Updates On Avalanche Depth Forward’s Injury

LOVELAND, Colo. – On January 22, it was reported that Mikhail Maltsev would be out another four weeks due to his gruesome injury. During the November 25 game against the Iowa Wild, Maltsev got sliced just above the knee by a skate blade. Reports said in January that Maltsev would be out only an additional four weeks until he would join the team. The depth forward has been a key to both the Colorado Eagles and the Avalanche.

Now, updates from both Eagles head coach Greg Cronin and VP of Communications and Broadcasting Kevin McGlue that Maltsev’s timeline is unclear. 

The Injury 

As aforementioned, 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 mentioned on January 21 by Coach 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 added that, yes, he had been out the eight weeks by that point, 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.

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The Situation 

McGlue mentioned this evening that Maltsev has skated by himself in Loveland. He emphasized that the timeline is very unclear on when he will rejoin the team, unfortunately. In just twelve games played with the Eagles, Maltsev put together nine points. He has also played five games with the Colorado Avalanche with no points.

Maltsev is typically the go-to centerman for the Avalanche to call up when in need of speed down the middle and in the bottom-six. This not only hurts the Colorado Eagles and their scoring depth, but the way that the Avalanche approach their call-ups.

Conclusion

There will be a continued effort to check on Maltsev’s recovery and rehabilitation regarding his gruesome injury. At this time, the organization is planning on him returning to the club relatively soon, it seems. There is no worry from either Cronin or McGlue on whether he won’t be able to play this season again.