Overview
- Both injuries happened in the second period of Colorado’s 4-3 overtime loss in Ottawa on Thursday, with Makar briefly returning for a 23-second shift before leaving and MacKinnon exiting after contact with Artem Zub.
- Head coach Jared Bednar confirmed Saturday that MacKinnon will be sidelined for roughly one month and Makar for about two weeks.
- Colorado has already made short-term moves by recalling forward Gavin Brindley from the Colorado Eagles and traveling with defenseman Alex Gagne, who could make his NHL debut against Montreal.
- MacKinnon leads the team with 30 points in 20 games and Makar has 23 points in 19 games, and both sit on the top power-play unit, so their absences remove key creators for 5-on-5 play and special teams.
- The club will need younger and depth players to take on larger roles in the coming weeks, which could affect Colorado’s results and lineup stability as it navigates the stretch toward the playoffs.