Colorado Avalanche face tough road to playoffs without Nathan Mackinnon
The Colorado Avalanche have faced a string of injuries lately, the latest being star player Nathan Mackinnon. How will this affect their playoff chances?
The Colorado Avalanche have been having a rough time lately, with seven players currently out for different injuries. Nathan Mackinnon was added to that list on Monday night against the LA Kings. He’ll now be out for 1-2 weeks with a lower-body injury.
Mackinnon is easily the Avalanche’s star player, with a total of 93 points this season (35 goals, 58 assists), he leads the Avalanche by an astounding amount. Without him, the Avalanche face a certain disadvantage leading to the playoffs. Even with the players returning, Mackinnon’s speed is unmatched on the ice, making it difficult to fill the hole.
More from Puck Prose
- Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
- This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
- 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
- 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
- This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings
Currently, the team has also has Mikko Rantanen, Nazem Kadri, Matt Calvert, Andre Burakovsky, Colin Wilson, and Philipp Grubauer on the IR list as well. Many of these players, however, are expected to trickle back in during the team’s next three games at home.
Luckily for the Avalanche, they’re in a relatively comfortable position in second place in the Central Division. With players like Mikko Rantanen coming back, and with the way the other players have been stepping up, most notably Tyson Jost, that even without Mackinnon, this might not be a death knell for them.
With the players coming back rested and ready to play, Mackinnon’s absence will still be felt, but maybe not as much as if this had happened a couple of weeks ago. Still, his absence won’t go unnoticed, as he’s a key player in almost every shift he plays. He’s fifth in the league in points and has been rumored to be up for the Hart trophy.
We’re getting into crunch time for the Avalanche, and even though they’re sitting comfortably in the league, it’s not the time to have more people out with injuries, especially not a player like Mackinnon.
Next. Top 3 Reasons The Avalanche Can Win The Stanley Cup. dark
The saving grace is, it doesn’t seem to be a crucial injury, and he should only be out 1-2 weeks, leaving time for him to get back into momentum for the playoffs and get those 7 points he needs to break his record of 99 points.