The Colorado Avalanche are getting healthier. After missing a month with an injury, sustained in early January, defenseman Devon Toews is set to return on Monday night against the Detroit Red Wings.
The Avalanche were 5-8 with Toews out during that time. It’s been pretty frustrating, given how well the team has played in most other stretches of the season. It’s just true what they say: Every team goes through some rough patches. For the Avalanche, those early-mid season rough times will not define their season. It’s what they do in future moments that they can control at that point. There’s no point looking at the past unless you’re trying to find ways to get better for the future.
Most importantly, Cale Makar gets his line mate back. While Toews was out, Sam Malinski stepped into his spot and had played well enough to earn a contract extension recently. You can point towards the fact that Malinski had Makar by his side, but that has not always been the case, as the 27-year-old has spent time on the second or third pairings with a couple of different teammates.
So far for the 2025-26 season, Toews has played in 40 games, recording one goal and 12 assists. He’s got an average ice time of 22:20 and has 68 shots on the season, on pace for 139 shots on goal, one more than he had last season.
Toews is set to appear in the Olympics for Team Canada in a couple of weeks. The injury he was dealing with didn’t appear to be a reason for his potential opt out but his wife is due to have a baby at some point, and Toews has stated in the past that if the baby is not born by when it’s time for him to get on a plane to Milano, Italy, he’s not going to go. I like that because he has his priorities straight.
The Avalanche are going need Toews going forward, especially against some of the hotter teams in the league. They have two games remaining before the Olympic break and they hope to get out of there without anymore injuries.