CALGARY, Alberta — The Avalanche will attempt to sign University of Massachusetts sophomore defenseman Cale Makar immediately after Saturday’s NCAA championship game in Buffalo, the team said, but it’s unknown if the 2019 Hobey Baker Award winner will make his NHL debut in Game 3 against the Calgary Flames at the Pepsi Center.
Makar, 20, will burn the first year of his three-year, entry-level contract by playing in one game with the Avs, and given Colorado’s depth at defense, it might choose to sign the player but not play him to preserve the first year of his contract.