The Colorado Avalanche are three games into the season and already feeling the bite of the injury bug. The Avs confirmed a key loss following Saturday night’s 5-4 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars.
Blueliner Samuel Girard is out with an upper-body injury. The early prognosis is week-to-week, meaning that Girard could miss some significant time this season. The injury presumably occurred during Thursday night’s win over the Utah Mammoth.
Update: Samuel Girard is week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) October 11, 2025
The club also announced a corresponding move, recalling Jack Ahcan from the Colorado Eagles on Sunday. Ahcan had been off to a hot start in the AHL. So, he’ll likely draw into the seventh defenseman role for the time being.
Jack Ahcan has been recalled from the Colorado Eagles. pic.twitter.com/nyHPT5VEgY
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) October 12, 2025
Girard has dealt with several injury issues in previous seasons. It remains to be seen if this injury is related to a preseason ailment that prevented him from playing in preseason action. There is no more information at this time.
Girard has two years remaining on this current contract at $5 million per season. Girard played in 73 games last season, scoring three goals and 24 points. He was limited to 59 games the previous season.
Burns to rise on depth chart, Solovyov to remain in lineup
Girard’s injury has had a cascading effect on the Colorado Avalanche’s blueline depth. The expectation will be for Brent Burns to remain on the middle pairing with Josh Manson. The 40-year-old Burns has hardly looked his age so far this season. So, he should provide stability at a crucial time.
Meanwhile, recent waiver claim Ilya Solovyov should stick Sam Malinski on the bottom pairing. Solovyov made his season debut on Saturday night against the Stars, seeing action for just under 10 minutes on the night.
As for Ahcan, there’s a chance he gets into the lineup in place of Solovyov. However, the Avalanche may want to get Solovyov into the fold due to his size and physicality. The 6’3”, 208-pound blueliner gives the Avalanche a physical dimension they have been lacking in recent history.
Still, Ahcan could get into the lineup at some point to provide the Avalanche a long look before staying with the club or heading back down to the AHL.