Avalanche's Ross Colton: Gets empty-netter in return
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Colton scored an empty-net goal in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Penguins.
Colton capped the scoring for the Avalanche in his return from a six-game absence due to an upper-body injury. The 29-year-old slotted onto the second line, but he may move down to the third line once Artturi Lehkonen (upper body) and Nicolas Roy (upper body) are healthy. Colton has been limited to nine goals, 24 points, 138 shots on net, 138 hits and a plus-13 rating over 61 appearances this season, down from 29 points in the same number of regular-season outings a year ago.
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Avalanche's Ross Colton: Will miss Sunday
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Colton (upper body) isn't in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Capitals, Corey Masisak of The Denver Post reports.
Colton will miss a sixth consecutive game, as he didn't take the ice for warmups ahead of Sunday's contest. The 29-year-old has 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) in 60 games on the season. His next chance at a return will be Tuesday on the road against the Penguins.
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Avalanche's Ross Colton: Not playing Wednesday
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Colton (upper body) won't play versus the Stars on Wednesday, per the NHL media site.
Colton will miss his fourth consecutive game. The 29-year-old forward's status hasn't been officially updated by the Avalanche since he was hurt March 10 versus the Oilers. Colton's next chance to play is Friday versus the Blackhawks.
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Avalanche's Ross Colton: Sidelined for Monday's game
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Colton (upper body) will miss Monday's home game against the Penguins, per the NHL Media Site.
Colton is slated to miss his third straight game after sustaining an upper-body injury against the Oilers on Tuesday. His absence is a notable one for the Avalanche's offense, as the 29-year-old winger has 23 points and 137 shots on net across 60 contests this season. Until further updates are provided, Colton can be considered day-to-day, making his next chance to return Wednesday in a home matchup against the Stars.
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Avalanche's Ross Colton: Out Thursday
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Colton (upper body) isn't expected to play Thursday versus Seattle, per Corey Masisak of The Denver Post.
Colton suffered the injury during Tuesday's game against Edmonton. He has eight goals and 23 points in 60 appearances in 2025-26. The Avalanche are expected to dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen Thursday, which should result in Nick Blankenburg drawing back into the lineup.
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Avalanche's Ross Colton: Hurt in Tuesday's game
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Colton sustained an upper-body injury in Tuesday's game versus the Oilers.
Colton was missing from the bench in the second period and ultimately got ruled out during the third. He scored a goal in the opening minute, snapping a nine-game point drought with his eighth tally of the season. More information on Colton's status should be available prior to the start of the Avalanche's two-game road trip, which kicks off in Seattle on Thursday.
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Avalanche's Ross Colton: Scores again Saturday
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Colton scored a goal on three shots in Saturday's 5-0 win over the Red Wings.
Colton may have broken the dam Thursday -- he's now got two goals in two games after going 26 contests without scoring. For the season, the 29-year-old forward is at seven goals, 22 points, 120 shots on net, 103 hits and a plus-14 rating. He's shooting just 5.8 percent in 2025-26, so there's still some room for improvement, though he'll need to be careful not to lose momentum due to the upcoming Olympic break.
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Avalanche's Ross Colton: First goal in 26 games
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Colton (lower body) scored a goal Thursday in a 7-3 loss to the Canadiens.
Colton had missed three games. He played 12:37 with two shots, three hits and one block. The goal was Colton's first in 26 games (eight assists). We'd like to recommend him as a depth fill on your roster, but we need to see more offense before that's a sensible option.
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Avalanche's Ross Colton: Will miss another game
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Colton (lower body) didn't take part in warmups and will miss Sunday's contest against the Maple Leafs, Corey Masisak of The Denver Post reports.
Colton will miss a second straight game due to an injury sustained Wednesday against the Ducks. His status remains day-to-day, so there's a chance that he could return Wednesday in Ottawa. The 29-year-old has five goals and 15 assists in 48 games on the season.
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Avalanche's Ross Colton: Dealing with upper-body injury
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Colton is questionable against the Predators on Friday due to an upper-body injury, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.
Colton joins a growing list of injured forwards in Colorado, as the team remains without Gabriel Landeskog (upper body) and Joel Kiviranta (lower body). The Avs were already practicing without a full complement of 12 forwards Thursday, so they may need multiple call-ups from the minors ahead of Friday's contest.
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Avalanche's Ross Colton: Bags apple Monday
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Colton notched an assist, two shots on goal, two hits and two PIM in Monday's 5-2 win over the Kings.
