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Bowen Byram

Valeri Nichushkin Undergoes Ankle Surgery

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The Colorado Avalanche will be without some key players for the next little while, according to head coach Jared Bednar. As Peter Baugh of The Athletic tweets from Bednar’s media availability today, Valeri Nichushkin underwent ankle surgery and will be out a month, while Bowen Byram is week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Samuel Girard, who is also missing, is listed as day-to-day.

Nichushkin, who was signed to an eight-year, $49MM extension this offseason, has turned into a legitimate star in the league over the last year. After some strong defensive results in his first two seasons with the Avalanche, his offense spiked in 2021-22 to tally 25 goals and 52 points in 62 games. Even more effective in the team’s Stanley Cup championship run, he came back this season further improved.

Through seven games, Nichushkin had seven goals and 12 points, while playing more than 20 minutes a game thanks to his excellent defensive contributions. Bednar could put him on the ice in basically any situation and without Gabriel Landeskog to start the year, he was the third musketeer with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Despite now missing four games, Nichushkin still sits fourth in Colorado scoring, only behind those two and Cale Makar. His seven goals are still tied for the team lead.

Now, the team has to move forward without the big Russian forward, for at least another month’s worth of games. Losing Byram as well who was logging nearly 21 minutes a night is another tough blow.

The 21-year-old defenseman seemed completely recovered from the concussion issues that plagued his early career, and was contributing in all situations for the Avalanche. Not only was Byram part of the three-defenseman powerplay that the team was using but he was even taking shifts on the penalty kill and had a shorthanded goal. Turning into a legitimate force, another stretch out of the lineup due to injury is poor timing for the young defenseman. Not only will he take some time to get back up to speed but this is Byram’s platform year, with restricted free agency scheduled for next summer. Missing games will hurt his negotiation, though he will not be arbitration eligible and thus doesn’t have a ton of leverage anyway.

The Avalanche are back in action Thursday evening against the Nashville Predators, the first of a three-game homestand.

Injury Notes: Zadina, Byram, Hornqvist, Chytil, Dahlin

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After a major offseason overhaul rivaled only by the Ottawa Senators, expectations have been big for the Detroit Red Wings this season, however the team has gotten itself off to an up-and-down start. Sitting at 5-3-2 coming into today, the team would be faced with one of its tougher tasks of the young season this afternoon: a showdown with the New York Islanders, who were on a five-game winning streak. Detroit answered the call, shutting out the Islanders 3-0. That win appears to have come at a price, however. Forward Filip Zadina went down late in the third period after appearing to block a Ryan Pulock shot.

After the game, Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde, provided an update to the media, including Michigan Live’s Ansar Kahn. According to Lalonde, Zadina’s injury “doesn’t look good” and Detroit may not see the winger for a while, adding that the team would know more tomorrow. Soon to be 23-years-old, Zadina has yet to become the player Detroit hoped he would be when he was drafted sixth-overall in 2018, and has zero points through his first nine games this year, including today. But, with Detroit missing more than its fair share of forwards, including Tyler Bertuzzi, Jakub Vrana, Oskar Sundqvist, and Robby Fabbri, losing Zadina for any period of time will surely be felt.

