The Colorado Avalanche were dealt some tough injury news on Thursday as coach Jared Bednar stated that star defenceman Cale Makar and veteran forward Darren Helm would both be out indefinitely with lower body injuries. Makar has missed sixteen games this season already due to injury while Helm has also spent most of the season on injured reserve. Bednar said these latest injuries are new and not related to any previous ones. Both players will miss tonight’s game against the San Jose Sharks. The Cale Makar injury could be problematic.
#Avs Cale Makar and Darren Helm are out tonight again in San Jose, per Jared Bednar. He added they are new injuries (lower body) and not maintenance from previous health issues. He does not have a return timeline for either player.
— Kyle Fredrickson (@kylefredrickson) April 6, 2023
Cale Makar and Darren Helm Out Via Injury
The Colorado Avalanche losing Makar and Helm will not make things easier down the stretch. After suffering previous injuries related to concussion symptoms, an upper-body injury and a lower-body injury, Cale Maker is out indefinitely with a new lower-body injury. Makar is an elite defenceman for the Avalanche who is their clear number-one guy on the back end. His smooth skating and elite play has him with 66 points in 60 games played this year. This is good enough for third in points on the team and first for all Avalanche defencemen. He also notably has six game-winning goals, 30 power-play points and leads all Avalanche defencemen with 12.3 expected goals. Makar logs a lot of time on ice too as he leads the team in that category. As last year’s Norris and Conn Smythe trophy winner, it’s no secret how important Makar is for the Avalanche. He can drive the play from the backend and put up significant production.
Although maybe not as significant of a loss for the Avalanche, Darren Helm also suffered a lower-body injury and is out indefinitely. He has had his own share of injury troubles this year as he has only suited up for the Avalanche 11 times. A veteran playing in his 16th NHL season, Helm spent the majority of his career with the Detroit Red Wings before signing with the Avalanche last year and re-signing this year. Helm’s season this year has been largely uneventful as he has no points. However, he could provide a veteran depth option in the team’s bottom six when healthy. In helping the Avalanche to a Stanley Cup Championship last year, Helm had five points including one game-winning goal.
Impact of Cale Makar Injury
Even though they have already clinched a playoff spot, the Avalanche are in a tight battle with the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild for the Central Division lead. Getting first place and securing home-ice advantage could be very beneficial come playoff time. But injury troubles are nothing new for the Avalanche this season. In addition to Makar and Helm already missing time, the Avalanche have used five goalies while also dealing with injuries to notable players including Nathan MacKinnon, Valeri Nichushkin, Bowen Byram, Evan Rodrigues, Artturi Lehkonen, Josh Manson and notably captain Gabriel Landeskog who has been out all season.
With that said, losing their number one, all-star caliber defenceman will certainly make things tougher. Even though not as vital, the Avalanche will miss Helm’s veteran leadership. The severity of these injuries will say a lot about the ultimate effect they will have on the Avalanche. If Makar misses the playoffs, that will be a hole in the lineup that is almost irreplaceable. We will see how severe these injuries really are.
Main photo by: Michael Ciaglo-USA TODAY Sports
