Wilson suffers ankle injury in Oilers game, placed on IR

Coach Joe Sacco announced today that defenseman Ryan Wilson will be out indefinitely with an ankle injury sustained during Saturday's matinee against the Edmonton Oilers.

Wilson left the game towards the end of the second period when he lost his balance and went down in the crease. It's not clear if he tripped on Jan Hejda's stick, which the defenseman had lost in the scramble to keep the Oilers off the board, or if it was just one of those things. Either way, Wilson is done for an undetermined amount of time.

Watching the replay, it looks bad, folks. Ankles aren't meant to bend like that. There isn't any news yet of a call-up from Lake Erie, so it may not be as bad as it seems. Even typing that feels like a lie. I wouldn't be surprised if he's out 6-8 weeks. Wilson has one assist in 8 games.

If a call-up is needed, the natural assumption is that Cameron Gaunce will get the tap on the shoulder given his previous NHL experience. However, Gaunce is having a less-than-stellar showing this season. Gaunce has only recorded 7 points (1g, 6a) in 41 games. However, he's rocking a full 92 minutes of penalty time, already setting a professional high with over 30 games left to go. Last season, David Quinn relied heavily on Gaunce, so his influence may get Gaunce the nod regardless.

Less well-known, but with an infinitely better showing thus far, is Thomas Pock. The six-foot-one 210-lb defenseman is quietly going about business, scoring 7 goals and 19 assists in 44 games. Pock signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Avalanche in July after having spent the previous three seasons in Europe, most recently with Modo (did Forsberg have a hand in Pock signing in Colorado?). The Austrian was undrafted but played 118 games with the Rangers and Islanders between 2005-2009.

Word on the street was that Shane O'Brien was being shopped for a forward. If Wilson is out long term, that plan is certainly on hold.