Elliotte Friedman just passed along word from Avalanche coach Jared Bednar this morning, and it's a heavy one for Colorado.
Nathan MacKinnon will be out a month, and Cale Makar a couple of weeks, according to Friedman.
Neither will play tonight when the Avalanche visit the Canadiens, which fits with what we told you earlier in the day when Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar were ruled out for the game in Montreal.
Friedman noted that Bednar gave the timelines this morning:
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Bednar's estimates are just that, estimates. Neither player is listed with an injury on the latest report in our data, so the coach's word is the clearest picture of how long Colorado will be short-handed.
The Avalanche were already feeling it after Makar's night in Ottawa ended early on Friday, a game Colorado lost 4-3 in overtime on Thursday. Wait, that's the team's last result: the loss at Ottawa came on Thursday, November 12.
How big a hole does this leave in Colorado's lineup?
A huge one, and it lands on the top of the roster in both spots. MacKinnon has 30 points in 20 games and leads the way up front, while Makar has 23 points in 19 games from the blue line.
Between them they account for 53 points, and the power play will feel it too. MacKinnon has three power-play goals and five power-play assists this season, and Makar has one goal and six assists with the man advantage.
Colorado sits 3rd in the Central Division at 11-6-3, so the cushion is real. It's also thinner than it looks once the two best players in the lineup are gone at the same time.
A month without MacKinnon is the part that should worry Avalanche fans most. A couple of weeks without Makar is survivable. Both together, with a 4-5-1 road record, is a test for the depth that Chris MacFarland built.
Colorado is at Montreal tonight with neither star, and the next update from Bednar will decide how the road trip is managed from here.
This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.
Which absence hurts the Avalanche more?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Official: Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar status update for Avalanche vs. Canadiens
