Gavin Brindley’s season has already become a study in movement between levels, and now the Colorado Avalanche are calling on him again.
The Avalanche recalled Brindley from the AHL’s Colorado Eagles on Friday, coming one day after Nathan MacKinnon left a 4-3 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators with a lower-body injury. It is not the kind of opening Colorado wanted to create, but it does give Brindley another chance to make his case in the NHL.
Brindley, 22, has been productive in the AHL. In 10 games with the Eagles, he posted six goals and 10 assists, showing the kind of offensive touch that keeps him in the conversation.
His NHL work has been far more limited, though, and the numbers reflect that. In five games with the Avalanche this season, he has one assist and is averaging 8:54 of ice time.
Still, the raw totals only tell part of the story. Brindley brings the speed and instincts that helped make him a second-round pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2023 NHL Draft. The task now is turning those traits into steady production against better competition.
He nearly had a breakthrough against the Dallas Stars on October 14, when a wrist shot rang off both goal posts and looked for a moment like it had gone in before replay wiped away the celebration.
That kind of razor-thin margin has been part of Brindley’s early NHL experience. One bounce can change the night. One shot can change the conversation.
For Colorado, MacKinnon’s status is still up in the air, and no one is asking Brindley to step into that role. But the Avalanche do need help across the lineup if this injury lingers.
Colorado has enough established talent to absorb a short-term setback. A longer one is a different matter, and that’s where younger players have to show they can carry more weight.
The Avalanche did not plan to be testing that depth this early. Injuries forced the issue, and Brindley is back in the middle of it, with another chance to prove he belongs.
In Other News...
Avalanche Head To Montreal With A Massive MacKinnon Makar Concern
The Avalanche left Ottawa with more than a loss to sort through, as Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar both exited with lower-body injuries and their availability for the next stop in Montreal is now up in the air. For a Colorado team that leans heavily on both stars in every situation, the timing could hardly be worse, and coach Jared Bednar offered no postgame update to ease the concern.
Montreal is waiting with a little momentum of its own after a 5-2 win over Boston, and rookie goaltender Jacob Fowler has continued to build on a strong start to his season. Even so, the Canadiens confidence will matter less to Colorado than the status of its two biggest names, because the matchup changes quickly if either MacKinnon or Makar cannot go. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Suddenly Face A Brutal Test With MacKinnon Sidelined
The Avalanche are suddenly staring at a stretch they would rather not have to navigate, with Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar both expected to be out for some time after injuries suffered against the Ottawa Senators. For a team built around elite pace and high-end skill, losing two of its most important players at once changes the look of everything, from the top line to the power play and the overall margin for error.
It puts extra pressure on the rest of the roster to hold the line while Colorado waits for its stars to get healthy again. The timing is especially awkward because the Avalanche have been leaning on their core to drive results, and now they have to find a way to stay afloat without two players who shape so much of what they do. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Showed One Encouraging Sign In A Frustrating Overtime Loss
The Avalanche left Canadian Tire Centre with a frustrating 4-3 overtime loss to the Senators, but there was at least one encouraging sign buried in the result. Colorado dug out of a 2-0 hole with goals from Artturi Lehkonen, Parker Kelly and Gabriel Landeskog, showing the kind of push-back that had been missing at times when games have started to slip away.
Jared Bednar had reason to point to the special teams and the overall effort as positives, even if the standings reward went to Ottawa after Shane Pinto ended it in overtime. For a team trying to stack better habits on top of better results, the comeback mattered almost as much as the point it cost them, because it showed the Avalanche can still find a way back into a game when it starts to tilt the wrong direction. [Read more 🡒]