Makar: Avalanche are ‘itching to get back’ after extended offseason.
Colorado Avalanche superstar Cale Makar feels a longer-than-usual offseason will benefit his team heading into the 2023-24 season.
Makar and the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 2022, following a postseason run that lasted nearly all of July. This time, the club is rested following a surprising first-round loss to the Seattle Kraken in late April.
“I understand that many of the boys are eager to return to camp. “A lot of the guys will get in a couple weeks before camp, so it should be great,” Makar told NHL.com’s Dan Rosen on Tuesday.
The blue-liner also stated that the players would have “wanted a little bit (more) time to make sure” they could heal psychologically and physically following their great 2022 season.
“It’s a win-lose scenario, but one of the things for us as a team being unfortunately eliminated early is it gave us a little more rest time,” he told reporters. “For a team that was so banged up this year and lost so many man-games, I believe that was important. I believe a lot of guys took advantage.
“It gives us a mental vacation and allows us to reset. Last summer, everything seemed to be moving at breakneck pace.
Injuries limited Makar to 60 games last season. He still managed 66 points while averaging over 26 minutes per night and was a Norris Trophy finalist for the third consecutive year.
Colorado’s roster depth underwent plenty of turnover this summer. The team lost Evan Rodrigues, Alex Newhook, J.T. Compher, Lars Eller, and Erik Johnson, while adding Ryan Johansen, Ross Colton, Miles Wood, and Jonathan Drouin.
Prior to the Round 1 loss to the Kraken, the Avalanche had reached at least the second round of the playoffs each season since 2018-19.
