Jonathan Drouin is sidelined with an upper-body injury, as announced by Jared Bednar.
The timeline for his return remains uncertain, but the team has a busy schedule ahead. They will face the New York Islanders, Boston Bruins, and Anaheim Ducks at home next week before traveling to San Jose for a Sunday evening match. Earlier this week, Drouin played 21:25 against the Golden Knights without scoring any points. He was on the top line with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, who scored a hat-trick during that game.
Drouin is in his second season with the Avalanche after proving himself last year with a one-year deal. He netted 19 goals and racked up 56 points—his best performance yet! Rejoining forces with MacKinnon from their junior days helped him shine brighter than in Montreal. This led to another contract worth $2.5 million this season .
Team Adjustments:
Since being drafted third overall in 2013, Drouin has accumulated 96 goals and 337 points across 565 games over three years. Before last year’s success, his top seasons were two 52-point runs with Tampa Bay (2016-17) and Montreal (2018-19). With Drouin out of action now, the Avalanche might lean on new faces like Nikolai Kovalenko or Cal Ritchie to step up. Already missing key players like Gabriel Landeskog, Artturi Lehkonen, and Valeri Nichushkin leaves significant gaps in their lineup.
Fans might feel anxious about these changes affecting their favorite team’s performance.
The Avalanche are aiming for redemption in the 2024-25 season after losing to the Dallas Stars in round two of the Stanley Cup playoffs last time around. They had previously defeated Winnipeg in five games as they secured third place within the Central Division standings.
What do you think about all these changes? Will it help or hurt their chances?
