DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Avalanche are dealing with plenty of uncertainty on the eve of their season opener.
For starters, they remain unsure precisely when Val Nichushkin may return from suspension. They're also unsure when captain Gabriel Landeskog (knee) or Artturi Lehkonen (shoulder) might be back on the ice. Down the road, they’re not sure when — or if — a deal may be struck that keeps Mikko Rantanen and Alexandar Georgiev in town beyond this season.
All that’s really known is this — the expectations remain high for a team that won a Stanley Cup title in 2022.
“We have our challenges,” said general manager Chris MacFarland, whose team kicks off the season Wednesday night in Vegas. “But I don’t want us to wait for the cavalry. I want us to be ready to go day one with the guys we have.”
The Avalanche have put together three straight seasons with 50 or more wins. That streak could be put to the test given their current predicament. Then again, they do have reigning league MVP Nathan MacKinnon and blue-line standout Cale Makar to rely on.
MacFarland said Nichushkin could be back in town as soon as the end of the month. But there's no precise timetable for when he can rejoin the team even with the suspension expected to be over as soon as mid-November.
Last May, the talented Russian forward was suspended for at least six months without pay and placed in stage 3 of the league’s player assistance program. It was the second straight postseason he was unavailable due to circumstances away from the ice.
“Val’s doing well, first and foremost,” MacFarland said Tuesday. “All the reports back from the league, the program doctors, is nothing but positive, which is obviously the most important thing."
Upcoming step, rebuild trust with his teammates.
“We all know people that struggle with addictions and these sort of things, and they’re tough situations,” MacFarland said. “The players, all they want to know is that Val’s healthy and that he understands the hurt that they went through, especially at playoff time. How they do that is something I’m certainly not going to comment on. That’s personal in the room, but I can tell you this, there’s not one single player that’s not going to welcome back Val with open arms.”
As for Landeskog, he's going through arduous rehab in an effort to return after missing two straight seasons due to a nagging right knee injury that led to cartilage replacement surgery. He hasn’t played since lifting the Stanley Cup when the Avalanche defeated Tampa Bay in Game 6 of the final in 2022.
“This is not the do X, Y and Z, and you’re back in four weeks, six weeks, six months,” MacFarland said. “This is as far from that as you can get. Everything is going well, but we've still got some work to do.”
Later this month, Lehkonen will see the doctor for a five-month checkup on his shoulder. That may give a clearer picture for a return.
“You’ve got to be careful with that,” MacFarland said. “You don’t want him to come back too soon and and then undo the fix that was implemented.”
In regard to a new deal with Rantanen and Georgiev, MacFarland said he’s always listening and his phone is always on. It could happen at any time, pointing to the deal that came together quickly with forward Logan O’Connor last month on a six-year extension.
“We’ve got a lot of hockey and a lot of season to be played," MacFarland said, “and a lot of things to sort out.”
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Pat Graham, The Associated Press
