Avs struggling despite Makar’s historic scoring pace

The Colorado Avalanche have been one of the premier NHL teams over the past seven seasons.

After bottoming out with the worst record in the salary cap era at 22-56-4 in 2016-17, the Avalanche responded by making the playoffs seven straight seasons and winning three division titles, a Presidents’ Trophy, and the Stanley Cup in 2022.

Colorado entered this season with the same expectations but have not been able to live up to them.

Entering Tuesday’s games, the Avalanche sit seventh in the Central Division with a 5-7-0 record and are 12 points behind the league-leading Winnipeg Jets for top spot.

The Avalanche have been very streaky early on in the 2024-25 campaign. They began the season on a four-game losing streak, but were able to respond by winning five a in a row.

However, Colorado closed October and opened November with three straight 5-2 losses to the Chicago Blackhawks, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Nashville Predators to leave them scratching their heads heading into their matchup with the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday.

“You felt like you [did] enough at times to win,” defenceman Cale Makar told reporters after Saturday’s loss to the Predators. “That’s just not the fate we’re getting right now. I thought we played really well in that second period, just unfortunately gave up two tough ones. One on the [penalty kill], and then guys kind of got stuck out there on another one. I felt like those were really the only two chances we gave them in the second, and they capitalized.”

Part of the team’s struggles have been due to the flood of injuries they’ve had to their forward depth. The team started the season without Valeri Nichushkin, due to suspension, and Gabriel Landeskog and Jonathan Drouin, with long-term injuries.

Forward Artturi Lehkonen is set to make his season debut on Tuesday after missing the start of the season while recovering from shoulder surgery.

Meanwhile, goaltender Alexandar Georgiev has struggled mightily this season, only recording one win and have allowed three or more goals in all six of his appearances. Justus Annunen has been able to step up to an extent going 4-2-0 with a 2.58 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage.

Makar on pace for 144 points 

Makar has been one of the lone bright spots for the Avalanche this year and is on pace for an historic offensive season.

The 26-year-old defenceman is tied for the league lead in scoring with five goals and 21 points in 12 games this season. He began the season on a 12-game point streak and his efforts led him to be named the league’s first star in October.

“He’s playing really well, and not just offensively,” head coach Jared Bednar said on Saturday. “He didn’t like some of his defending games early in the season. I feel like he’s really turned a corner with that. He’s been playing attention to the way he’s closing out plays and staying assertive and aggressive on the defending side, and it’s leading to continued offence for him.”

Makar is on pace to become the second defenceman to crack the 100-point plateau since the 1991-92 season. Erik Karlsson last recorded the feat when he recorded 25 goals and 101 points with the San Jose Sharks in 2022-23.

If Makar maintains this pace for the duration of the season, he will have the best offensive season by a defenceman in NHL history with 34 goals and 144 points with a minus-55 rating.

Despite his strong offensive numbers, Makar had been critical of his own game, which he believed helped lead to his team’s early-season struggles.

“I’m just not moving my feet, not playing my game,” Makar told reporters after a 6-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Oct. 14. “I’m hard on myself, but at the end of the day, I’ve got to be better for these guys. [Tonight’s loss] would be a lot closer if I don’t play tonight.”

Betting odds back Makar for Norris

In his six-season career, Makar has already won almost everything there is to win as a defenceman. He helped the Avalanche to win the 2022 Stanley Cup title and won the Conn Smythe Trophy in the process. That same season, Makar was named the league’s best defenceman by winning the Norris Trophy after putting up 28 goals and 86 points in 77 games.

Makar’s numbers this year have him on pace to obtain his second Norris Trophy, and FanDuel has him as the clubhouse leader at -150.

FanDuel also believes Makar has a chance to add to his silverware, listing him tied for sixth with Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews to win the Hart Trophy and the seventh-best odds to win the Art Ross Trophy.