Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said Saturday defenseman Sam Girard will “miss some time” due to an upper-body injury.

Colorado hosts the Dallas Stars at 7 p.m. Saturday night.

The team is currently listing Girard as week-to-week. In Girard’s absence, Ilya Solovyov will step in and make his Avalanche debut against the Stars. He was claimed on waivers on Oct. 3 and joined the team for practice on Friday after his visa work was completed.

Girard was seen waiting for X-rays after the win over the Utah Mammoth but was a full participant at practice the next day. He finished the game with 18 minutes, 47 seconds, of ice time, good for fourth-most on the defense. Girard missed most of training camp due to a lower-body injury, but as this absence is because of an upper-body injury, it is likely unrelated.

With Girard now absent from the lineup, four of Colorado’s top five defensemen are now right-handed. As Solovyov has only practiced with the team for one day, his ice time will likely be limited at the start, meaning multiple righties will be forced to play a little bit on their off-side.

”I don’t know him well as a player,” Bednar said of Solovyov. “I know his reputation. I know what our scouts have given me. I know what our analytics department has given me. … He’s been brushed up on our systems. It’ll be a work in progress, but he’s a big, strong, physical guy. I expect him to play to his identity.”