"Ryan Wilson was considered a top-four Avalanche defenseman at the start of the season, leading the club in plus-minus and serving as its premier hitter from the back end.

But tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes at the Pepsi Center, the former undrafted free agent is likely to again fail to crack the top six, and watch as a healthy scratch for the third consecutive game.

Some lingering concussion issues and perhaps a dose of politics might be keeping Wilson out of the lineup, but Colorado coach Joe Sacco says Wilson is 100 percent and simply caught up on the wrong side of a numbers game."