The Avalanche Have a Cale Makar Problem Heading Into Game 1
Cale Makar skipped practice Tuesday, and while Jared Bednar insists there's no cause for alarm, the Avalanche's Stanley Cup hopes may hinge on what happens at Wednesday morning's skate.
DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche are one game away from reclaiming the summit of the Western Conference, but they may have to take the first step without their best defenseman. A Quiet Absence Speaks Volumes Cale Makar did not take the ice Tuesday, one day before Colorado opens the Western Conference Final against the Vegas Golden Knights at Ball Arena — and in a sport where practices before pivotal games carry outsized meaning, his absence was impossible to ignore. Martin Necas speaks following practice on Tuesday.
He was the only Avalanche player who didn't skate. Head coach Jared Bednar, appearing alongside general manager Chris MacFarland at a joint news conference, tried to tamp down concern. "No, not yet," he said when asked whether Makar's absence worried him.
Jared Bednar was asked if he was concerned about Cale Makar not being on the ice today for practice. “No. Not yet.
” #goavsgo @thehockeynews — Ryan O'Hara (@OHaraSports) May 19, 2026 The qualification "not yet" did just enough to keep the door open on uncertainty. Makar has been listed day-to-day since missing Saturday and Sunday practices, nursing what appears to be a shoulder ailment he sustained during the second-round series against Minnesota. The moment of injury was hard to miss: midway through the third period of Game 5 against the Wild, Makar absorbed a check, immediately grabbed his right arm, and skated straight to the locker room.