As if it wasn’t already bad enough in Colorado this season, Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar provided updates on several injuries, with no significant good news at the moment.
Injury updates from Jared Bednar:
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•Darren Helm will miss time. His injury is related to the one that kept him out the first 35 games.
•Gabriel Landeskog is not in Denver while doing recovery work.
•Bednar say Manson, Byram and Nichushkin aren’t close to returns
The first one was the status of Darren Helm, who left Thursday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks early, and did not practice on Friday. Helm lasted just 5:34 against the Blackhawks, and left with what is a similar injury to what he dealt with earlier this season, according to Bednar.
It was just his fifth game in return from that injury that kept him out since the start of the season. He currently has no points on the year.
The second update was on Gabriel Landeskog, with Bednar revealing that he is currently not in Denver while doing recovery work. While that isn’t inherently bad news, the fact that he isn’t with the team implies that he’s still got a bit of a ways to go before returning to the lineup.
Landeskog has yet to play this season after undergoing knee surgery in the offseason. He had 30 goals, 29 assists, and 59 points in 51 games last season, along with 11 goals, 11 assists, and 22 points in 20 games on route to their Stanley Cup win.
Finally, Bednar mentioned that Josh Manson (lower-body), Bowen Byram (lower-body), and Valeri Nichushkin (ankle) aren’t close to returns.
Manson hasn’t played since December 1st, and has two goals, four assists, and six points in 21 games this season.
Byram hasn’t played since the Avs’ Global Series in Finland on November 4th, and has two goals, three assists, and five points in 10 games.
Nichushkin has missed a good chunk of the season with his injury, initially injuring it in October before re-injuring it after returning for eight games in December. He’s been productive when he’s been healthy, with seven goals, nine assists, and 16 points in 15 games.
Injuries have been a huge issue for the Avalanche this season, so much to the point that it’s potentially costing them a playoff spot. They currently sit four points out of a wild card spot with a 20-17-3 record and three games in hand.