Colorado Avalanche Forward Tyson Jost out with Injury

Colorado Avalanche forward Tyson Jost is out indefinitely with an injury sustained in his last game with the Colorado Eagles.

The Colorado Avalanche sent their 10th-overall draftee, Tyson Jost, to Loveland for conditioning.  He was injured in a high hit late in his fifth game with the Eagles.

Here’s the hit — Jost is #14 down at the bottom of the screen:

It’s hard to see exactly what happened since it’s a gif from a camera apparently mounted on the moon. However, Jost skated off of his own accord. The team has not said what the nature of the injury is. Here’s what Jared Bednar had to say:

"“He got hurt down in [Loveland] so he’s getting some medical attention. No timeline [for his return].”"

We’re not supposed to use curse words in our posts. However, think of the foulest curse streak you’ve heard. That’s how I feel about the news.

The Colorado Avalanche struggle with secondary scoring. Tyson Jost is supposed to be the future of the team’s secondary scoring. Hey, isn’t that part of the reason we felt comfortable trading our bona fide second line center, Matt Duchene?

There seems to be this weird expectation that players will develop themselves. The onus is completely on them to get better and to stay at that elite level. I’d say once you’re a veteran that may be true. But when you’re talking about a kid in his first few years, the onus is on the team to take the talent it has and develop it to the full potential.

Bednar’s philosophy on developing players has been the following:

"“If guys are going to sit here, I think they should go [to the AHL]. I just think it’s better for players to continue to play and develop instead of sitting around and watching.”"

Part of the reason he feels that way is he is was an AHL coach, so he knows the challenges of trying to win when your team has to keep sending its best players to the NHL team. So, essentially, he sent Jost down to get more playing time and to help the AHL affiliate win.

I’d be curious to know if that’s how GM Joe Sakic framed the situation to Jost when he enticed him to leave the University of North Dakota for the NHL. Or, I wonder if the conversation was more along the lines of, “We’re in one of the worst seasons of our franchise, so we can pop you into the NHL lineup right away. You’re part of the foundation of our rebuild, and we’re ready for you to take on that mantle.”

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Yes, Jost accepted that invitation. He was 19 years old and talking to a Hall of Famer.

What really frustrates me about the situation is it shows a level of ineptitude on the Avalanche’s part when it comes to player development. And, hey, that’s a problem. Because we’re not just talking about one 20-year-old whom the Avs picked 10th-overall a couple years ago.

We’re talking about another 20-year-old, Samuel Girard, who was the crown jewel of the Avalanche’s return for Duchene. We’re talking about another 20-year-old whom the Avs took in the second round a couple years ago, the injured Conor Timmins.

We’re talking about another 20-year-old whom the Avs chose in the first round of that draft, Cale Makar, whom everyone expects to turn pro this year. We’re talking about a 19-year-old, Martin Kaut, whom the Avs chose in the first round this year and who’s already playing in the AHL.

In other words, we’re talking about the entire future of the Colorado Avalanche — essentially almost everyone who’s not on the top line. The Colorado Avalanche is a team trying to build toward the future — and you can’t do that if you can’t even figure out what to do with a talented player like Tyson Jost.

And when your ineptitude at developing him results in an injury that sets him back in his career.

Anyway, I’m not going to speculate about what Jost’s injury is except to be hopeful. He skated off of his own accord, so hopefully it’s not anything too bad. I’m hoping it’s not the c-word. Maybe some shoulder issue.

Luckily, because Jost is so young, he should heal quickly. And hopefully he gets to play some more down at the AHL where at least he’s got linemate A.J. Greer looking out for him. Apparently the Colorado Avalanche aren’t ready for him.