Avalanche deliver bad news on Cale Makar ahead of Game 1

The Colorado Avalanche will play Game 1 of the Western Conference Final without superstar defenseman Cale Makar.

Head coach Jared Bednar delivered that bad news after morning skate on Wednesday at Ball Arena.

Makar was spotted on the ice, briefly, which is a step in the right direction. However it wasn’t enough for the Avs to feel comfortable with him playing the first game against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Cale Makar will NOT play tonight.

Bednar says he expects him back. Says he's doing a lot better. Calls him day-to-day.

— Evan Rawal (@evanrawal) May 20, 2026

It’s a good sign that Bednar is calling Cale Makar “day-to-day,” meaning he’ll he have a chance to skate in Game 2 on Friday night.

He was beat up in the first two rounds of the playoffs, dealing with apparent hip and shoulder injuries as the series against the Minnesota Wild moved forward.

Makar didn’t practice all week until being spotted at morning skate. The Norris Trophy finalist has four goals and one assist through nine playoff games and is averaging nearly 25-minutes of ice time.

The good news is that Bednar confirmed everyone else will play, including forward Artturi Lehkonen and defenseman Sam Malinski who missed Games 4 and 5 against the Wild. Both were dealing with upper-body injuries.

Jack Ahcan, who took the spot of Malinski for those two contests, will slot in for Cale Makar. Expect a healthy dose of Malinski and Devon Toews running Colorado’s top power play unit.

There’s no doubt this is a blow for the Avalanche. If they lose Game 1 they could be chasing home-ice advantage the rest of the series.

But as they have all season, other guys will need to step up while fans everywhere hope this is a temporary absence for Cale Makar.

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