Brad Stuart may have to wait to get his 1,000th NHL game in the books. Last night, during his 999th NHL game, he suffered a leg injury at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks. Stuart had to leave the game during the second period due to the injury.

At the moment, we are unsure of the extent of the injury, or even what exactly the injury is. If it is serious enough that he needs to go on the Injury Reserve list it could be an interesting time in the land of defense for the Avalanche.

The world of hockey is built in a way that there is always someone waiting in the wings, hoping for a chance to redeem themselves or to prove themselves. Last season when the injury bug hit the Avs defense, Nick Holden jumped in and proved himself up to the task. Yes, he did make rookie errors, and jittery errors, but he improved enough to earn an extension with a healthy wage increase.

The Avalanche could elect to bring Duncan Siemens or Stefan Elliott up or even play Zach Redmond. Redmond is already on the Avalanche roster but hasn't played since October 28th against the Sharks. Will the #FreeRedmond fans have their wish?

As for replacing the on-ice play of Stuart, while he's valuable is he the best defenseman on the Avalanche? No, however, the last few games he had been finding his groove and seemed to be feeling more comfortable with Roy's coaching methods. If this is a long term injury it could be bad news for the Avalanche.

Brad Stuart is expected to be re-examined today. Once we hear the extent of the injury from Coach Roy we will let the MHH faithful know.

If there turns out to be a need to call someone up, who do you want to see play? Sound off below.