Andrew Cogliano Injury Update: Elliotte Friedman reports winger is out indefinitely with fractured neck

Sportsnet's Elliote Friedman reported on Saturday that the Colorado Avalanche's Andrew Cogliano suffered a fractured neck following a dirty hit from Jordan Eberle in the second period. Despite being knocked out for the rest of the period, Cogliano managed to finish the game in the third period and led his team to victory.

However, his injury is a serious one and he is out indefinitely.

The NHL Department of Player Safety (DoPS) did not hold a hearing for Eberle's hit on Cogliano, despite it meeting all the criteria for such a hearing. This has left many people questioning the effectiveness of the DoPS and wondering why action was not taken.

Cogliano's injury leaves the Colorado Avalanche with a difficult decision to make regarding who will fill his place in the team. With other players already out due to injury, it seems likely that Kurtis MacDermid will replace Cogliano. This is far from an ideal situation for the Avalanche, as MacDermid will be playing in the biggest game of the year.

A look at Andrew Cogliano's NHL career

Andrew Cogliano started his career with the Edmonton Oilers in 2005, where he quickly became a valuable player, recording assists in his first two games and scoring his first goal against Dominik Hasek in 2007. He also became the first player in NHL history to score an overtime goal in three consecutive games in March 2008 and was named co-rookie of the year with Sam Gagner.

Andrew Cogliano was traded to the Anaheim Ducks in 2011, where he continued to excel, recording his first NHL hat-trick in 2012. He was named the team's nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in his second season with the Ducks.

Cogliano made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut with the Ducks in the 2013-14 season, scoring his first playoff goal in Game 2 of Anaheim's first-round series against the Dallas Stars.

Andrew Cogliano was traded to the Dallas Stars in January 2019, where he remained a reliable player, helping the team reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2020. He joined the Colorado Avalanche for the 2021-22 season and became the 18th player in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup after playing 1,000 games when the Avalanche won their first NHL championship since 2001 in 2022.