The Colorado Avalanche returned to practice on Friday morning, and for the first time all of camp, Cale Makar joined them.
The best defenseman in the world is back in his usual spot, paired with Devon Toews for a practice group. There do not appear to be any limitations on him, because he is in a full-contact jersey.
We’ll talk to Jared Bednar after practice for any updates, and we’ll see if Cale Makar speaks to the media. Seeing as how this is his first practice back, the Avalanche may hold off on letting him talk.
Looks like Cale Makar will be joining the team for today’s skate. pic.twitter.com/hf3ORLqPKg
— Evan Rawal (@evanrawal) September 29, 2023
After practice, Makar spoke, and his comments may not comfort anyone.
“Just started to feel maybe a little bit better, so it’s good,” he said.
Head coach Jared Bednar mentioned that he would like to see Makar in a preseason game, if possible. Makar agreed, but he wouldn’t insist on playing one if he wasn’t fully prepared.
“I’d love to,” Makar said of playing in a preseason game. “I think my brain went back to a few years ago when I had a problem with my hand, and didn’t play in the preseason. It’s really nice to play one, but I want to make sure I’m ready and I can play 82 game season, and put myself in the best place for that.
Makar, who confirmed that it is a lower body issue he is dealing with, is not yet ready to declare himself 100%.
“Yeah, get there,” he said. “It’s tough. Things like this, the more you work at it, the better you get. It’s kind of a long process, and things don’t really get worse, but they don’t get better. I am confident that it will continue to do so. “
In my eyes, Makar looks great on the ice, and runs the ultimate powerplay unit, as you’d expect. We’ll see if he gets into any preseason games at this point.