  • For those who watched today’s NHL Global Series contest in Tampere, Finland between the Colorado Avalanche and Columbus Blue Jackets, noticeably absent from Colorado’s blueline was Bowen Byram. The defenseman was replaced in the lineup by Jacob MacDonald, who was playing in just his fourth game of the season. Thus far, there is no word on the severity of Byram’s injury, however The Athletic’s Peter Baugh reports that it’s a lower-body injury. While no injury is good news, for Byram, who has dealt with a number of concussion-related issues in his past, having the injury apparently be unrelated to that is somewhat of a relief. The former fourth-overall pick is off to a strong start to the season, scoring two goals to go with three assists in 10 games to date.
  • Florida Panthers winger Patric Hornqvist, who suffered an upper-body injury early in Thursday’s game against the San Jose Sharks, is considered day-to-day, head coach Paul Maurice told the media, including Bally Sports’ Katie Engleson. The veteran has just one goal through 11 games to start the season, but with Florida missing several key pieces from last year’s team, they will need a quick recovery from Hornqvist and renewed production to help supplement their offense going forward.
  • New York Rangers center Filip Chytil expects to play in the team’s game tomorrow afternoon against the Red Wings. While Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant did not confirm that Chytil would be in the lineup, the forward did tell USA Today Sports’ Vince Mercogliano that he feels 100%. Still, Gallant is hopeful he can play Sunday. Chytil, who hasn’t played since October 23rd, was believed to be dealing with a concussion, said Larry Brooks of the New York Post. The 23-year-old had three points in six games prior to the injury.
  • Per Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News, Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato confirmed that defenseman Rasmus Dahlin will miss tonight’s game in Tampa Bay against the Lightning with an upper-body injury. Granato declined to go into specifics on the injury but, Harrington says, it likely occurred during Friday night’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes, when Dahlin was involved in a scuffle with Hurricanes forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Thankfully for Buffalo, Dahlin is listed as day-to-day, but his injury is yet another in a long line of defensemen going down in the Buffalo organization this season, whether that be at the NHL or AHL level. Defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin, who has missed the last four games with injury, draws back in tonight in place of Dahlin.

Central Notes: Byram, Toews, Wild

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Back in January, Avalanche defenseman Bowen Byram contemplated not returning this season or even hanging up his skates altogether, relays Mike Chambers of The Denver Post.  He had recently returned to Colorado’s lineup before his concussion symptoms returned and had to shut things down at that time.  The progress that the 20-year-old made in his recovery nudged him towards trying to come back this season which he did last week and he has gotten into six games since then.  Byram’s playing time since then has been a bit limited relative to his early-season usage which is certainly understandable both in terms of allowing him to ease back into things plus Colorado’s top seed in the Western Conference.  He could be an interesting wild card for the Avs heading into the postseason as he certainly has given their third pairing a lift.

More from the Central:

  • Still with Colorado, defenseman Devon Toews won’t suit up tonight and won’t accompany the team on their upcoming three-game road trip, notes Peter Baugh of The Athletic (Twitter link). The good news for the Avalanche is that head coach Jared Bednar indicated that the injury isn’t cause for concern which means he should be good to go for the playoffs, if not a game or two before then.  The 28-year-old is logging more than 25 minutes a game on the back end this season, second to only Cale Makar for Colorado.
  • Michael Russo of The Athletic outlines (subscription link) the tough decision the Wild are facing this summer.  Their cap situation gets a lot worse with the increased dead cap charges on the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts and it appears they’ll be facing a situation where either winger Kevin Fiala or defenseman Mathew Dumba get traded.  Minnesota wasn’t able to agree to a long-term deal with Fiala last summer and wound up taking him to salary arbitration.  He has one year of RFA eligibility remaining and with 73 points in 75 games, he’ll be eyeing a big raise on his $5.1MM price tag while making it very difficult to justify moving him.  Dumba is signed through next season at $6MM and would certainly have a strong trade market if they opted to move him to keep Fiala in the fold.

Bowen Byram Sent To AHL On Conditioning Stint

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In what must come as great news for Colorado Avalanche fans, 2019 4th overall pick Bowen Byram looks set to return to the ice. The Avalanche have announced that they are sending Byram to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles for a conditioning stint. This is Byram’s third attempt this season to get past the concussion issues that have thus far plagued his professional career, and given Byram’s health struggles since he was drafted, it seems like this is a positive development not only for Byram and the Avalanche but also for hockey as a whole.

