Nathan MacKinnon has facial fracture and concussion

The news isn’t good on Nathan MacKinnon:

Bednar says MacKinnon has a facial fracture and a concussion and will miss the next three games.#GoAvsGo

— Conor McGahey (@ConorMcGahey) January 28, 2022

There are three more games, including tonight’s in Chicago, before the NHL All-Star break. MacKinnon is slated to be a player for the Central Division team. Will he be able to play in the game? We don’t know.

All we know is what the coach said this morning in Chicago. A lot of people think that MacKinnon might have suffered the brunt of his injuries when his head hit the ice – not from the stick being hit into his face from that collision with Taylor Hall. Who knows. All we know is the Avs’ top-line center is going to be out a while.

The concussion diagnosis worries me more than the facial fracture. We just have to hope it doesn’t last a long time.

The coach said Mikko Rantanen will slot in at first-line center tonight, with Valeri Nichushkin opposite Gabe Landeskog.

Per McGahey, Bednar also said Pavel Francouz starts in goal tonight.

Jonathan Toews was in concussion protocol this morning and presumably won’t play tonight for Chicago.