Gavin Brindley has had a career year. But even then, it’s been filled with plenty of downs along with its ups for the Colorado Avalanche.

As of late, there have been a ton of downs for the young rookie. Jared Bednar touted him earlier this year as a potential top-six forward, but he hasn’t lived up to those lofty expectations.

Brindley’s highs

Brindley was a lovely surprise coming into training camp. He was brought in as part of a deal from the Columbus Blue Jackets for Miles Wood and Charlie Coyle.

It appeared he wasn’t meant to be much, despite having some flair in his game. His time at the University of Michigan was stellar and put him on the map with 53 points in 40 games in his final season.

When he made the team out of training camp, he was touted as the hotshot rookie who could be an X-factor this season. He started the year like it, with his first career goal in his fourth NHL game against the Dallas Stars.

His stretch at the end of October and the beginning of November was legendary. He scored six points in six games, all while playing in the bottom six.

In that stretch, there was a goal and an assist against the Edmonton Oilers in a big win. The next night against the Vancouver Canucks, he scored the game-winning goal for the first overtime win of the season in spectacular style.


That stretch earned him a new two-year deal with an AAV of $875,000 starting next season. Just a few nights later, against the Buffalo Sabres, he put up another goal and an assist.

Brindley’s impressive run made him appear he would be in for the long run. However, after his nice November, it’s been unimpressive since then.

Brindley’s downs

Brindley got injured soon, right before he popped up with a minor concussion against the Vegas Golden Knights, but bounced back nicely. Just a few weeks later, he suffered a lower-body injury against the New York Rangers, which left him out for nearly a month.

In his first game back against the Florida Panthers, he put up a goal and an assist. But after that, he didn’t record points again until one month later against the Columbus Blue Jackets with two apples.


After that, he didn’t score again until after the Olympic Break against the Chicago Blackhawks. He’s gone through extremely long scoreless droughts, and his ice time has dwindled.

He went from averaging 8-10 minutes a night earlier in the year to being around 3-7 minutes in close games. Since the end of January, he’s played more than 10 minutes only three times.

So what’s going on with Brindley?

Especially as of late, it’s been peculiar why he’s been playing less and less. With Bednar touting him as a highly skilled and capable player in a top-six role, he hasn’t played there while having the opportunity to do just that.


Gabriel Landeskog, Ross Colton, Artturi Lehkonen, and Logan O’Connor have all been out within the last month. Wingers have been a prime commodity for the Avalanche, and they have a young, capable player to fill in. Brindley has filled in up top before, specifically when Valeri Nichushkin was injured in November.

Instead, players like Joel Kiviranta and Parker Kelly have played up while Brindley has been stuck on the fourth-line. In fact, with Brindley being stuck down the lineup with a newly signed contract, he was put out there as possible trade bait.

While Brindley was not traded, there are still questions about what his role will be moving forward. With several key forwards ahead of him, while others are still out, what exactly is the plan for him?

Chris MacFarland and Joe Sakic had to keep him for a reason. But Bednar hasn’t budged on moving him up the lineup as an option to fill in the gaps.

Meanwhile, Brindley might just have to get hot at the right time to prove his worth to the organization and stick around for longer. If there’s any time to go on a similar streak like he had to start the year, it’d be coming up from April to June. He’s come up big before in big moments, and just might need to do it again to keep his job.