Byram, 20, is an incredibly talented defenseman who previously starred for the Vancouver Giants of the WHL. In his draft year, Byram posted 26 goals and 71 points in 67 games, and he was selected by the Avalanche who were undoubtedly salivating at the thought of adding another young blue-chip defender to a long-term blueline corps that already boasted Cale Makar and Samuel Girard.

But despite those great hopes, Byram’s professional career has been rocky, to put it mildly. Since he finished his junior career having played 188 WHL games Byram has played in a total of 37 contests over two seasons with the Avalanche, a number that illustrates the significant health issues Byram has had as a professional. The Athletic’s Peter Baugh went into detail in a story covering Byram’s first year in Colorado, (subscription required) and in it, Byram reveals that he battled a growing worry that “his career was slipping away” and that he would not be able to continue playing hockey. But Byram overcame those challenges and a bout with COVID-19 to get into the lineup for the Avalanche this season. He has been very impressive in his brief time with the big club, posting 11 points in 18 games, but his ability to succeed kept getting undercut by injury woes. There was a head injury in early November that began to derail his campaign, and he was continually in the process of recovering from injuries only to face new issues. In January, Byram left the team for “personal reasons,” reasons clarified via Baugh to be Byram’s need to deal with the “lingering issues” that stemmed from his original concussions.

Since that point, Byram has been working towards an eventual return where he could finally, hopefully, put those issues behind him and truly begin in earnest an NHL career that holds so much promise. That work to get back reached a new checkpoint tonight, as Byram’s loan means that he is ready to resume playing professional hockey. The Avalanche have a strong defense corps, but also one that is not without its injury issues. Girard has been out for an extended period, and Ryan Murray recently was forced out of the lineup with a wrist injury. Getting Byram back (and even potentially acquainting him on a partnership with new acquisition Josh Manson) would be a significant boon for Colorado as they gear up for what the team expects to be a long run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Gabriel Landeskog To Undergo Surgery, Samuel Girard To Miss A Month

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While the Avalanche had some good news today when they extended Pavel Francouz, they also got some bad news as they will be without two key players for the next little while.  The team announced (Twitter link) that winger Gabriel Landeskog is set to undergo knee surgery on Monday.  There is no firm timetable for his return but Colorado hopes to have him back for the stretch run which would take any thought of putting him on LTIR for the rest of the regular season to open up cap space off the table.

This isn’t a newly-suffered injury for Landeskog as he played in nearly 19 minutes on Thursday against Carolina before receiving a misconduct penalty in the dying seconds of regulation.  Instead, head coach Jared Bednar indicated that this is an issue that has been nagging him for a little bit and they’ve decided to get it fixed before the playoffs.  The knee problem hasn’t really held Landeskog back, however, as he has 30 goals and 29 assists in 51 games this season, good for fifth in team scoring.

Meanwhile, Peter Baugh of The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that blueliner Samuel Girard will miss the next four weeks with a lower-body injury.  While that makes him LTIR-eligible as well, that’s a recovery timeline that would easily have him back by the end of the season so Colorado, who doesn’t have a lot of cap space to work with at the upcoming trade deadline, won’t get much help on that front either.

Girard’s numbers are down slightly this season although he has still managed to pick up 27 points in 56 games while logging nearly 22 minutes a night.  Kurtis MacDermid took Girard’s place in the lineup on Thursday and with the Avs having seven other blueliners on the active roster, they shouldn’t need to recall anyone from AHL Colorado to take his place on the roster.  Such a move will likely need to be made for Landeskog, however, unless they decide to shift MacDermid to the wing and put Jack Johnson back in on defense.  Either way, lineup changes are coming in advance of their game tomorrow against Calgary.

Meanwhile, Mike Chambers of the Denver Post relays that blueliner Bowen Byram participated in his first full practice today in more than two months.  He has been dealing with post-concussion symptoms so the Avs will undoubtedly be cautious when it comes to working the 20-year-old back into the lineup but if he’s able to return soon, he’d certainly help absorb the blow of Girard’s absence.

