The Colorado Avalanche has announced defenceman Bowen Byram is out of Monday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks with an upper-body injury. The announcement was made through their official NHL website and can be found here. This is the second straight game Byram will miss due to injury.
Avalanche defenseman Bowen Byram is not on the ice for morning skate. He's dealing with an upper-body injury after taking a high hit from Vegas' Keegan Kolesar on Thursday.
— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) March 29, 2021
Bowen Byram Scratched with Upper-Body Injury for Colorado Avalanche
Bowen Byram’s rookie season is not going according to the plan. The 19-year-old made his NHL debut on January 21 but since then he has been struggling to really take off. He has two assists in 19 games played and has lost several games due to injury. Early this month Byram suffered a lower-body that lead him to miss nine straight games.
The latest injury likely comes from a hit the rookie took from Keegan Kolesar in Thursday’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights. Byram was shaken off after the hit and went straight to the locker room. Even though he did return, the rookie didn’t play the next game against Vegas and is now considered day-to-day.
Colorado will dress the same lineup as the game on Saturday.
Looking Back At Byram’s WHL Career
Byram’s NHL career is not a mirror of all he can do as a player. There’s a reason why he was picked fourth overall in the 2019 NHL Draft, after all. When looking back at his four-year WHL career with the Vancouver Giants, his numbers are nothing but splendid.
His first two seasons were not the best but when the young player hit the ice for the 2018-19 season with the Giants, he couldn’t be stopped. Byram scored 26 goals and 45 assists for 71 points in 67 games, which caught the eyes of every single scout in the NHL and was ranked top five prospects for the 2019 draft. He was the first defenceman drafted that year behind forwards Jack Hughes, Kaapo Kakko and Kirby Dach.
During the shortened 2019-20 season, the Canadian player scored 14 goals and 38 assists for 52 points in 50 games. He was also a part of the Avalanche bubble roster, acting as one of their extra players.
The success he had during his draft year and past season may not be reflecting in the NHL for now but this is a very atypical season for every player and it’s probably the reason why Byram has been struggling. It’s clear that he’s talented and every game he plays shows that. Byram will surely bounce back and have a better season once he’s healthy and not living such an atypical moment in the league.
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