Avalanche Notebook: ‘No Timeline’ on New Injuries; Manson ‘Close’

The Colorado Avalanche were back on the ice Monday afternoon at Family Sports Arena. Unfortunately, they didn’t have enough bodies to practice as long as they would have hoped.

That’s because a few new injuries have appeared.

Erik Johnson, who left Saturday’s game against Florida after blocking a shot, will not be available tomorrow against Tampa.

“Out, no timeline,” Bednar said after practice.

And what about Pavel Francouz? Jonas Johansson was recalled from the Colorado Eagles and was present at practice Monday in place of Francouz.

“Out, no timeline,” Bednar said.

It was the same update for Cale Makar, who took part in practice, but wore a non-contact jersey. Gabriel Landeskog and Darren Helm were also given the same “no timeline” status update, although Helm skated hard on his own while the rest of the team practiced.

While Josh Manson is “close” after taking part in the practice, he is “not likely” to be an option for the game on Tuesday. Valeri Nichushkin missed practice on a maintenance day, but will play.

“It’s unclear,” Bednar said on the timelines for some of the injured guys. “I have no idea. There’s some guys that are still getting evaluated. We know Cale’s a head injury, so he’s out until he’s good. I don’t know when that’s going to be. It won’t be tomorrow.”

The injuries will require at least one, possibly two call-ups from the Eagles. The Avalanche moved Brad Hunt down to their AHL affiliate on Sunday, but don’t be surprised if he’s right back up with the team tomorrow.

Englund Steps Up

One player who stepped up his performance on Saturday when Johnson went down was Andreas Englund.

His 13:51 of ice time was the most he’s played in a game since Dec. 11 against St. Louis. His effectiveness on the ice was noticeable to Bednar.

“I thought he was great,” Bednar said of Englund. “Solid, really solid defensively. The defending on his half of the ice has been really good, and especially in that game. In a tight game, against a team that has a lot of firepower.”

Stay tuned to CHN for more updates as news comes in, and look for features in the next few days on the season J.T. Compher is having, as well as a piece on Nolan Pratt’s impact on the defense over the years.