Avalanche Enter Preseason Battling Injuries Already?

CENTENNIAL — Colorado, we have a problem.

The 2025-26 season has yet to begin, and it already appears injuries are becoming a factor. Nothing is confirmed until absences are noted on the first day of official on-ice training camp on September 18th but with less than a week until that checkpoint, there are some potentially impactful observations to make.

Mackenzie Blackwood

The starting goaltender has been a visible presence, though largely in a limited capacity. Scott Wedgewood has absorbed the bulk of the workload, while Blackwood has appeared curiously disengaged—at least to the untrained eye.

Brennan Vogt, of Hockey Mountain High and Mile High Hockey, confirmed what had been suspected: Blackwood was indeed participating in drills during the injured players’ skate with goaltending coach Jussi Parrkila, without seeing any shots, but any serious movement revealed a painful truth. Pushing off his right leg was a struggle, suggesting a lower-body injury.

What had initially looked like a lack of effort and an absence entirely of about a week was, in reality, the portrait of a goaltender battling through an injury.

Wedgewood was superb in net last season for Colorado, which eases immediate concerns. The more pressing question is depth, and there Trent Miner enters the conversation. A regular presence at recent optional skates, he now stands as the likely candidate to assume the backup role should Blackwood’s recovery extend into the season.

The larger issue at hand is on the blue line.

Samuel Girard

Vogt also uncovered the reason behind Samuel Girard’s extended absence from optional skates.

The defenseman had been active in early August, skating alongside Brent Burns, Brock Nelson, Middleton, and Kaeden Edstrom of the College of St. Scholastica, showing no visible issues at the time but had been absent for around a month since those early skates. Yet on Friday morning, he reappeared in a red non-contact sweater with other injured players such as Taylor Makar and Logan O’Connor. Vogt noted that Girard moved with unusual caution, a detail that points toward a likely lower-body injury and adds another layer of concern to Colorado’s already fragile preseason outlook.

What’s Next?

First, the good news is both Girard and Blackwood were on the ice so if they are dealing with injuries there shouldn’t be a significant timetable to return. But the red flag of caution should be more on the state of Colorado’s depth and the ability to absorb any type of absence that lingers into or pops up before the regular season.
For some Avalanche fans, the instinct might be to wonder whether Erik Johnson could return. The sentiment is understandable, but the roster reality says otherwise. Colorado already has a surplus of right-handed defensemen, while Girard, notably, is a left shot.

The more plausible scenario is Middleton stepping into the third pair alongside Burns, while Sam Malinski would temporarily take over Girard’s spot on the second line with Josh Manson. Burns and Middleton have been virtually inseparable throughout the offseason, logging consistent reps together since the August skates, and their chemistry is evident. An EJ reunion would be nostalgic, even poetic, but Johnson is expected to draw PTO interest elsewhere, not in Denver.

Middleton, meanwhile, is not without skeptics. He is not an elite blueliner, but he is a tireless worker, and those who have observed him closely know as much. He routinely lingers on the ice long after sessions conclude, grinding for hours. If he accepts his role and plays within it, there is no reason to expect failure. In fact, Middleton may very well play his way into the conversation for a more permanent spot, even if the odds remain long.

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