Cale Makar's Status Updated Ahead of Avalanche's First Two Preseason Games
With the Colorado Avalanche hosting the Utah Mammoth Sunday night to open the preseason, they know who will play and who will not. Head coach Jared Bednar told the media on Saturday that superstar defenseman Cale Makar will not play in the first two preseason bouts.
The veteran defenseman has been battling an injury early in camp, will get more time to rest and will not be available against the Mammoth or the Winnipeg Jets. The Avalanche will travel and take on Winnipeg on Monday night after Sunday against Utah.
With Makar being out for both the first two games, it is an opportunity for the other veterans and other defensemen to get a chance to play. Makar should be ready to go when the season gets underway real soon.
Makar was hurt during the Avalanche's run to the Western Conference Final last season and that has not changed. But knowing Makar, once the season officially starts, he will be out there and ready to go.
The Avalanche should not be worried about Makar moving forward
The preseason is also a time when veteran players can get hurt at the worst times, even when that is not the intention. And resting Makar for now, as the preseason usually does not mean a lot for superstars outside of finding their legs, seems to be a good decision.
It seems like Bednar is taking caution with his superstar, as nursing an injury and trying to keep him off his feet for the first two contests looks to be the goal. Makar needs to be as healthy as possible with the season coming up and the Avalanche are again a Stanley Cup contender.
Makar is a guy that the Avalanche need to rely on all season long to carry them through the long season. He is one of the best defensemen in the league has offensively and defensively.
He is usually paired with Devon Toews, but Bednar does like to jumble the defensive pairs as the season goes on if there are struggles along the way. But Makar and Toews have usually been paired together for a few years.
They have chemistry together and are looking to start this new season on the right foot when the first game gets underway at the end of September. Makar should not be out too much longer with his injury and fans should look forward to his return soon.
Tyler Miller is a 26-year-old Sports Journalist who has had a passion for writing ever since graduating from Georgia Southern University with a Journalism degree in 2022. Tyler has been writing about sports for going on 8 years now. Tyler has been a hockey fan for years and looks forward to covering the Colorado Avalanche for On SI. Tyler also has had experience writing for FanSided in the past where he was a site expert and a contributor across different sites.