Avalanche Notebook: Who Wants Injury Updates?

It was a light practice for the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday.

One night after defeating the Anaheim Ducks by a score of 3-2, the team had an optional skate. Given their schedule over the next few weeks, where they play every other night, I’d expect this to be pretty common throughout December.

The roll call for Wednesday on the ice is as follows: Ivan Prosvetov, Fredrik Olofsson, Joel Kiviranta, Kurtis MacDermid, Caleb Jones, Jack Johnson, Sam Malinski, Cale Makar, and Andrew Cogliano.

Obviously, those last two stick out in a good way.

After practice, Jared Bednar was optimistic that both of them may be ready for Thursday’s matchup against the Winnipeg Jets.

“I think so. Cale, the same way,” Bednar said when asked if both could be an option to play tomorrow. “I think we’ll know our lineup by morning.”

Bowen Byram, who left the game last night after a big hit from Max Jones, did not skate, but he was on the bench during practice and looked to be in good spirits. Bednar said he was doing “good” this morning.

“He caught a workout this morning, did some treatment, so hopefully he’s good for tomorrow,” he said.

I would anticipate Valeri Nichushkin will also be an option tomorrow, as he was under the weather on Tuesday and the Avalanche thought he might play, but we’ll find out in the morning.

Other News And Notes

• When asked if the Avalanche think Artturi Lehkonen could return before the New Year, Bednar said they weren’t sure just yet. “We’re not there yet,” he said.
• Bednar did have high praise for Anaheim’s young star Leo Carlsson, who looks like he’s going to be a handful to deal with for a long time.
  • “He’s going to be elite,” Bednar said. “Big, long guy that’s only going to get stronger. He’s a great skater, and he’s got silky hands. I think he’s an intelligent player with a skillset that’s off the charts.”