Cale Makar left Monday night’s 9-2 Colorado Avalanche win over the Calgary Flames after two periods of play with an upper-body injury, though early indications suggest the injury is not a long-term concern.
ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported Tuesday that while a timeline for Makar’s return is still to be determined, the injury is not believed to be serious.
Two injury scares in the West last night, Cutter Gauthier and Cale Makar, but neither appears too serious.
Gauthier won’t travel to San Jose but Ducks hopeful he returns this weekend. Makar timeline still TBD but not believed to be long term.
— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) March 31, 2026
Makar was still productive in his limited time on the ice, posting three assists before departing. One of those came on Parker Kelly’s first-period goal, when Makar’s left-point shot was deflected in by Kelly to give Colorado a 5-0 lead. The Avalanche were comfortably ahead 6-1 at the end of the second period when Makar did not return, leading many to believe the team was being cautious with their star defenseman.
Colorado heads into a matchup with the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday before a pivotal showdown against the Dallas Stars on Saturday. The Avalanche currently hold a commanding eight-point lead over Dallas in the Western Conference standings with 108 points, making the Stars game a potential opportunity to further cement their grip on the Presidents’ Trophy and the No. 1 seed.
Whether Makar will be available for either contest remains unclear, though the early prognosis offers reason for optimism in Colorado.
The report was backed a few minutes later by Pierre LeBrun, who added the Avs will be careful with Makar before the playoffs.
On Cale Makar, don’t believe it’s too serious but he will likely miss a few games in order to get him to 100 percent before the playoffs.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) March 31, 2026
