DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Avalanche are dealing with plenty of uncertainty on the eve of their season opener.
For starters, they remain unsure precisely when Val Nichushkin may return from suspension. They're also unsure when captain Gabriel Landeskog (knee) or Artturi Lehkonen (shoulder) might be back on the ice. Down the road, they’re not sure when — or if — a deal may be struck that keeps Mikko Rantanen and Alexandar Georgiev in town beyond this season.
All that’s really known is this — the expectations remain high for a team that won a Stanley Cup title in 2022.
“We have our challenges,” said general manager Chris MacFarland, whose team kicks off the season Wednesday night in Vegas. “But I don’t want us to wait for the cavalry. I want us to be ready to go day one with the guys we have.”
The Avalanche have put together three straight seasons with 50 or more wins. That streak could be put to the test given their current predicament. Then again, they do have reigning league MVP Nathan MacKinnon and blue-line standout Cale Makar to rely on.
MacFarland said Nichushkin could be back in town as soon as the end of the month. But there's no precise timetable for when he can rejoin the team even with the suspension expected to be over as soon as mid-November.
Last May, the talented Russian forward was suspended for at least six months without pay and placed in stage 3 of the league’s player assistance program. It was the second straight postseason he was unavailable due to circumstances away from the ice.
“Val’s doing well, first and foremost,” MacFarland said Tuesday. “All the reports back from the league, the program doctors, is nothing but positive, which is obviously the most important thing."
Upcoming step, rebuild trust with his teammates.
“We all know people that struggle with addictions and these sort of things, and they’re tough situations,” MacFarland said. “The players, all they want to know is that Val’s healthy and that he understands the hurt that they went through, especially at playoff time. How they do that is something I’m certainly not going to comment on. That’s personal in the room, but I can tell you this, there’s not one single player that’s not going to welcome back Val with open arms.”
As for Landeskog, he's going through arduous rehab in an effort to return after missing two straight seasons due to a nagging right knee injury that led to cartilage replacement surgery. He hasn’t played since lifting the Stanley Cup when the Avalanche defeated Tampa Bay in Game 6 of the final in 2022.
“This is not the do X, Y and Z, and you’re back in four weeks, six weeks, six months,” MacFarland said. “This is as far from that as you can get. Everything is going well, but we've still got some work to do.”
Later this month, Lehkonen will see the doctor for a five-month checkup on his shoulder. That may give a clearer picture for a return.
“You’ve got to be careful with that,” MacFarland said. “You don’t want him to come back too soon and and then undo the fix that was implemented.”
In regard to a new deal with Rantanen and Georgiev, MacFarland said he’s always listening and his phone is always on. It could happen at any time, pointing to the deal that came together quickly with forward Logan O’Connor last month on a six-year extension.
“We’ve got a lot of hockey and a lot of season to be played," MacFarland said, “and a lot of things to sort out.”
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Colorado Avalanche right wing Nikolai Kovalenko, left, confers with center Nathan MacKinnon in the second period of an NHL preseason hockey game against the Vegas Golden Knights, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
FILE - Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon collects the puck in the third period of Game 6 of an NHL hockey playoff series Friday, May 17, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
FILE - Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon waits for play to resume in the second period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
Manchester City’s stunning slump continued Saturday with a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa in the Premier League.
Goals from Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers at Villa Park consigned the four-time defending champion to a ninth defeat in 12 games in a season that is unravelling. Pep Guardiola’s team has won just once during that run.
“We have to stay positive, even though it’s difficult, and we have to keep working hard,” City striker Erling Haaland said.
Phil Foden pulled a goal back for City in stoppage time, but it wasn’t enough to spark a late comeback.
City dropped to sixth in the standings — nine points below leader Liverpool, having played two games more. Villa climbed to fifth.
Nottingham is up to third after ending Brentford's unbeaten home record with a 2-0 win, and Newcastle routed Ipswich 4-0. West Ham drew 1-1 with Brighton.
City’s remarkable fall shows little sign of stopping, with Guardiola admitting last week that he had not been good enough to turn his team’s form around.
Defeat meant the once-dominant City is without a win in any of its last eight away games in all competitions. While it looks unlikely to win a fifth-straight title, a place in the top four and Champions League qualification could also be in jeopardy.
“We concede the goals we don’t concede in the past, we (don’t) score the goals we score in the past,” Guardiola said. “We have to think positive and I have incredible trust in the guys. Some of them have incredible pride and desire to do it. We have to find a way, step by step, sooner or later to find a way back.”
Only once under Guardiola has City managed to win the title when losing six times in the league. That was in the 2020-21 campaign, when it lost two of its last three games, having already been confirmed champion.
City lost nine times when Liverpool won the title in ’19-20, but its sixth defeat didn’t come until the February of that campaign. Guardiola also lost six times in the league in his first season in English soccer in ’16-17 and City finished third in the standings.
The latest defeat could have been even more emphatic against a dominant Villa.Duran scored his sixth goal in as many starts in the 16th minute from Rogers’ assist.
Duran had a goal disallowed for offside in the second half and Rogers hit the post before doubling Villa’s lead in the 65th.
Foden’s goal in the third minute of added time came too late for City.
James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Newcastle United's Jacob Murphy celebrates scoring during the English Premier League soccer match between Ipswich Town and Newcastle United at Portman Road, Ipswich, England, Saturday Dec. 21, 2024. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)
Newcastle United's Alexander Isak celebrates scoring during the English Premier League soccer match between Ipswich Town and Newcastle United at Portman Road, Ipswich, England, Saturday Dec. 21, 2024. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)
Nottingham Forest's Anthony Elanga, centre right, shoots on target during during the English Premier League soccer match between Brentford and Nottingham Forest at the Gtech Community Stadium, London, Saturday Dec. 21, 2024. (John Walton/PA via AP)
Nottingham Forest's Anthony Elanga, right, celebrates after scoring his sides second goal during during the English Premier League soccer match between Brentford and Nottingham Forest at the Gtech Community Stadium, London, Saturday Dec. 21, 2024. (John Walton/PA via AP)
Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola, center, and players leave the field at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers, center, celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
Aston Villa's Jhon Duran celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
Manchester City's Phil Foden reacts after Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
