We all knew it was coming, especially after the difficult year he just went through, but it appears to be official – Colorado Avalanche forward Darren Helm is retiring from the NHL.
Not unexpected, but forward Darren Helm announced his retirement after 16 years in the NHL. Helm, 36, was limited to just 11 games in 2022–23 due to injuries but spent his final two seasons in the league with the Avs after his first 14 in Detroit.
The Colorado Avalanche have a rich and mixed history with Game 7. They prevailed in the winner-take-all scenario to win the 2001 Stanley Cup, but dating back to 2002, they are 0-5 with everything on the line.
The Seattle Kraken will try to sweep the road set in Game 2 against the Colorado Avalanche Thursday night in Denver.
Defenseman Cale Makar and forward Darren Helm will be out indefinitely with lower-body injuries. Both players have dealt with injuries and missed consecutive games multiple times this season.
The Colorado Avalanche took four penalties in the second period, and it ended up being the difference in the game, according to their head coach. He didn’t agree with all of the penalty calls, however.
As Darren Helm left the ice at morning skate on Wednesday, he gave a head nod to Colorado Avalanche trainer Matt Sokolowski. That was his way of saying: I’m good to go.
Most notably, Bednar still has no timeline for a return on captain Gabriel Landeskog, who’s missed the entire season with a knee injury.
Injuries have caused the Avalanche to dress 24 different forwards this season as they look to find some options for the fourth line.
As if it wasn’t already bad enough in Colorado this season, Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar provided updates on several injuries, with no significant good news at the moment.
The Colorado Avalanche have gone from Stanley Cup champs to a team fighting to stay in the playoff hunt just 24 games into a title defense.
The Avs have lost more than their fair share of players to injuries as they approach the one-third mark of the season. There could be some help coming soon, though.
Speaking with reporters today, Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said there’s some “concern” over lingering injuries for both captain Gabriel Landeskog and Darren Helm.
There was speculation Josh Manson might go back to the Anaheim Ducks but he ultimately stays with the Colorado Avalanche. Manson signed a four-year contract extension at a reported cost of $4.5 million per season.
The Colorado Avalanche are trying to keep the band together. The team has re-signed two members of their Stanley Cup-winning team, as Valeri Nichishkin inked an eight-year deal and Andre Cogliano re-upped for one year.
Five Avalanche players tallied goals on Saturday night, led by two goals apiece from Valeri Nichushkin and Cale Makar. Josh Manson, Andre Burakovsky, and Darren Helm also scored for the Avalanche.
Tied 2-2 late in the third period, the Avalanche forward scored the go-ahead goal with six seconds left to send Colorado to the conference final for the first time since 2002.
Helm, 34, has played in 27 games for the Avalanche this season after signing a one-year, $1M contract in the offseason.
Come October, Helm will play his first NHL game outside of the Detroit Red Wings organization.
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