Nicolas Roy is reportedly going to be out for a bit due to an upper-body injury, as reported by Head Coach Jared Bednar when he appeared on local radio
Head coach Jared Bednar hopped on 92.5 FM - Denver's Altitude Sports Radio to talk a bit about the recent stretch of Avalanche games and when prompted about Nicolas Roy and his sudden exclusion out of the lineup for a upper-body injury, Bednar stated the Avalanche will be without Roy "for a little bit" and don't want to rush him back and are willing to give him time to get to 100%.
It's unfortunate for the Avalanche for multiple reasons: how well Roy has started to acclimate to the team, Bednar's utilization of him in the lineup, and where he might fit best. In nine games played, he has three goals, one on the power play.
The other unfortunate factor is that when Logan O'Connor and Ross Colton returned to the lineup, we almost saw what a fully healthy Avalanche team would look like, something that has plagued this team for the past couple of seasons.
Artturi Lehkonen is still out, but with O'Connor making his debut and Landeskog back in almost a month's time, the only player still filling out the lineup is Zakhar Bardakov, and he will be replaced when Lehkonen is back, and the lines will shift again.
It will probably mean Joel Kiviranta might be coming out of the lineup to fit both Lehkonen and Roy, but having extra bodies like Kiviranta ready to come into the lineup every game is something the Avalanche haven't had the opportunity to do, often having to call someone up from the AHL Colorado Eagles.
With 12 games remaining, I don't doubt they might keep Roy out until the playoffs if they have to, but I can imagine they want him back in the lineup a couple of games before the season ends to help him ramp back up.
