Cale Makar enters the NHL's COVID-19 protocol

Before puck drop, the Avalanche announced Cale Makar was a late scratch due to COVID-19. He’s the latest in a string of Colorado players added to the NHL’s health and safety protocols.

Earlier in the day, Andre Burakovsky, J.T. Compher, and Darcy Kuemper were added to the list, and on Tuesday, Devon Toews entered the protocol. Due to cap restraints, the Avs would already be playing shorthanded with only eleven forwards and six defensemen, but without Makar, they’re down to five defensemen. Makar is fifth overall in scoring among blueliners, with 26 points over 23 games. His numbers are even more impressive, considering all four men above him have played at least five games more.

At +550, Colorado is the odds on favorites to win the Stanley Cup over at Fanduel Sportsbook. However, if they keep losing star players like Makar, they won’t be favored for long.

The news keeps getting worse for Colorado, and with the way this COVID-19 variant is spreading, we can only imagine it’s not going to get better.