Josh Manson Injury: What happened to Avs defenseman?

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson left Friday’s game against the Dallas Stars with an upper-body injury. The injury occurred during the second period after Manson crashed into the boards.

The official X account of the team updated that their defenseman was not going to return to the ice on the night. After the collision, Manson dropped his glove immediately and appeared to favor his arm as he exited the ice.

“Josh Manson (upper body) will not return to tonight's game,” the Avalanche posted on X.

Manson did not return for the remainder of the game, which ended in a 5-3 victory for the Stars. The Avalanche have been battling injuries throughout the season, mostly among their forwards. Key players Gabriel Landeskog, Jonathan Drouin, Ross Colton, and Miles Wood are all currently sidelined.

Manson has played in all 24 games this season, contributing one goal and five assists. The team will now assess Manson’s condition as they prepare to host the Edmonton Oilers at the Ball Arena on Saturday.

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Josh Manson’s collision with referee Mitch Dunning left official hospitalized

Earlier last week, referee Mitch Dunning was removed from the ice on a stretcher during the game between the Colorado Avalanche and Philadelphia Flyers after colliding with Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson.

The incident occurred in the first period when Manson unintentionally slammed into Dunning in the neutral zone. Dunning remained on the ice for several minutes and play was immediately stopped as medical personnel attended to him. Players from both teams gathered in concern as Dunning was taken off the ice through the Zamboni tunnel.

The NHL later released a statement confirming that Dunning was taken to the hospital for precautionary reasons. All neurological signs were normal, and he was fully communicative and able to move all his extremities.

“I just got back to the bench and next thing I know I looked out and saw Mans was kind of holding his face and the ref was on the ground,” said Colorado defenseman Cale Makar post-game. [H/T mlive.com]

Despite the setback, the Avalanche went on to defeat the Flyers 3-2 on the night. The remainder of the game was officiated by one referee and three linesmen. Dunning is a former OHL defenseman who took to officiating and has been a full-time NHL referee since 2022.