We have been reporting our suspicion that Cale Makar was injured for a couple of weeks now. Turns out we were right. We believed Makar was still recovering from the playoffs, but this injury occurred recently. Meghan Angley, along with several others, confirmed Wednesday that Makar has a new lower-body injury. The team also will not expect him to participate in at least day one of training camp. Makar is not the only player that they have to worry about; Trent Miner will also miss the start of camp.

When the suspicion started

Our suspicion about Makar started the moment he returned to Denver. When he returned to town on September 2nd, he skated alone much like a rehab skate. He did this almost everyday up through Tuesday (September 15th), when he joined the main skate for the first time. Things still did not seem right with Makar as he was tripping over his feet and losing his edges quite a bit. He was not his normal, graceful self. The bright side is that it sounds as though the injury will be short-lived. Makar will not miss much time and should be back before the regular season starts.

Trent Miner and others

We have seen what injuries can do to a goaltender if they miss training camp, as Mackenzie Blackwood did last year. Miner will be no exception to the rule. Especially since he will be fighting for his starting job with the Colorado Eagles. This season will be a showdown between Miner and Ilya Nabokov to see who can win the contract next year. Miner has a history with the organization already. Drafted in 2019 by the Avalanche, he has worked his way up from the ECHL to the starting role in Loveland. He made his NHL debut against the Washington Capitals on November 15, 2024, coming in as relief for Justus Annunen. Miner led the Eagles to their first AHL Western Conference Finals, eventually losing in seven games. He led the AHL with four shutouts in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

It was mentioned that there were some rookies injured during the games over the weekend, but no one specifically.

Usually, the list of injured players in the past has been more significant. It sounds like there won’t be any players that Avalanche will have to place on long-term injury-reserve. It would have opened up a roster spot on the team, but only temporarily. Starting in good health for the Avs is a good sign for the long grind that is coming over the next few months, and maybe another deep run this season.