An Avalanche of injuries, 2024-25 edition

The season is four games old and the injury ward is already filling up for the Avs.

The season is only four games old, and the injury list is already much longer than anticipated for the Colorado Avalanche. Some faces from the start of the season remain the same, but some new ones have entered the fray as well.

This was a series two years ago I’d hoped wouldn’t make a comeback, but nonetheless, here we are. Here’s where things stand with current players and their status.

Tucker Poolman

Quickly going over Tucker Poolman, he’s not expected to play this season and will be on LTIR. Poolman has suffered from migraines, most recently coming from a hit to the head in October 2022. He is in the last year of his contract which was signed by the Vancouver Canucks, and likely not in the future plans of the Avalanche.

Miles Wood

The newest addition to this list is Miles Wood, who was hurt in a collision last night with Elias Lindholm. The replay made it look as though it wasn’t the initial contact which hurt him, but rather the landing and the way he grabbed at his hand/wrist area.

During his post-game press conference last night, Jared Bednar did not have an update on Wood and said they’d know more later in the evening after his evaluation. We should learn more hopefully later today on his status after practice, but knowing the Avs’ injury luck it might not be a good update.

Devon Toews

Devon Toews has been absent from the lineup for the last couple of games with a lower-body injury. He has been listed as day-to-day in his recovery and has been unable to go the last few games. It started with a maintenance practice day earlier this week but has gotten worse since then.

Toews took a hit up high which sent him back to the dressing room for a moment before returning. Who knows where this injury came from in the last few games, or if it’s something lingering from preseason.

Toews is just one of several key-name players missing from the lineup at the moment – hopefully with a return sooner rather than later compared to others on the list.

Artturi Lehkonen

Artturi Lehkonen’s recovery continues from his offseason shoulder surgery in May. Originally, it was projected he’d return by the time the regular season began but has been re-evaluated since.

Lehkonen has been skating continuously in a red non-contact jersey but has had issues getting cleared for contact. Lehkonen will be re-evaluated on October 28 to see where he stands in his recovery to get back into game action.

Jonathan Drouin

Jonathan Drouin took a hard hit in the first game of the season against the Vegas Golden Knights but finished out the game. Since then, he hasn’t seen the ice or even made an appearance at practice or a morning skate.

Drouin’s status of his lower-body injury is unknown and it sounds as though he will be out longer than initially expected. With the Avs already down forwards, his return will be greatly appreciated, but it may not come for who knows how long.

Valeri Nichushkin

Valeri Nichushkin’s status isn’t injury-related but is related to his suspension. It was confirmed by Andy Strickland he is eligible for reinstatement in a little under a month’s time on November 13.

Theoretically speaking, this means Nichushkin’s first game back could be the same day against the Los Angeles Kings. But there are a ton of other factors surrounding his availability, including if he will be fit and ready to go, and still working around the cap to fit him in.

Chris MacFarland and the players have made it well-known No. 13 will be welcomed back with open arms to the locker room, and support him in whatever way necessary. So long as he’s healthy and ready to go, he’ll be a big addition in mid-November.

Gabriel Landeskog

Finally, the questions remain about the captain of this Avalanche team and his path towards a return. Gabriel Landeskog skated plenty over the summer for all to see, but once team-organized activities came along, he’s been off the ice.

While Landeskog has not been visibly skating in the public eye, it should be noted he’s certainly working behind the scenes rehabbing off-ice and continuing to test his knee. As stated earlier this summer, it’s a matter of “when, not if” for the captain’s return.

Furthermore, Lonzo Ball of the Chicago Bulls made his return to basketball Wednesday night after having the same cartilage transplant surgery as Landeskog. Ball is currently limited to playing 16 minutes a night, and Landy could do something similar on the third line when he returns to get him going with game action. The Avalanche captain had surgery three months after Ball did, and if the same timeline is being followed, then you could guess a return in late December/early January or any time afterward.