We all know Colorado Avalanche all-world defenseman Cale Makar as easily the best player at the position. His brother, Taylor Makar, received news of his call-up to the Avalanche from the AHL Colorado Eagles on Friday evening.
The younger Makar is a forward, listed as a left wing and center on Elite Prospects. With that information, it stands to reason that there is a potential chance that Makar will have his NHL debut in a matter of days. Per reports, Gavin Brindley, a fourth line player, did not see any time in the game following a hit by Ivan Barbachev.
As a fourth-line player, Taylor Makar’s role would be pretty minimal, as the time on ice for those players is, well, not many. I think the point of the call-up will be to see what the younger Makar brother has in his arsenal. Can he produce and limit mistakes? I think that might be the biggest thing if he sees the ice in a couple of days. Maybe there would be a chance that he gets a scoring opportunity.
If head coach Jared Bednar plays him at center, he could show what he has in terms of taking faceoffs. Another possibility is that he could use his size (6’4”, 209 pounds) and have a dominant, physical presence to get into puck battles along the boards. Really, any of those sorts of things would be a welcome addition to the lineup.
During 2024-25, Makar spent time at the University of Maine as well as the Colorado Eagles. At Maine, he played in 38 games, recording 18 goals and 12 assists. At the AHL level, he played in five games and recorded one goal. This year with the Eagles, he has played in nine games and has one goal and three assists.
It would/will be weird to see two Makars on the ice, assumingly not at the same time. I think he will just have to play his game the way he does so that Bednar can determine future considerations regarding the 24 year old. He won’t live up to his older brother’s calibar, but perhaps he could find his own way into more time in the NHL going forward. Either that, or this move is strictly due to injury on the roster. But I find it interesting that Bednar could have called up someone like Nikita Prishchepov or Ivan Ivan and chose against it.
Either way, this could be a big opportunity for Taylor Makar’s hockey future. Even if he doesn’t get a whole lot more chances, the experience of going up the ladder in terms of hockey leagues would be amazing for him and something that he earned.