Nathan MacKinnon News

MacKinnon participated in the team's optional practice on Tuesday and head coach Jared Bednar expects to have him back in the lineup on Wednesday. The Avalanche went 1-1-1 in three games without MacKinnon but his return will provide a massive boost for a team still dealing with a ton of injuries.

MacKinnon skated in a non-contact sweater during Monday's morning skate but will not play vs. the Coyotes. Head coach Jared Bednar said that MacKinnon is "doing great" and could play in their next game.

MacKinnon left Sunday's game in the third period with a lower-body injury and head coach Jared Bednar called him week-to-week on Tuesday. With MacKinnon out on Tuesday, J.T. Compher will move up between Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen and Sheldon Dries will draw into the lineup.

MacKinnon left Monday's game with a lower-body injury after getting tangled up with Martin Frk. The 1-2 week timeline means MacKinnon will miss 4-8 games. Martin Kaut was recalled from Colorado (AHL) and will draw into the lineup to replace MacKinnon on Wednesday. However, Vladislav Namestnikov could be the one to shift to centre on the first line.

MacKinnon was forced to leave Thursday's game with an upper-body injury but it was deemed "precautionary" so it's not a big surprise that he is expected to play Monday. MacKinnon was tremendous on Thursday night, picking up four points (1G / 3A) and 10 shots in just 14:28 TOI. He is tied for sixth in the NHL in points with 22 (9G / 13A) in 16 games.

MacKinnon is dealing with a lower-body injury and is questionable for Friday's game in Florida. If MacKinnon is unable to play, head coach Jared Bednar said that Nazem Kadri will move up and centre the first line and J.T. Compher will centre the second line.

Mackinnon was back skating with Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen at practice on Saturday. He has 61 points in 49 games for the Avalanche this season (24G/37A). Colorado went 4-4 without Mackinnon in the lineup.

Mackinnon appeared to be ready to return as he was a full participant at Thursday's practice, but shortly after the Avs announced he would not be travelling to Winnipeg. His next chance to return is Sunday vs. Edmonton.

MacKinnon is two weeks into a 2-4 week timetable, so he appears to be right on track in his recovery. The next step is for MacKinnon to ditch the no-contact sweater, which could happen later this week. MacKinnon will need a few practices before he’s set to return to the lineup.

It looks like the Avalanche avoided disaster here as MacKinnon’s shoulder injury is only expected to sideline him for about one week. The Avalanche likely won’t disclose a full timetable until Thursday but the preliminary indications are positive. MacKinnon won’t play Thursday but has not officially been ruled out for Saturday’s game.

MacKinnon was hurt in Tuesday’s overtime loss in Vancouver and won’t play in Edmonton. This is a horrible loss for the Avalanche, who have been absolutely carried by MacKinnon since the Matt Duchene trade. Since then, MacKinnon leads the NHL with 49 points (21G / 28A) in 36 games. It sounds like he is more day-to-day than long-term so monitor his status heading into the weekend.

MacKinnon, 20, was the first overall pick in 2013 and is coming off of three strong seasons to start his NHL career. In 2015-16, MacKinnon had 21 goals and 31 assists (52 points) in 72 games. He has missed 28 games over the three years, but has scored at a strong pace—22 goals, 35 assists per 82 games. Entering his age 21 season, expect MacKinnon to take another step forward.

The Avalanche announced earlier in the week that MacKinnon would be shutdown for the week and reevaluate his status on Sunday. It doesn’t sound like he has improved as he and Matt Duchene will miss the Avs’ two-game road trip in Nashville and St. Louis.