Duchene Expects to Return Thursday vs. Devils

Wayyyyy ahead of schedule, Duchene is expected to play tomorrow night against the New Jersey Devils according to Adrian Dater of The Denver Post, via Twitter. Figure he draws back in on the third line.

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Turns out, Duchene might be OK. With his Colorado Avalanche in the thick of a playoff race, Duchy is clearly rushing back into the lineup to lend a helping hand. According to Adrian Dater of The Denver Post, the former 3rd overall pick won’t play tonight but hopes to get back into the lineup soon. Those of you with an open IR slot might want to stash him away for the fantasy hockey playoffs.

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3/8/12: As expected, Duchene is lost for the remainder of the fantasy hockey season. The Avalanche announced over Twitter this morning that he will require 3-4 weeks of rest but won’t need surgery. The best-case scenario would put him back in the lineup for the last week of the regular season which is a risk you frankly should not take in non-keeper formats.

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Typically when your team holds a big lead, you bench your star players. Yet Colorado Avalanche head coach Joe Sacco still ran Matt Duchene onto the ice despite his team scoring five consecutive goals through two periods. Duchene, who already missed significant time due to injury, was centering the third line before brutally injuring himself.

According to Adrian Dater of The Denver Post, via Twitter, the former 3rd overall pick could not leave the ice under his own accord. If you click the link above, you can clearly see why.

At this point it would not be shocking for Duchene to miss the remainder of the regular season. Stay tuned for an official update from the team.