The Colorado Avalanche will have to soldier on without superstar Nathan MacKinnon for the foreseeable future. Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Avalanche star C Nathan MacKinnon out indefinitely with upper-body injury

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated Mar 29, 2022 3:49 PM ET

The best team in the NHL has been dealt a significant blow, as Colorado Avalanche star center Nathan MacKinnon has been ruled out for Tuesday's game against the Calgary Flames with an upper-body injury, and there is not timeline set for his return. Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said Tuesday that MacKinnon is headed back to Denver for evaluations and there is a "high" level of concern regarding the injury.

Additionally, Bednar said that "it's possible" that the injury was sustained during MacKinnon's fight with Matt Dumba of the Minnesota Wild on Sunday.

Peter Baugh of The Athletic noted that Tuesday's news is particularly rough, considering the already high number of injuries that Colorado is dealing with.

The #Avs are currently without Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, Samuel Girard, Bowen Byram and Ryan Murray in the lineup, which is, according to my analysis, not ideal for Colorado.
— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) March 29, 2022

Logan O'Connor on the Nathan MacKinnon injury: "Everyone's got to step up. ... He'd want it that way as well."
— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) March 29, 2022

A three-time Hart Trophy finalist, MacKinnon is third on the Avalanche in assists (48), fourth in points (70) and fifth in goals (22), despite missing 15 games this season.

Victor Barbosa

Victor Barbosa is a passionate follower of MLB, the NBA and NFL, with a deep interest in Boston-area teams. He graduated from Springfield College -- The Birthplace of Basketball -- in 2013 with a degree in Communications-Sports Journalism. Previous bylines include FanSided, Heavy and Syracuse

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