Avalanche “Giving Space” To Bowen Byram During Concussion Recovery

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Colorado Avalanche defenseman Bowen Byram remains on personal leave after continuing to suffer from post-concussion symptoms, and general manager Joe Sakic doesn’t seem intent on rushing the prized young player back into the lineup anytime soon. Speaking today, as reported by The Denver Post’s Mike Chambers, Sakic had the following to say:

We’re giving him his space. He needs some time. He’s a great young hockey player (who) is going to have a long career… we want to make sure that when he does come back, there’s no lingering issues. And it’ll be on his time timetable.

Byram suffered a concussion in mid-November 2021 after already missing considerable time in during the 2020-21 season due to a concussion. After roughly two weeks, Byram came back to the team and played two games, but then remained out of the lineup for another month with symptoms. He returned to the team in the new year and played five games in early January, but hasn’t suited up since January 10th against Seattle. He took a personal leave from the team the following day.

Just 20 years old, the fourth-overall selection in 2019 had 11 points in 18 games this year, all the while playing 19:34 per game. The future is exceedingly bright for Byram, and many would agree that the team and Byram are both making the best choice here for his long-term health.

It’s not like the Avalanche are starving for point production from their back end. Cale Makar has 44 points in 40 games, Devon Toews has 32 in 33, Samuel Girard has 26 in 42, and even the veteran Erik Johnson is chipping in with 15 points.

When Byram does return to the lineup, though, hopefully with a sparkling clean bill of health, it’ll be an exciting moment for him and Avalanche fans. For the best, however, it seems as though that moment won’t come for a while yet.

West Notes: Byram, Oilers, Milano

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There is no timeline for Avalanche defenseman Bowen Byram to return from his leave of absence, notes Mike Chambers of the Denver Post.  The blueliner was a late scratch on Tuesday and Peter Baugh of The Athletic recently reported (Twitter link) that Byram doesn’t have another concussion but is dealing with symptoms that are likely related to the previous ones he has suffered that have gotten to the point where he didn’t feel he could play.  The 21-year-old has been a key part of Colorado’s lineup when he has been healthy, logging just shy of 20 minutes a game while chipping in with 11 points in 18 contests.  However, given his concussion history, it’s quite possible that Byram will be out for a while.

More from the West:

  • The Oilers are hoping that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins can resume skating next week, relays Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic (Twitter link). The center has been out since the start of the month with an undisclosed injury, a tough blow for an Edmonton team that has largely struggled for any consistent secondary scoring behind their two superstars.  Meanwhile, defenseman Kris Russell isn’t expected to return against Saturday against Ottawa; the veteran has been out for more than a month with an upper-body injury.
  • Ducks winger Sonny Milano left tonight’s game against Minnesota due to an upper-body injury, mentions Eric Stephens of The Athletic (Twitter link). He took an elbow to the face from Wild defenseman Jon Merrill and did not return.  The 25-year-old recently set a new career high in points and is up to 25 this season in 35 games.

Injury Updates: Kuemper, Byram, Boqvist, Murphy

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It appears as if Colorado’s goaltending situation will be tenuous for a little while.  Following last night’s victory in Montreal, Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar told reporters including Mike Chambers of the Denver Post that starting netminder Darcy Kuemper could be out for two days or two months, meaning that there’s no timeline for his return.  Kuemper is believed to have suffered his upper-body injury at Wednesday’s morning skate after taking a high shot which, coupled with Bednar’s comment, suggests that the veteran may be dealing with a concussion.  With Pavel Francouz only beginning his LTI conditioning loan on Wednesday, it will be Jonas Johansson’s crease for the time being.

