Colorado Avalanche: 5 Players Must Step Up in Johnson’s Absence

With cornerstone defenseman Erik Johnson out 6 to 8 weeks with a broken leg, five Colorado Avalanche players must step up in his absence.

The Colorado Avalanche lost their cornerstone defenseman on Saturday night. Erik Johnson will be out until mid to late January with a broken fibula.

This is a disaster for the team. The Avalanche, embarrassingly, are dead last in the NHL. Not last in the Central Division, as they have been for a while. Not last in the Western Conference, like they finished the 2012-13 season. They have the fewest points in the entire NHL — fewer even than the Arizona Coyotes and their cap floor team.

We’ve gone over and over what’s wrong with the team — and we’ll continue to do so — but there’s no doubt defense has been part of the problem. Whatever you say about Erik Johnson being a true number-one defenseman (you know I think he is), the truth is he is the Colorado Avalanche’s best defenseman. (Don’t talk to me about Tyson Barrie — Nick Holden‘s playing better than him in New York.)

Let’s have a quick look at the injury that took Erik Johnson out:

Johnson blocked a

shot with his leg, and his fibula broke. Let’s take a moment to celebrate something — EJ not only skated off the ice under his own power,

he finished his shift first on a broken leg

! That’s a hockey player for you.

Anyway, the Colorado Avalanche are going to need five of their players to step up in Johnson’s absence. (Number 5 might be a little surprising.)