Colorado Avalanche star forward Nathan MacKinnon is set to miss three weeks due to a lower-body injury.
Nathan MacKinnon will be out three weeks after suffering a lower-body injury Saturday against Columbus, per Jared Bednar.
— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) November 10, 2021
Nathan MacKinnon Sidelined For Three Weeks
The injury happened on Saturday during the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. MacKinnon missed the team practice on Tuesday and had the injury tested by team doctors. Earlier this season, the 26-year-old player missed the first two games after testing positive for COVID.
His teammate Samuel Girard left Wednesday’s practice early but head coach Jared Bednar didn’t provide further updates on him.
MacKinnon leads the team in assists and is tied with Gabriel Landeskog and Nazem Kadri in points. He is a pivotal piece for the Colorado team and having him miss more games is a huge blow for them. So far this season, their top line has only been together for four of their 10 games played. With the new injury, it seems like it’ll be a lot more than that.
It is fair to say that once again Colorado is having some problems with the injury bug. The team has been dealing with injuries since the off-season and it has yet to stop. Just as their injured players started to get back to the lineup, MacKinnon gets hurt. It’s another tough blow on an already not so good start for the Avalanche.
What Happens Next
Even though they are without their top-line centre and defenceman, Colorado is a very talented team. Now, what needs to be done is find the balance to deal with the injuries and try to play it out until MacKinnon is ready to get back. However, it is not going to be easy.
MacKinnon’s talent is unreplaceable and it’ll always be a bit harder for them to play without him. With that said, they have plenty of options to occupy his spot while he’s out.
On Wednesday’s practice, Bednar put J.T. Compher between Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen. When he was on COVID protocol, the coach played Kadri in the first line. There’s plenty that can be done to support the team in his absence. The good news is that Cale Makar and Valeri Nichushkin will likely be back in the lineup next Thursday when the Avs face the Vancouver Canucks.
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