The 2024-25 season has been an absolute nightmare for the Colorado Avalanche. Just when it seemed that the injury issues had reached their apex, things found a way to get worse. The Avalanche have been facing an increasingly uphill battle with each game this season.
Despite the best efforts of their trio of superstars, the Avalanche fell to the Nashville Predators 5-2. Let’s take a look at the most noteworthy takeaways from the Avalanche’s third loss in as many games.
Cale Makar Is Having an All-Time Season
Let’s start with something positive for a change, shall we? Regardless of how it winds up, Cale Makar is having an all-time season. Defensemen just don’t compete for scoring titles, at least not since Bobby Orr won the scoring title back in the early 1970s. There have been some prolific defensemen but they have been few and far between.
Makar picked up a goal and an assist, running up his point streak to 12 games to start the season. It is the most all-time for a defenseman behind Orr, who registered a point in his first 15 games to start the 1973-74 season.
Makar is now tied for the NHL lead in points with Kirill Kaprizov and Sam Reinhart with 21 points. He leads the NHL with 16 assists. Makar is doing everything in his power to make this team better and is having an otherworldly season so far.
The Injury Battle Is Just Too Great
Look at the Avalanche roster heading into this game and you will likely see a litany of names that you’re not familiar with. That’s where the Avalanche are right now, currently missing six of their top nine forwards due to injury or suspension.
Related: Avalanche Prospect Update: Ritchie, Makar, Olausson & More
The injuries have simply reached a point that no team can overcome. Playing .500 hockey would be an accomplishment at this stage, at least until they can start getting some of those names back. We may even see a few prospects appear for a brief spell.
Regardless of how these games go, it is important for Avalanche fans to remember that the team is beyond depleted. Makar and Nathan MacKinnon have both had MVP-caliber starts to the season and it hasn’t mattered because they are basically on their own at this stage. It’s about weathering the storm now.
Josh Manson Has Been a Problem
As good as Makar has been, Josh Manson has been the opposite. You can see just in the baseline numbers that there has been a clear issue with Manson lately. He went from 19-20 minutes of ice time per night to 15-16 in the last three games.
He was minus-1 in 16:59 of ice time against the Predators, his second consecutive negative output. He is minus-8 on the season. Some may point out that Makar and Casey Mittelstadt are also minus-8, so what’s the difference? Given how much less he plays (and produces), it’s obvious.
Manson needed to help solidify the second pair and has started to look like a problem point. In a season where nearly the entire lineup has been depleted, the Avalanche can’t afford to have Manson playing so poorly. He needs to get things on track or his ice time is going to continue to dwindle.
Avalanche Are Treading Water
The Avalanche are currently sixth in the Central Division. They are a full 10 points behind the division-leading Winnipeg Jets and that gap is only likely to grow. There is a small gap between them and the Utah Hockey Club (14 points) in what should be a wild card spot, but it’s a precarious position.
At this stage, there isn’t a whole lot that the Avalanche can do. It’s hard to ask them to be a Stanley Cup contender when virtually everyone of value to the team is watching from the press box or their homes. Stealing a win here and there is all that can be asked of the Avalanche at this stage.
