Avalanche forward Ross Colton “will miss some time” after blocking a kick in Monday’s loss to the Blackhawks, head coach Jared Bednar told reporters after the game, including Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette. He was mobile after the game, but left the Ball Arena in a boot.

It’s another tough break for a Colorado forward corps without Gabriel Landeskog, Arthur Lehkonen and Valery Niciuskin for the whole season and Jonathan Drouin for every game except the season opener. The latter is close to returning, with Rawal reporting over the weekend that Drouin has been updated on a day-to-day basis with the upper-body injury.

But for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations to simultaneously be missing its top four, especially for the better part of a month, rightly feels like a never-ending and insurmountable challenge.

Colton, 28, has stepped in to fill those voids as best he can. It is expected to be the center no. 3 in the back Nathan MacKinnon and Casey MittelstadtColton moved to left front line duties alongside MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen.

He responded with a team-leading eight goals and four power-play goals, averaging 18:38 per game, while maintaining his physical standard of play. He leads the team with 28 shots and leads Avs forwards with nine blocks, a trend that has unfortunately led to what looks to be a multi-week absence.

While Drouin is nearing a return, there is no indication if he is an option for Wednesday’s game against the Lightning. If he can, it will be a one-on-one trade in the lineup, with Drouin replacing Colton on the top line.

The Avalanche also have a full 23-man roster, meaning Colton must take Drouin’s spot on injured reserve. If Drouin can’t return, the Avalanche will likely dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen. They have eight defensemen and three goaltenders on the active roster, so they don’t carry an extra forward.

Colton scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal for Tampa Bay as a rookie in 2021 and had a career-high 40 points in 80 games for the Avs in 2023-24. It was his first season in Colorado after earning signing rights from the Bolts for a 2023 second-round pick.

After weeks of negotiations, the restricted free agent agreed to a four-year, $16 million deal to remain in Denver. He is in the second season of that deal and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2027.