Cale Makar is back from injury, might play for the Avalanche in the preseason

Colorado Avalanche superstar defenseman Cale Makar is back.

A lower-body injury sidelined Makar at the start of training camp, but he was a full participant at Avs practice on Tuesday and head coach Jared Bednar thinks Cale Makar could play in a preseason game on Friday against the Jets or Saturday in Utah.

Cale Makar participated in full practice today.

Jared Bednar said that Cale Makar was trending towards being available for one of the upcoming preseason games.

— Meghan Angley (@megangley) September 22, 2026

This is obviously great news for the Avalanche, especially because Makar’s injury wasn’t related to his hip and shoulder issues in the playoffs last season against Vegas.

Makar missed the first two games of that series, a shocking sweep in the Western Conference Final that sent Colorado home in another Stanley Cup or bust year.

Cale Makar signed the largest contract in NHL history this summer, an eight-year extension worth more than $160 million. He’s won multiple Norris Trophies, a Conn Smythe Trophy and a championship at only 27-years-old — with other accolades in the trophy case as well.

The Avalanche and the rest of the NHL will play an 84-game regular season slate, one that gets going on Sept. 30 against the Kings at Ball Arena. Colorado swept Los Angeles in the first-round of the playoffs last season with a healthy Makar.

Coming off another fantastic season, one in which Cale Makar had 20 goals and 59 assists, the Avs need him ready to go.

Whatever Makar’s dealing with appears to thing of the past — a big development entering a year in which another title is the goal.

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