Along with Jack Hughes being out with injury, more bad news is on the way. The Colorado Avalanche have announced that star defenceman Cale Makar will be out the next few games. He suffered a head injury in their most recent game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Not only did they lose Makar, but they lost that game as well.
Cale Makar Out With Injury
Jeff Carter catches Cale Makar high with blind side contact, not pretty#GoAvsGo | #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/VxvdfeHz90
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) February 8, 2023
The injury bug has been around this team all season long, and the blows just keep coming. Colorado has already seen absences from key players such as Nathan MacKinnon, Valeri Nichushkin, and Josh Manson. At one point the team was an AHL team as they overcame the injuries. In addition, captain Gabriel Landeskog jas yet to suit up for the club this year. Can’t Makar is the latest victim to the injury bug as he took a blindsided check to the head by Jeff Carter. Concussions are no joke and he will now miss at least two games due to the hit. This is not the end of the world, but for a team fighting for a playoff spot, this is not the time to be down with the injury bug.
What This Means
It is not the end of the world, but the Cale Makar injury is not ideal. The defending Stanley Cup Champions are fighting for their playoff lives. Currently, the team sits third in the division as they have treaded water nicely. Losing Makar is a big blow to the back end as the team is already without Josh Manson. The impact Makar has on the lineup is endless. He has the best Corsi For (55.75), and the best xGF% (55.89). He is a driving force offensively as he is third in points, and has chipped in with 21 points on the teams ninth-ranked power play unit.
Hopefully it is not as long as anticipated, but it is blow to a team trying to get to full health.
Main Photo: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
