The Avalanche welcomed back Logan O’Connor and Ross Colton to the lineup ahead of their 6-2 triumph over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday. This came two days after captain Gabe Landeskog returned and scored in Sunday’s victory in Washington.
But with the positive news came another injury. Center Nic Roy was a late scratch on Tuesday and did not play. The team announced that an upper-body injury had sidelined him.
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On Wednesday morning, Jared Bednar offered an update on his status. On his weekly Altitude Sports Radio segment, Bednar said Roy would miss some time. The coach said he prefers to give Roy ample time to recover from the ailment before the playoffs.
Without Roy, Colorado still has Nathan MacKinnon, Brock Nelson, Nazem Kadri, and Jack Drury lined up down the middle. Roy will likely be a full-time winger when everyone is healthy, and it would probably lead to Joel Kiviranta being a healthy scratch. The Avs’ depth gives Roy time to get healthy rather than playing injured.
This seems pretty similar to how things went in 2022. As the playoffs inched closer, the team didn’t have Landeskog available, and several other injuries were starting to pile on. They weren’t necessarily significant ailments, but since Colorado was comforatably No. 1 in the Western Conference, it allowed them plenty of time to get everyone feeling their best before the postseason.
Game 1 in the first round against the Nashville Predators in 2022 was one of the first games of the year with a completely healthy lineup. Especially after trade deadline acquisitions that included Artturi Lehkonen, Josh Manson, Andrew Cogliano, and Nico Sturm.
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The Avs are in no rush to get Roy back into the lineup. And if that means him sitting and Kiviranta playing more games before the postseason gets closer, then that’s fine.
The post Jared Bednar Offers Update On Nic Roy’s Status appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.