We Saw This Coming: The Avalanche Must Protect Cale Makar

The second time was not the charm.

The Avalanche watched Nicolas Roy play through an apparent lower-body injury earlier this season, only to lose him for six games. Now, Cale Makar is in a similar situation, and Colorado needs to learn from what happened before history repeats itself.

Makar sustained a lower-body injury during the second period of Colorado’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday.

Just four seconds into his shift at 10:44 of the second period, Makar appeared to struggle to push off his right leg after attempting to play the puck and headed to the locker room. He briefly returned for another shift, lasting just 23 seconds before leaving for good with 5:20 remaining in the period.

Just four days earlier, Makar left Colorado’s practice for what the team described as precautionary reasons.

This is exactly why The Hockey News questioned whether it was worth taking any chances with his health especially this early in the season. 

We weren’t trying to predict an injury, nor did we want to see this happen. But the warning signs were there.

We don’t know whether Thursday’s injury is related to the issue Makar experienced before the season began. NHL teams are notoriously secretive about injuries, and there’s no point in pretending we know something that hasn’t been confirmed.

However, The Hockey News was present for several of Makar’s modified skating sessions while he was dealing with that earlier issue. Some of what we’re seeing now looks similar to what we witnessed then. That doesn’t mean the injuries are related, but it’s certainly something worth watching.

The Avalanche shouldn’t take any more chances.

Hockey has a way of romanticizing players who compete through injuries. It’s often viewed as toughness, sacrifice and dedication to the team. But there’s a difference between playing through some discomfort and putting yourself at risk of making an injury worse.

I covered boxing for approximately 13 years, and one fight in particular comes to mind.

In 2015, I covered the first meeting between Daniel Jacobs and Sergio Mora at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Before the fight, sources told me Mora was dealing with problems involving his right knee.

Both fighters scored knockdowns in the opening round. In the second, Mora felt a pop and went down to the canvas. He was subsequently diagnosed with a fractured right ankle and fluid on his right knee.

Boxing is a different business. Fighters sometimes take extraordinary risks because a big payday can provide financial security for themselves and their families. In some cases, it’s about more than winning or losing. It’s about putting food on the table.

Makar doesn’t have those same concerns. His record-breaking contract guarantees him financial security, but it doesn’t guarantee his health. That money will still be there. His ability to play hockey at the highest level, however, is something he needs to protect.

The Avalanche have too much invested in Makar to take unnecessary risks. He’s one of the best defensemen in the world, and Colorado needs him healthy if it hopes to make a serious run at the Stanley Cup.

The dumb game was played, and the results were just as dumb. It’s time to sit Makar for the remainder of the road trip. Give him time to recover, determine exactly what he’s dealing with and don’t bring him back until he’s fully ready. There’s no reason to gamble with the health of a player this important.

The same goes for Nathan MacKinnon, who also left Thursday’s game with a lower-body injury. If he’s healthy and cleared to play, then let him play. But if there’s any question about his condition, don’t force it.

Losing one superstar is bad enough. Losing two would be a major problem.

Makar doesn’t need to prove how tough he is. He’s already done that. The Avalanche need him healthy, not playing through an injury to show how much he wants to be on the ice.

Sometimes the smartest decision is also the hardest one. Colorado needs to make it.