It has been a tough season for Avalanche forward Darren Helm. He missed the first 35 games of the season due to a hip injury but recently returned to the lineup. However, that return wound up being short-lived as he suffered a lower-body injury last night against Chicago. Head coach Jared Bednar told reporters including Peter Baugh of The Athletic (Twitter link) that the injury is related to the one that kept him out of the start of the season and that he’s going to miss some time. How long he’ll be out is not yet known.
Helm was brought in by Colorado last season in free agency and he fared well in a depth role, notching 15 points in 68 games during the regular season while playing in all 20 postseason contests as the Avs won the Stanley Cup. That was good enough for the team to bring him back on a one-year $1.25MM contract in the summer but Helm’s hip troubles have limited him to just five appearances so far.
Injuries have caused the Avalanche to dress 24 different forwards this season as they look to find some options for the fourth line. The return of Helm was supposed to help in that regard but instead, that search for consistent depth forwards will continue as it appears that it will be at least a little while before the veteran is able to return.
Colorado also is without wingers Valeri Nichushkin, Gabriel Landeskog, and Denis Malgin plus defensemen Bowen Byram and Josh Manson. None of them appear to be close to returning so the Avs will be trying to get back into the playoff picture with the roster that they currently have.
Well, that makes it official—if they didn’t have bad luck, they wouldn’t have any luck. Unless things change drastically, they might need a lot of help to back in to a playoff spot. It’s now a 1/2-season sprint-a-thon.