Colton has had a quiet December, earning just two assists with 23 shots on net, 24 hits and a plus-1 rating over 13 appearances this month. The 29-year-old can do better than that, but the Avalanche's current good health at forward has seen him slip into a bottom-six role. Colton is at 15 points, 80 shots, 88 hits and a plus-9 rating over 38 appearances this season and will be one of the Avalanche's most versatile options in the lineup.
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Avalanche's Ross Colton: Nets opening goal Wednesday
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Colton scored a goal on two shots and added two hits in Wednesday's 6-0 win over the Sharks.
Colton's unassisted tally at 3:39 of the first period was all the Avalanche ultimately needed in this blowout win. The 29-year-old winger has three goals and an assist over his last six outings. For the season, he's at five goals, 12 points, 55 shots, 58 hits and a plus-6 rating in 23 appearances, production that's earned him a spot on the second line in the absences of Valeri Nichushkin (lower body) and Gavin Brindley (lower body).
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Avalanche's Ross Colton: Adds empty-netter
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Colton scored an empty-net goal on five shots in Thursday's 6-3 win over the Rangers.
Colton has scored in back-to-back games for the first time this season, and he's gotten on the scoresheet in three straight outings. The 29-year-old forward has found a little chemistry with Brock Nelson on the second line. Colton is up to four goals, 11 points, 44 shots on net, 45 hits and a plus-4 rating through 20 appearances. He's a reliable option for 30-40 points when healthy for the full season, and that should hold true if he can maintain his spot on the second line.
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Avalanche's Ross Colton: Nets game-tying goal in win
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Colton scored a goal on four shots and added four hits in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Islanders.
Colton has two goals and three assists over his last six games. His tally Sunday tied the game at 1-1 early in the second period, and the Avalanche gained the lead just 1:19 later on a Victor Olofsson goal. Colton is up to three goals, 10 points, 39 shots, 45 hits and a plus-3 rating through 19 appearances. His physical playing style makes him an option for fantasy managers in deeper formats, especially while he's seeing consistent middle-six minutes.
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Avalanche's Ross Colton: Buries goal Tuesday
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Colton scored a goal on three shots in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Lightning.
Colton's tally was his first since Oct. 9 versus the Mammoth. The 29-year-old remains a decent depth scorer with a physical edge in the Avalanche's middle six. Colton has six points, 26 shots on net, 35 hits, five PIM and a minus-1 rating over 14 outings this season.
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Avalanche's Ross Colton: Nets opening goal in win
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Colton scored a goal on four shots and added two hits in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Mammoth.
Colton tallied midway through the first period to open the scoring. The 29-year-old has been playing on the wing in a third-line role to begin 2025-26, and he's unlikely to see a larger role as long as the Avalanche stay relatively healthy at forward. He's picked up four hits and five shots on net over two games. Colton exceeded 30 points in three straight years before just missing that mark in the 2024-25 regular season, so he has some appeal in deeper fantasy formats, especially in those that count hits.
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Avalanche's Ross Colton: Participating in informal skates
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Colton (groin) participated in Monday's informal skate, per Brennan Vogt of Hockey Mountain High.
Colton hasn't been limited during on-ice sessions ahead of training camp, indicating he is back to full health after missing Colorado's final six playoff games. He compiled 16 goals, 29 points, 125 shots on net, 42 blocked shots and 145 hits across 61 regular-season appearances in 2024-25. Colton will probably occupy a bottom-six role this campaign and could compete for power-play time on the second unit.
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Avalanche's Ross Colton: Won't play during opening round
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Colton (lower body) is not expected back during Colorado's first-round series against Dallas, Meghan Angley of Guerrilla Sports reports Tuesday.
Colton has already been shelved for eight of the Avs' last nine games and now will miss two more -- assuming the series goes a full seven games. Even once cleared to play, Colton will likely be relegated to a bottom-six role, especially following the return of Gabriel Landeskog from a long-term knee injury.
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Avalanche's Ross Colton: Remains out Saturday
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Colton (lower body) won't play in Saturday's Game 4 matchup against the Stars, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports.
Colton will miss his third game after suffering the injury in the series opener, and it's unclear when he will be ready to return to the lineup. Once Colton is healthy, Parker Kelly might be a healthy scratch.
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Avalanche's Ross Colton: Out for Game 3
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Colton (lower body) won't play in Wednesday's Game 3 versus the Stars, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports.
While Colton will be out for a second straight game, the Avalanche will welcome back captain Gabriel Landeskog for this contest. Colton's next chance to play is Saturday in Game 4. When he's ready to return, Colton will likely bump Parker Kelly, Joel Kiviranta or Logan O'Connor out of the lineup.
