Avalanche Depth Center Out Four More Weeks

Both the Colorado Avalanche and Eagles have had injury issues all year. The Avalanche have been well documented as their captain Gabriel Landeskog has yet to play a game in this season’s campaign. The Eagles are having so many issues that they are signing players to professional tryout agreements (PTO) just to make ends meet. One depth center that both teams are missing is Mikhail Maltsev.

Maltsev, who was a regular call-up for the Avalanche last season, was injured in a game against the Iowa Wild on November 25, 2022. Initially, Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar told the press that Maltsev had a knee injury and that he would be out about eight weeks. At the time, Maltsev would have been one of the first choices to be called up because he had four points in four games with the Eagles. 

Maltsev would have been an option for a callup but Bednar confirmed that he was injured in last nights game against Iowa. He is going to miss some time. #GoAvsGo #Avs #EaglesCountry

— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) November 26, 2022

The Injury

What really happened was that Maltsev had taken a skate blade to the thigh right above the knee. This separated the quadriceps tendon from the rest of the knee and left him unable to walk without surgery. As I was told last night by Eagles head coach Greg Cronin:

“He had a skate that cut right below his quad muscle into the tendon. So, he had it surgically repaired and that’s the tendon that controls all your quads down your kneecap. So it’s a long process,” Cronin said.

Cronin added that, yes, he had been out the eight weeks, but Maltsev would be looking at even more time away from the team. Coach had been told that he would be looking at the three month range to get healthy. This would put Maltsev coming back to the Eagles at the end of February, and this is the best case scenario. 

Why This Is Important

Maltsev has been a key feature to the Eagles’ offense when he is with the team. He is often on the first power play unit and had a career high 48 points last season in Loveland. He was often one of the first choices for Coach Bednar to call to Denver to fill in on the fourth line as well. Maltsev provides speed down the middle and does it with flair. He is one of the players that never gives up on the play and has flashy hands if you give him space. 

So Maltsev DOES practice the between the legs shot 🤔. #GoAvsGo #Avs #EaglesCountry pic.twitter.com/At49zUbZpP

— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) September 27, 2022

Colorado had to make a trade just to create more depth down the middle. The Avalanche traded Dryden Hunt to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Denis Malgin on December 19. If Maltsev was not hurt, this trade may have never happened in the first place. Malign himself now sits on the injured reserve list with a lower body injury; his timeline is unknown. 

Conclusion

The Eagles eagerly awaits the return of Mikhail Maltsev. In the meantime, they have found ways to win just like the Avalanche have. The Eagles have crept into third place in the AHL’s Pacific Division and are only six points out of second. With 34 games remaining in the season, a lot can still happen. But, the return of Maltsev will surely help.