Fans saw future Hall of Famer Cale Makar return to the ice Wednesday morning. Only five days after signing a record-breaking contract, all seemed well in the hockey world. The reason there was worry before the contract with Makar was that he missed two games in the playoffs. After that, he just did not look like himself. He was held off on hits and held off on any contact with the upper-body. The contract seemed to have put that worry to bed. Thursday morning brought those worries rushing back that something is still nagging the defenseman.

What was odd on day one

The main thing that stood out to us on Wednesday morning when Makar took the ice is that he was the only one out there. He skated for about 30 minutes with skills coach Mark Popovic and a fill-in goaltender. His time on ice was very low-key and looked very much like a rehabilitation skate. Makar walked the blue line and took some shots through a tire (still in awe at this) and some light skating. Forward Brock Nelson came out and said hello to Makar, but stayed on the other side of the midline. This is something we always see during the regular season for a rehab skate; other players stay away. The moment the rest of the main group came onto the ice, Makar left for the day.

If Makar had been healthy and skating during the summer, he would have been with the group.

Second day = no participation

Thursday morning saw the largest group of skaters we have seen so far this summer. Twenty-three skaters and two goalies were on the ice for a full scrimmage run by Popovic and Milan Hejduk. Makar was not on the ice, but he was watching from the crow’s nest in the corner. Is his shoulder still nagging him? During the press conference on Friday, he mentioned he would be good for camp in a few weeks. But how good? This would not be the first time Makar came to camp with injuries from the previous season.

The Colorado Avalanche is a significantly better team when Makar is in the lineup. But if the Avalanche have to dip into the Colorado Eagles to start the season right away, it won’t be a great start.