Alex Tanguay hasn’t suited up for the Avalanche since Nov. 2 because of knee and hip injuries, but head coach Patrick Roy is confident the veteran winger will return.
“Right now, he’s making a lot of progress,” Roy told the Denver Post. “He might skate after the Christmas break. We’ll see how it goes. As we speak, he is not out for the year, because of the progress he has made in the past week.”
Tanguay, 34, is out indefinitely after suffering a setback while recovering from his original knee injury -- it’s how he hurt his hip -- and, two weeks ago, Roy said the situation regarding the veteran’s health was “not good.”
Acquired from Calgary this offseason, Tanguay rejoined an organization with which he enjoyed great success (he captured the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2001, earned a Calder nomination in 2000 and made the All-Star team in 2004.)
The return to Denver seemed to provide a spark, as Tanguay started the season by scoring nine points in his first 13 games. The hope is to get him back at some point and have his experience and veteran leadership available for the playoffs (or, a playoff push.)
“I don’t want to put any exact (date) on things. But he’s going to play again I think,” Roy said.