In terms of CHIP (cap hit of injured players) they are middle of the pack.
The Jets, Bruins, Knights and Ducks amongst playoff teams have had it much worse.
Really? Interesting.
The Avs have had the following injuries:
Nathan MacKinnon $6.3 M AAV - 8 games lost
Erik Johnson - $6 M AAV - 20 games lost by the end of the season
Semyon Varlamov - $5.9 M AAV - Likely at least 10 starts lost as a result of injuries, perhaps more,
Tyson Barrie - $5.5 M AAV - 14 games lost
Colin Wilson - $4.25 M AAV - $3.97 M AAV - likely around 27 games lost
I would be curious to see the names and AAVs of the teams ahead of Colorado, just based on the AAVs noted above. I personally believe that CHIP can be a misleading statistic, much in the same way that some of the advance statistics are thrown around.
Vegas for instance, kind of pushes the limits of credibility as far as I am concerned.
In any event, I do not view any injuries as an excuse, it simply part of the game. The Avs are not a deep organization and they have to be accountable for the end results of that in the event of injuries.
I personally do not feel like the Avs are truly a playoff team this year or really should be.