Nathan MacKinnon update: Avs’ star to miss 2-4 weeks
The Colorado Avalanche will be without star forward Nathan MacKinnon for at least two weeks, dampening their playoff hopes.
On Thursday, the Colorado Avalanche took to Twitter and depressed all their fans, announcing that Nathan MacKinnon will miss 2-4 weeks with an upper body injury. MacKinnon was hurt against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night, with the initial belief being that the Hart Trophy candidate might not have to miss games.
Unfortunately for Colorado, the superstar will have to come out of the lineup for a few weeks at the least, and potentially all of February. Before getting hurt, MacKinnon had a solid case the league’s most valuable player, racking up 61 points through 49 games. The Avalanche will desperately miss his services, as their next-leading scorer is Mikko Ratanen with 49 points.
After further evaluation, Nathan MacKinnon will be out 2-4 weeks. pic.twitter.com/ftGuHDqgdt
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) February 1, 2018
Colorado enters action on Thursday with 58 points (27-18-4), putting it sixth in the Central Division, only ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks. Still, Colorado is only one points out of a wild card berth in the Western Conference, trailing the Minnesota Wild with a game in hand.
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The upcoming schedule is challenging for the Avalanche, with five of their next six on the road. However, Colorado doesn’t play imposing opponents in all of those dates, including tilts with the Edmonton Oilers, Carolina Hurricanes and Buffalo Sabres, all teams out of the playoffs at the moment.
If Colorado can survive without MacKinnon, look for it to make a big push toward the postseason in March. The NHL trade deadline is also on Feb. 26, so the front office has time to evaluate the situation and potentially make a move.