How long is Cale Makar out? Injury details, return date, latest news on Avalanche defenseman
Cale Makar continues to struggle with concussion-like symptoms and puts him on the record again.
The Avalanche defender will miss games for the second time in February due to a head injury. He was previously absent from four games earlier this month and will miss at least two more after attempting to return.
As a team, Colorado is finally starting to fully recover, but Makar’s setback means it will be without its best defender, at least for the foreseeable future.
The 24-year-old won the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman last season and picked up Conn Smythe as playoff MVP in 2023 after the Avs won the Stanley Cup.
MORE: When is the 2023 NHL trade deadline?
The Sporting News has all the injury updates on Makar and when he could potentially return.
What is Cale Makar’s injury?
Makar is back in the concussion log. It is the second time this month that he has struggled with a head injury.
Earlier, Makar was injured during the Feb. 7 Avalanche fight against the Penguins. Jeff Carter hit Makar with a high blindside hit that knocked out the Avs defender.
Carter was not punished or faced disciplinary action for the blow to the head. Makar missed the next four games.
Makar returned for the February 18 matchup against the Blues but left the game shortly after clashing with Alexei Toropchenko.
The defender returned and played the rest of the game. Afterwards, he told Kyle Fredrickson of the Denver Gazette that he went down the tunnel because he thought his visor had hit his nose.
While both Makar and Avs coach Jared Bednar believed Makar would play against the Oilers on Feb. 19, he was reported with an upper-body injury earlier this afternoon.
Word broke two days later that he was feeling a delayed reaction to the incident against the Blues and would be ruled out next weekend.
When will Cale Makar return?
It’s unclear how long Makar will be out, but he’s already been ruled out for Colorado’s Feb. 24-25 games this weekend.
“We’ll be watching (Makar) and hoping to return soon, but it won’t be this weekend’s two games,” Bednar said during a radio interview on 92.5 FM Altitude Sports Radio on Tuesday.
Cale Makar Statistics 2022-23
While Makar didn’t field the dominant numbers he had last year, he was still about a points-per-game player for the Avalanche in 2022-23.
He is third on the team on points, behind only Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon. Only Rantanen has more assists than Makar. Makar also leads the NHL on ice with an average of 26:56 minutes per game.
| games | Goals | assists | Points | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | 13 | 32 | 45 | 6 |