Manson Goes Down, and Colorado's Depth Chart Gets Thinner Still

Josh Manson left Thursday's game in New Jersey with a lower-body injury after what was already a rough opening period for Colorado — a shorthanded breakaway goal against, a deficit to chase. The Manson news made a bad night worse.

The timing matters because the Avalanche were already carrying real vulnerability elsewhere on the roster. At left wing, the drop-off behind Artturi Lehkonen is steep: Adam Beckman and Tristen Nielsen are listed second and third, and neither has registered meaningful production. At right wing, Fabian Lysell is the starter but has been well short of what you'd expect from that position. The forward group has holes. Adding a defensive injury on top of that spreads the concern across the whole roster.

On the blue line, Cale Makar and Devon Toews carry the load — that part is fine. Brett Kulak is the third option. Manson's absence, depending on duration, pushes Kulak into a larger role and leaves Colorado thin if anything else goes wrong back there.

No timetable on Manson yet. Worth watching over the next week or so how the coaching staff shuffles the defensive pairs and whether any forward depth moves follow.