Cale Makar's absence leaves a big hole on Colorado's blue line. Justin Berl / Getty ImagesMay 20, 2026Updated 12:27 pm EDTDENVER — Cale Makar will miss Game 1 of the Western Conference final on Wednesday night as he works his way back from an apparent upper-body injury.The Colorado Avalanche superstar defenseman briefly left Game 5 of the second-round series against Minnesota after a collision late in the game, after also leaving Game 1 following another collision. Makar didn’t participate in Tuesday’s practice at Ball Arena, but was on the ice for a while before Wednesday’s morning skate, working on his own. He appeared to have full range of motion and was shooting without any obvious pain.Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said he expects Makar to return at some point during the series against the Vegas Golden Knights — possibly as early as Game 2 on Friday.
“He’s doing a lot better,” Bednar said after the morning skate. “He was on the ice again this morning, feeling pretty good, so I’ve got him as day to day.”Without Makar, 29-year-old Jack Ahcan, a 5-foot-8 veteran who’s bounced between the NHL and AHL the last six seasons, will draw into the lineup. Ahcan had no goals and two assists in 11 games with the Avalanche this season. Makar, of course, is one of the premier players in the world, a two-time Norris Trophy winner (and a finalist again this season) who had 20 goals and 59 points in 75 regular-season games, and four goals and an assist in nine playoff games this spring.“Can’t replace him, and we’re going to miss him out there,” defenseman Sam Malinski said on Tuesday. “Hopefully, we can still get it done without him. … We’re all going to have to play a little bit more and we’ll be challenged with different situations. Like, I might have to penalty-kill or whatever it is. I wouldn’t say we feel pressure. We’re just going to have to step up.”
