The Walking Dead: Slowly but surely, Avs getting healthier

For the first time in a few weeks, Avs fans finally got a little bit of good news on the injury front on Saturday.

Philipp Grubauer, Mikko Rantanen, and Nikita Zadorov all hit the ice for the first time since their injuries, which is a step in the right direction. While Rantanen simply skated on his own before practice, looking cautious testing out his injured left leg, Grubauer and Zadorov joined the team for practice. Grubauer did not make it through the entirety of practice, while Zadorov was able to make it through all of practice without any issues.

“Zadorov skated today, real good sign there,” Bednar said after practice. “Grubauer went out alone and then wanted to stay for a little bit of the practice, so that’s a positive sign too, although I don’t see him being ready for Winnipeg.”

The big news, of course, is Rantanen skating for the first time since he injured his leg on October 21 against St. Louis. Monday marked three weeks since the injury occurred, so it does appear that the injury may drag into the four to six week range that Bednar did not think it would hit when the injury first happened. Still, getting onto the ice is a good sign.

“He’s working out right now, getting stronger,” Bednar told the media. “That’s his first skate, as far as I know.”

Bednar did announce that Pierre-Edouard Bellemare was officially diagnosed with a concussion and is going through the protocol with the league. While there is no real timetable with an injury like that, Bednar did note that Bellemare is feeling better today and will go on the road trip with the Avalanche, as will Grubauer. Everyone else may join them down the line.

“There’s a chance [Zadorov] could join us on the trip,” Bednar said. “Bellemare is coming on the trip, Grubauer is coming on the trip, everyone is staying back. It doesn’t mean that any of those guys couldn’t join us later on the trip, Shawn (Allard) will be back here working with them.”

Mum is still the word on Captain Gabriel Landeskog and veteran winger Colin Wilson, as there are no updates on their injury timetables just yet and neither appear to have hit the ice since the injuries occurred.

NEWS AND NOTES FROM PRACTICE

• Bednar did say that the team is leaning towards calling up both a forward and a defenseman today to take on the road trip. The Avs depth is really getting tested at this point, but with some AHL veterans up, it will be interesting to see if any younger guys get the call.
• Cale Makar, who is basically a freak of nature, was named the NHL’s third star of the week after three goals and three assists in the Avs three games last week. He is now up to a point per game and looks every bit the special player he was advertised to be coming out of the NCAA.
• With more injuries occurring, there were, once again, new lines. The lines at practice today were: Calvert – MacKinnon – Donskoi, Nichushkin – Kadri – Compher, Nieto – Jost – Burakovsky, Tynan – Kamenev – Megna.
• You may be wondering why Valeri Nichushkin, a guy who has not scored a goal in 86 games, is now on the second line. Bednar is happy with the way he’s playing, even if he has been kept off the scoresheet. “I think he’s been pretty consistent, to be honest with you,” Bednar said after practice. “I feel like he has two really good scoring chances a game and hasn’t been able to put it in the back of the net. I just want to see him get one so he gets the monkey off his back. He’s got a great all around game, the only thing he hasn’t done is score.”
• Adam Werner showed off his ability in practice, making several big saves and getting some love from his goalie coach Jussi Parkkila. I spoke to him after practice for several minutes, so look for a story on him in the coming days.