The 2024-25 season has been an absolute nightmare for the Colorado Avalanche. Just when it seemed like the injury problems had reached its peak, things started to get worse. The Avalanche face an increasingly difficult battle with each game this season.

Despite the best efforts of their trio of superstars, the Avalanche fell to the Nashville Predators 5-2. Let’s take a look at the Avalanche’s most notable takeaways third defeat in as many matches.

Cale Makar is having an all-time season

Let’s start with something positive for a change, shall we? No matter how it ends, Cale Makar is having an unprecedented season. Defenders simply don’t compete for scoring titles, at least not since Bobby Orr won the scoring title in the early 1970s. There have been a few prolific defenders, but they have been few and far between.

Makar had a goal and an assist, extending his point streak to 12 games to start the season. It was the all-time record for a defenseman behind Orr, who recorded a point in his first 15 games to start the 1973-74 season.

Makar is now tied for the NHL lead with Kirill Kaprizov and Sam Reinhart with 21 points. He leads the NHL with 16 assists. Makar is doing everything in his power to make this team better and is having a supernatural season so far.

The battle against injuries is simply too big

Look at it List of avalanches As you jump into this game, you’ll likely see a litany of names you don’t know. That’s where the Avalanche currently find themselves, currently missing six of their top nine forwards due to injury or suspension.

Related: Avalanche outlook update: Ritchie, Makar, Olausson and more

Injuries have simply reached a point that no team can overcome. Playing .500 hockey would be an accomplishment at this point, at least until they can start getting some of these names back. We might even see a few prospects pop up for a brief period.

Regardless of how these games play out, it’s important for Avalanche fans to remember that the team is beyond exhausted. Makar and Nathan Mackinnon have both had MVP-caliber starts to the season and it doesn’t matter because they’re basically on their own at this point. Now it’s about weathering the storm.

Josh Manson has been a problem

As good as Makar was, Josh Manson was the opposite. You can see just in the basic numbers that there has been a clear problem with Manson lately. He went from 19 to 20 minutes of ice time per night to 15 to 16 in the last three games.

He was minus-1 in 16:59 of ice time against the Predators, his second consecutive negative outing. He is minus-8 this season. Some might say Makar and Casey Mittelstadt are also minus-8, so what’s the difference? Given that he’s playing (and producing) less, it’s obvious.

Manson needed to help solidify the second pair and started to look like a problem spot. In a season where almost the entire team is exhausted, the Avalanche can’t afford for Manson to play this poorly. He needs to get things on track or his ice time will continue to decrease.

Avalanches stand still

The Avalanche currently sit sixth in the Central Division. They are 10 points behind the division-leading Winnipeg Jets, and that gap will only grow. There’s a small gap between them and the Utah Hockey Club (14 points) in what should be a wild card spot, but it’s a precarious position.

At this point, there’s not much the Avalanche can do. It’s tough to ask them to become Stanley Cup contenders when virtually everyone important to the team is watching from the press box or from home. Stealing a win here and there is all we can ask of the Avalanche at this point.