Avalanche will face a Central Division rival in Utah. Every game matters in the standings, but the Utah Mammoth matchup carries divisional significance.
If Makar needs a few days to recover, allowing him to rest rather than risking further setbacks makes a lot more sense long-term than pressing him to play right now.
Of course, all of this is just speculation as the extent of his injury, or if there even is one, remains undisclosed. Right now, there is no indication whether Makar will even miss Tuesday’s game.
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Laura Lambert resides in Wiggins, Colo. with her husband, Ricky and two sons, Brayden and Boedy. She attended the University of Northern Colorado while studying economics. She is an accomplished rodeo athlete and barrel horse trainer along with being a life-long sports fan. Over the years, Laura has been active in journalism in a variety of roles. While continuing to cover western sports and country music, she is currently enjoying expanding her reach into multiple sports including MLB, NHL, NCAA and WNBA. Laura covers the Miami Marlins, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Colorado Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays, Colorado Avalanche and Rodeo for On SI. You can reach her at lauralambertmedia@gmail.com