An Avalanche of Injuries, 2024-25 Edition: Part Two

The second edition of this series for the season with even more additions to the list.

Just three weeks ago, the return of this series came – and unfortunately, didn’t go away. If anything, it got worse.

There are a couple of positive updates when it comes to returns to the ice soon for the Colorado Avalanche. Let’s start with those before getting into the more negative injury updates.

Artturi Lehkonen

The next Avalanche member to return from injury is Artturi Lehkonen. Jared Bednar said he was aiming for a return against the Seattle Kraken last week. With the Kraken coming to town tomorrow, a corresponding move to take Lehkonen off IR occurred, meaning he is likely ready to go for his first game of the season.

Colorado has missed an energetic forward who can chase the puck and skate all day long, and Lehkonen will do just that. With missing faces up and down the lineup, a positive update is like finding a needle in a haystack for the Avs in this day and age.

Valeri Nichushkin

Seemingly, the next player to return for the Avs is the soon-to-be unsuspended Valeri Nichushkin. He has returned to Denver and started to skate on his own while he waits out the end of his suspension.

Bednar has said he hopes to get him able to practice with the squad before his suspension comes to a close. While he needs to test out and be cleared to return to action by the NHL, everything seems straightforward for him to return and be ready to go on November 15.

Miles Wood

Miles Wood could also return right around the same time as Nichushkin with his injury being less significant than the others on this list. He was listed as day-to-day, specifically out for around a week by Bednar with an upper-body injury.

Wood had been playing through the injury, but no longer could. We are coming up on one week since his absence from the lineup. We should get more updates from the coaching staff this week to see whether or not he will be back soon or out for a little longer.

Jonathan Drouin

Jonathan Drouin has still not played since the hit he took in the first game of the season against the Vegas Golden Knights. His upper body injury has kept him out since then.

Not much in his development has been revealed yet, but there are signs of life. Drouin had been skating in a red non-contact jersey and is now taking “controlled contact.” Even then, it’s still unknown when he could actually come back and play.

Ross Colton

Perhaps the biggest loss of the season has been Ross Colton. He was on fire to start the year, scoring at will and propelling his play forward while playing in an advanced role on the top line and power play.

But, he blocked a shot against the Chicago Blackhawks last week which left him with a broken foot. He will be out for 6-8 weeks, which leaves him with a timetable to return around Christmas. His value and playing to a high level to start the year will be dearly missed, and who knows if it will be the same when he returns.

Gabriel Landeskog

Finally, the captain of the Avalanche Gabriel Landeskog has not made much noise recently. He was recently spotted skating with his son and the aforementioned Drouin, but who knows how much work he actually did.

It’s safe to assume Landeskog is working behind the scenes not in the public eyes – whether that’s off-ice work, on-ice work, or both. However, compared to last season when he was skating consistently for all to see, there is at least a hint of concern if he’s had some sort of setback.

If things are still on track, if compared to Lonzo Ball who had the same surgery, his return could come around the start of the new year. But once again, don’t be surprised if it’s later than that either.