The Colorado Avalanche, already without Matt Duchene, lost forward Nathan MacKinnon to injury during Friday’s game against the Calgary Flames.
He left the game in some discomfort. The team hasn’t ruled him out of any games, but acknowledged that he suffered a knee injury. They’re expected to update his situation Saturday after he is re-evaluated.
Additionally, the team lost recently acquired defenseman Eric Gelinas to an elbow injury. He has been ruled out indefinitely.
Gelinas’s injury occurred after he took a hard hit into the boards that sent him immediately to the locker room.
With the absence of Duchene reported to be projected at around a week and MacKinnon’s situation a little hazy, the team has recalled 2015 first round draft pick (10th overall) Mikko Rantanen from the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL.
Given an opportunity in the NHL early in the season, Rantanen struggled, putting up no points in six games while averaging just 9:13 of ice time per game. Through just 44 AHL games, he leads the Rampage with 21 goals and 52 points. He’s played fewer games than teammates both because of his time in the NHL early in the year and the Avalanche lending him to the Finnish National Team for the 2016 World Junior Championship, where he helped the Finns to gold on home ice.
