An Avalanche of Injuries, 2024-25 Edition – Colorado Avalanche

The season is only four games old and the Colorado Avalanche's injury list is already much longer than expected. Some faces from the start of the season have remained the same, but some new ones have also come into play.

This was a series two years ago that I was hoping wouldn't make a comeback, but nonetheless here we are. Here is the status of the current players and their status.

Tucker Poolman

Let's move quickly over Tucker Poolman, he is not expected to play this season and will be on LTIR. Poolman has suffered from migraines, most recently due to a blow to the head in October 2022. He is in the final year of his contract signed with the Vancouver Canucks and is unlikely to be in the Avalanche's future plans.

Miles Wood

The latest addition to this list is Miles Wood, who was injured in a collision with Elias Lindholm last night. The repetition made it seem like it wasn't the first contact that hurt him, but the landing and the way he grabbed his hand/wrist area.

During his postgame press conference last night, Jared Bednar had no update on Wood and said they would know more later in the evening based on his assessment. We should hopefully know more about his status after practice today, but given the Avs' luck with injuries, that might not be a good update.

Devon Toews

Devon Toews has been missing from the squad for the last few games due to a lower body injury. He was listed as day-to-day in his recovery and was unable to play the last few games. It started with a maintenance training day earlier this week but has gotten worse since then.

Toews was hit high, sending him to the locker room for a moment before returning. Who knows where this injury came from in the last few games or whether it was from pre-season training.

Toews is just one of several key players currently missing from the lineup – hopefully with a return sooner rather than later compared to others on the roster.

Artturi Lehkonen

Artturi Lehkonen's recovery continues from his offseason shoulder surgery in May. It was originally expected he would return at the start of the regular season, but this has since been re-evaluated.

Lehkonen skated continuously in a red non-contact jersey, but had trouble getting a contact clearance. Lehkonen will be re-evaluated on October 28th to see where he is in his recovery to get back into game action.

Jonathan Drouin

Jonathan Drouin suffered a hard blow in the first game of the season against the Vegas Golden Knights but finished the game. Since then, he hasn't seen the ice or made an appearance at practice or morning skates.

The status of Drouin's lower body injury is unknown and it appears he will be out longer than initially expected. With the Avs already on offense, his return will be greatly appreciated, but who knows how long it may take.

Valery Nichushkin

Valeri Nichushkin's status is not due to injury, but is related to his suspension. Andy Strickland confirmed he will be eligible for reinstatement in a little less than a month on November 13th.

In theory, this means that Nichushkin's first game back could take place on the same day against the Los Angeles Kings. But there are a lot of other factors that affect his availability, including whether he's fit and ready to play and whether he's still working on the cap to accommodate him.

Chris MacFarland and the players made it known. No. 13 will be welcomed into the locker room with open arms and will support him in any way possible. As long as he's healthy and ready to play, he'll be a big addition in mid-November.

Gabriel Landeskog

Finally, questions remain about the captain of this Avalanche team and his path to a return. Gabriel Landeskog skated a lot throughout the summer for all to see, but as soon as there were team-organized activities, he was no longer on the ice.

While Landeskog has not been visibly skating in public, it should be noted that he is certainly working behind the scenes to rehabilitate himself off the ice and continue to test his knee. As mentioned earlier this summer, the captain's return is a matter of “when” and not “if.”

Additionally, Lonzo Ball of the Chicago Bulls returned to basketball on Wednesday night after undergoing the same cartilage transplant as Landeskog. Ball is currently only allowed to play 16 minutes a night, and Landy could do something similar on the third line when he returns to get the game going. The Avalanche captain underwent surgery three months after Ball, and if the same schedule is followed, expect him to return in late December/early January or sometime after that.