“I let the guys down,” Cale Makar reflects on Avalanche’s early playoff exit in 1st-round Stanley Cup series 

Avs reflect back on their game as their star defenceman Cale Makar blames himself for not helping enough, leading to the team's early playoff exit.


“I let the guys down,” Cale Makar reflects on Avalanche’s early playoff exit in 1st-round Stanley Cup series 

Cale Makar [Image Credit: Mile High Hockey]

Avs defenceman Cale Makar reflects back on his game stating there must be something he could’ve done better to help the team advance to Round 2. The defending Stanley Cup champions had an injury-plagued year as Nathan MacKinnon stated that it’s “hard missing the guys”.

The team was without their captain Gabriel Landeskog and even Makar was suspended for 1 game following a hit on Kraken forward Jared McCann in Game 5. Although Makar blamed his performance, he praised his teammates for pulling through the tough times, stating there’s never been a moment where the players didn’t give their all.

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In that respect, MacKinnon also glorified the team and their effort to pull through the regular season and punch a ticket for the playoffs despite missing important players. He expressed that missing the guys is not a “very good excuse” for their Game 1 performance “But definitely happy with the way we battled all season, even tonight.”

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Related: “We let him down,” Adam Fox ‘feel bad’ for Igor Shesterkin as Rangers lack of support burns playoff chances

Cale Makar looking forward to next year’s playoff contention

Cale Makar [Image Credit: Hockey Patrol]
Cale Makar [Image Credit: Hockey Patrol]

Nathan MacKinnon further said during a post-game press conference, “We played a really great game. Just couldn’t find the back of the net. … We fought hard. Everyone leaving the rink tonight feels good about our effort, at least. At the end of the day, that’s all you can really do.

Cale Makar stated, “I just absolutely hate losing”, criticizing his performance while looking for ways to play better in next year’s playoff. He said that there’s little chance of missing so many players to IL once again in the 2023-24 season. The next time they’ll be all ready to take on any challenge thrown their way.

Be it the fans or the defending champions themselves “it’s tough to grasp right now” but the team is confident in overcoming their adversities in future games. Apart from Gabriel Landeskog missing the regular season due to a knee injury, several Avs players also sat on the sidelines, listed in IL.

Makar, MacKinnon, Erik Johnson, Evan Rodrigues, Valeri Nichushkin, Bowen Byram, Artturi Lehkonen, and Josh Mason all spent their time visiting the medical office during the season. When asked if Rodrigues wants to come back to Colorado, he said confidently, “Definitely.” 

I’ve loved it here. My family loved it here. It’s an unbelievable team…that’s setup to win Stanley Cups”. An emotional Johnson commented, “If it’s the end of the road or not, I was just proud to play here for as long as I did. Just grateful for everything”.

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