Colorado Avalanche’s Bowen Byram left game early with upper-body injury

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Bowen Byram left Tuesday night’s game against the Anaheim Ducks early and did not return.

The injury occurred late in the second period of the game when Max Jones went for a hit on Byram, 22, and made contact with the upper-body. There’s no confirmation as to how long Byram may be out of the lineup with this injury, but Avs head coach Jared Bednar did specify after the game that it wasn’t head-related. Byram finished the game with a hit in 14:52 of ice-time as the Avs went on to win the game 3-2.

Byram has had a solid start to the season with five goals and three assists for eight points in 25 games, which is on pace for a career-high 26 points in a full 82-game season. He’s become one of the best goal-scorers on the blueline since entering the league in 2021, as his 0.39 5v5 goals per 60 minutes is tied for eighth in the league among defensemen with at least 2000 minutes of ice time.

Byram was the fourth-overall pick for the Avs in 2019, and he has spent the entirety of his four-year professional career with Colorado. He’s in the first year of a two-year contract with a $3.85 million cap hit, one that he signed in the 2023 offseason after the expiration of his entry-level deal.

The injury was a tough blow to their defensive depth in that game, as they were already without Cale Makar to start the game as he deals with a lower-body injury. It shouldn’t be a long-term concern though, as Bednar also mentioned after the game that Makar was close to returning to the lineup on Tuesday.

Despite the injuries, the Avalanche managed to snap a three-game losing streak with their win over the Ducks. They currently sit in first in the Central Division with a 16-7-2 record.