Taylor Makar is back with the Colorado Avalanche, and the timing could hardly be clearer.
With Jared Bednar openly critical of the team’s recent performances, Colorado returns to Denver needing a better showing when it faces the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night. The Avalanche are hoping the recalled forward can help inject some life after a rough road trip left them with back-to-back losses.
Makar has earned the call-up on the strength of a sharp start with the Colorado Eagles. In six games this season, he has three goals and one assist, a quick burst of production that put him back on the Avalanche’s radar. He has appeared in 12 NHL games and is still looking for his first point at that level.
The 25-year-old was a seventh-round pick by Colorado in the 2021 NHL Draft. Before turning pro, he spent four years in college hockey, including three seasons at UMass Amherst and then a transfer to the University of Maine.
His final season at Maine was his most productive, producing 18 goals and 12 assists for 30 points in 38 games. Last season with the Eagles, he added 24 points, scoring 14 goals and setting up 10 more in 52 games.
Colorado’s current slide includes a 3-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, who came into that game with only one win, followed by a 4-3 defeat to the New Jersey Devils. The Avalanche were down 4-1 before Artturi Lehkonen scored twice late, but New Jersey controlled most of the night.
Against Tampa Bay, Colorado will be looking for a reset - and Makar gives them a new name to plug into the mix. The question now is whether he can translate his AHL start into his first NHL goal.
In Other News...
Avalanche Fans Have A New Reason To Watch Toronto Closely
The trade market is starting to heat up around one of Colorados future assets, and the Maple Leafs are right in the middle of it. Toronto is reportedly willing to pay a premium price to land an impact defenseman, with the conversation centered on pieces that could include the Avalanches 2027 first-round pick or top prospects. For a Colorado team that has already seen its draft capital become part of bigger league-wide discussions, that kind of buzz is worth monitoring closely.
One name being floated in those talks is Easton Cowan, the kind of prospect Toronto would have to consider moving if it wants to swing big. At the same time, Nashville has also been involved in conversations about defenseman Brady Skjei, whose contract and lack of trade protection make him a player to watch as teams search for help on the blue line. For Avalanche fans, the intrigue is less about Torontos shopping list than about how far the market could stretch and what it might mean for Colorados future assets. [Read more 🡒]
Megnas Return Gives Colorado A Boost Fans Will Notice
Jayson Megna gave the Colorado Eagles exactly the kind of lift that tends to matter in the middle of a season grind, scoring twice in a 4-1 win over the Bakersfield Condors and finishing it off with the game-winner. The veteran forwards return was one of the cleaner storylines of the night, and it came with Colorado getting contributions in the other key areas too, as the Eagles cashed in on special teams and kept the pressure on from start to finish.
Ilya Nabokov backed it up in net with 34 saves on 35 shots to move to 4-1-0, giving Colorado the kind of steadiness that can make a lineup feel deeper than it looks on paper. Bakersfield tried to reset its crease by turning from Connor Ungar to Nathan Day during the game, but the Eagles never let the shift change the rhythm, and Megnas presence was the kind of boost fans will notice again if it carries over. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Top Line Finally Looked Like A Problem Again
For much of the night at Ball Arena, the Avalanches top line looked like the version that can tilt a game by itself. Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas and Artturi Lehkonen combined for nine points in a 6-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, with MacKinnon finishing with a goal and three assists as Colorados offense found a familiar rhythm. The power play also chipped in once, and MacKenzie Blackwood backed it up with 31 saves to help the Avalanche keep control.
There were still a few rough edges, though, which is where this one gets more interesting for Colorado. The penalty kill had its issues, and a controversial late sequence added some noise to a night that otherwise felt like a step toward getting the teams most dangerous trio rolling again. If the Avalanche are going to lean into that kind of top-end firepower, theyll still want the rest of the details cleaned up behind it. [Read more 🡒]