Other injury news from around the league:

  • Still with the Avalanche, Chambers notes in a separate column that defenseman Bowen Byram’s injury isn’t a concussion but that it does pertain to the head injury he just came back from. That return only lasted two games and it wouldn’t be surprising of Colorado errs on the side of caution when it comes to determining when he returns.  When healthy, the 20-year-old has impressed with nine points in 13 games while averaging nearly 20 minutes a night on the back end.
  • The Devils announced (Twitter link) that they’ve activated center Jesper Boqvist from injured reserve. The 23-year-old has missed the last couple of weeks due to an upper-body injury and has split his season between New Jersey and their AHL affiliate in Utica.  With the Devils, he has one assist in five games but has eight points in seven minor league contests.  New Jersey had an open roster spot so no one needed to be sent down to make room for Boqvist on the active roster.
  • The Blackhawks have placed defenseman Connor Murphy in concussion protocol, relays Phil Thompson of the Chicago Tribune. There is no timetable for his return.  The veteran is second to Seth Jones in ATOI for Chicago’s defensemen at just under 22 minutes a night while leading the team in blocked shots with 48.

Central Notes: Strome, Byram, Zuccarello

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It wasn’t all that long ago that Blackhawks center Dylan Strome was viewed as a potential centerpiece player when he was drafted third overall by Arizona back in 2015.  Even as recently as 2019-20 when he had a good season with Chicago, he still looked like a part of a longer-term core in Chicago.  But since then, he has struggled mightily and it doesn’t appear as if other teams around the league believe he could rebound as Mark Lazerus of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that they haven’t been able to get a team to meet their asking price of a mid-round draft pick for Strome’s services.  The 24-year-old has just a goal and two assists this season in 12 games while being a frequent healthy scratch.  His AAV of $3MM is problematic while a $3.6MM qualifying offer looms large as well.  If a mid-round pick isn’t feasible, it appears that interim GM Kyle Davidson will need to consider some retention to try to find a new place for Strome to play.

Elsewhere in the Central:

  • The Avalanche will be welcoming back defenseman Bowen Byram tonight, notes Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now. The sophomore was off to a strong start to his season with eight points in 11 games while logging nearly 20 minutes a game before suffering an upper-body injury a little over two weeks ago.  Despite being IR-eligible, Byram has remained on Colorado’s active roster so no move to free up a roster spot will be needed.
  • While Wild winger Mats Zuccarello left Friday’s victory over Winnipeg after taking a slash in the hand, head coach Dean Evason told reporters including Dane Mizutani of the Pioneer Press that his absence was precautionary and that he could have returned if needed. However, Sarah McLellan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune relays (Twitter link) that the veteran was absent from practice today which could call into question his availability for Sunday’s game versus Tampa Bay.

Snapshots: Boqvist, Byram, Clifford, Cizikas

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It appears that Adam Boqvist has some work to do to get back into the lineup for the Blue Jackets.  Although he had been dealing with a lower-body injury, the defenseman has actually been a healthy scratch for the past two games, notes Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription link).  The 21-year-old was one of the key pieces coming back to Columbus as part of the Seth Jones trade over the summer but he has yet to take a step forward, logging just over 17 minutes a game in his first five contests while being held without a point.  Now, he’ll have to bide his time and for another opportunity to suit up.

More from around the league:

  • Avalanche defenseman Bowen Byram is out for tonight’s game versus San Jose, relays Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now. He took an elbow to the head from Vancouver’s Bo Horvat early in Thursday’s game and did not return.  While Byram cleared concussion protocol at the time, this development will force them to reassess his situation and he has been placed on injured reserve.  Ryan Murray will play in place of the youngster.
  • Blues winger Kyle Clifford has been removed from COVID protocol, reports Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link). The veteran has played just twice this season and went into the protocol at the beginning of the month.  Defenseman Torey Krug and goaltender Ville Husso remain on the list and unavailable to St. Louis.
  • Islanders center Casey Cizikas did not participate in practice today due to a non-COVID illness, mentions Newsday’s Andrew Gross (Twitter link). New York isn’t back in action until Monday so it’s quite possible that the 30-year-old doesn’t wind up missing any game action.

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