As predicted, when additional injuries hit the squad Brindley was the additional forward added to the roster. He has played in two games so far averaging just 7 minutes per night, but his 4 hits and 3 SOG signal the fantasy upside we know is still there. As the NHL lines have begun developing some chemistry and rookie Hughes seems to have locked in his spot, it’s going to be harder for Brindley to find his own bottom-six spot role as the season goes on. He will need to produce more than hits in order to earn more NHL games but he’s not receiving the ice time to bank on it, so his fantasy value is getting tenuous.

Brindley has been sent down to the AHL to begin the 2026-27 campaign. As a waiver-exempt player he is easier to bounce up and down compared to other bubble players, but it’s still disappointing to not see him locked in after a promising debut last year. Due to salary cap and injury constraints the NHL squad is starting the season with just 11 forwards, so it’s possible (even likely) that he is the 12th forward soon.

As the Avs became healthier and stocked up at the NHL trade deadline, Brindley’s role was been greatly reduced and he has now been assigned to the AHL. His TOI was dipping below 10 minutes per game (below 5 minutes per game on some occasions) and his point generation suffered significantly as a result, so it’s probably best for Colorado and fantasy owners to let him rack up some minutes and points in the AHL for now. He will be the next man up if injuries hit again since his high-energy play can mesh anywhere in the lineup, but his output has proven to be very TOI-dependent.

After returning from his previous two-game injury, Brindley came back with his hottest streak yet: 5 points in 6 games. Unfortunately he subsequently suffered a lower-body injury which sidelined him for 10 more contests. He has two points in two games since then, but most importantly, his time on ice has hit a new level reaching over 15 minutes in both matches including a look in the top-six. If he manages to hold down a top-six role he has real scoring upside and would be able to produce fantasy-relevant SOG totals, if he can stay healthy.

Brindley has continued to be a solid depth NHL piece, and Colorado has extended him for two more years. He missed two games with an upper-body injury and his ice time is still low (roughly 10-11 minutes per night), but through 14 games he now has 5 points, 16 SOG and 12 hits making him borderline fantasy-worthy in very deep leagues. His regular usage is still purely on the 4th line, however he recently scored an OT goal on the ice with MacKinnon and Makar so we can hope that the coaching staff will be open to playing Brindley with some more talented linemates soon (especially now that h will be sticking around for two more years).