Jared Bednar is trying something different with his blue line, and it starts with the two names that have anchored the Avalanche defense for years.
Cale Makar and Devon Toews, long one of the NHL’s most polished defensive pairings, are no longer skating together as Colorado looks for a way to clean up the mess in its own end. Bednar has split them up in an effort to steady a team that has been brilliant offensively but far too loose defensively through the opening stretch of the 2026-27 season.
The numbers tell the story. Colorado entered Saturday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings at 9-6-2, but it had already given up 55 goals in 17 games.
At the same time, the Avalanche had piled up 68 goals, keeping them among the league’s highest-scoring teams. That kind of firepower can carry a lot of weight, but it hasn’t been enough to hide the defensive issues.
Tuesday’s 7-2 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets made the problem impossible to ignore. Bednar responded by reworking his pairings before Thursday’s matchup with the Nashville Predators. Colorado looked more settled in that game, but still came away with a 3-2 overtime loss.
The new setup is straightforward: Makar is now paired with Brett Kulak, while Toews is alongside Sam Malinski.
It’s a clear stylistic shift. Kulak gives Makar a more defense-first partner, which could free Colorado’s most dynamic blueliner to push the pace and jump into the attack more often. Toews, meanwhile, brings his experience and positioning to Malinski, giving the younger defenseman a steady hand next to him.
That’s the gamble Bednar is making. Makar’s speed through the neutral zone, his ability to create offense and his control of the game’s tempo remain huge advantages for Colorado. If a more defensively minded partner helps unlock even more of that, the Avalanche could get the best version of their star defenseman.
But the real test is whether the new pairings can hold up when the competition gets heavier. Colorado’s championship hopes have never rested on scoring alone. The Avalanche also have to protect leads, cut down on dangerous chances and stop the breakdowns that have already cost them a few games.
Bednar’s decision to split up Makar and Toews shows how serious he is about fixing it now, before the issue gets worse. It also spreads the burden around the lineup in a different way.
Whether this becomes a lasting change is still unclear. What is clear is that Colorado has enough offense to beat teams on talent alone on some nights. The bigger question is whether these new combinations can help the Avalanche become a more reliable team when the games tighten up.
In Other News...
Avalanche Forward Depth Just Took Another Hit They Can't Easily Cover
Colorados forward depth has already been under pressure, and Zachary LHeureuxs absence only adds to the challenge. The Avalanche have been without him since Oct. 10 because of an upper-body injury, and placing him on long-term injured reserve retroactive to that date underscores how much time they expect to go without him. For a team trying to keep its lines steady, losing another forward this early in the season is not an easy spot to absorb.
Jared Bednar has already labeled the injury long-term, though he stopped short of offering a return date, and LHeureux still has not resumed skating as he works through the recovery process off the ice. That leaves Colorado waiting for any sign of progress while the rest of the roster has to keep carrying the load. In a season where depth is always tested, this is one more absence the Avalanche would rather not be managing for long. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche May Have Found A Draft Gem With One Big Catch
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The catch is the same one that tends to follow skilled young defensemen with this kind of profile: Elofsson is undersized and still has work to do in his own end. Colorado clearly saw enough in the offensive package to take the swing, but his path to becoming more than a promising draft value will depend on whether he can round out the defensive side while continuing to produce at a high level. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Interest In Dylan Larkin Comes With One Huge Problem
The idea of Dylan Larkin in Colorado has enough appeal to keep circulating, but the practical hurdles are still doing most of the talking. Elliotte Friedman said a trade sending the Detroit Red Wings captain to the Avalanche is unlikely unless something major changes, and the reason is pretty straightforward: Colorado does not currently have the trade capital or the salary cap space to make that kind of move work.
For the Avalanche, that leaves the interest in Larkin more as a concept than a real transaction path for now. Detroit would also have to come down on its asking price, and until that happens, the fit remains more theoretical than realistic. It is the kind of rumor that makes sense on paper, but not in the current NHL marketplace. [Read more 🡒]