The Avalanche are facing a tough time without Jonathan Drouin, who will be out until the end of the month due to an upper-body injury.
He got hurt in Colorado’s opening game against the Golden Knights, which they lost 8-4. In that game, Drouin played over 21 minutes but didn’t score and ended with a -1 rating. This was not the best start for him in his second year with the team after he had a great season last year with 37 assists and 56 points.
Drouin signed a one-year deal worth $2.5 million to stay with the Avalanche, aiming to play an important role again this season. With other top wingers like Gabriel Landeskog, Artturi Lehkonen, and Valeri Nichushkin also missing at the start of this season, his absence makes things even harder for Colorado.
Challenges for Avalanche:
The team’s wing depth is severely affected now that Drouin will miss at least six games. Ross Colton has moved from third-line center to first-line left wing alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Meanwhile, Casey Mittelstadt’s line includes rookie Calum Ritchie and Miles Wood on the sides.
It’s been rough for the team so far ; they haven’t won any of their first three games and are tied with Nashville as one of two teams yet to earn a point this season. They’re letting in an average of 6.67 goals per game! Fans might think it’s more about goalie Alexandar Georgiev’s struggles than just missing players.
Looking ahead, Drouin is expected back soonest among those absent if he clears his check-up on October 28th. Lehkonen won’t get checked until later this month because he’s still recovering from shoulder surgery done over summer break .
Nichushkin can’t return until November 13th at earliest due to being part of Stage 3 NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program while Landeskog remains without any timeline after multiple knee surgeries since their big win in Stanley Cup back in ’22!
What do you think? Will these injuries change how well they do this season?
