Nathan MacKinnon Out Two To Four Weeks
The Colorado Avalanche have announced that their star forward Nathan MacKinnon will be out two to four weeks with an upper-body injury. MacKinnon was injured in a game against the Vancouver Canucks, and will have to put his MVP-caliber season on hold.
MacKinnon was leading the Avalanche back to relevancy this season, and had them within a single point of the playoffs in the Western Conference. With 61 points in 43 games, the 22-year old is still expected to crush his previous career-high in scoring, and has even already tied his highest goal mark with 24.
Though two weeks would only keep him out of the lineup for seven games, four would push his return past the trade deadline and into March. That makes adding at the deadline tough, especially if the team takes a step backwards with MacKinnon out of the lineup.
In his place, players like Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog will need to take even more offensive burden upon their shoulders. Alexander Kerfoot, now the team’s most offensive-minded center, will take MacKinnon’s spot on the top line according to Adrian Dater of BSN Denver.
Minor Transactions: 02/01/18
It’s February, the most exciting month of the year for many hockey fans. Over the next few weeks, clubs will make decisions that will help or haunt them for years to come. The trade deadline this season falls on February 26th, and should have some interesting names on the move. Until then, we’ll continue to focus on the minor moves around the league, cataloging today’s right here.
- With Cam Talbot sick and unable to play tonight, the Edmonton Oilers have recalled Laurent Brossoit from the minor leagues. Brossoit will be familiar to NHL fans that watched him try to hold down the fort for the Oilers when Talbot was out earlier this season. The 24-year old will join Al Montoya in the crease for the team until Talbot is cleared to return.
- Semyon Varlamov has been activated from injured reserve, meaning Andrew Hammond‘s services are no longer required in Colorado. The Avalanche have sent Hammond back down, though it will be to the Belleville Senators where he’s played for most of the year.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs will be sending Nikita Soshnikov to the minor leagues on a conditioning loan, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Soshnikov’s name has popped up in trade rumors recently just due to his situation in Toronto, where Kasperi Kapanen, Matt Martin and Josh Leivo are also vying for the 12th forward role.
Charlie McAvoy Medically Cleared To Practice
Great news for the Boston Bruins today, as young defenseman Charlie McAvoy has been medically cleared to return to full practice. While he won’t be playing tonight for the team, there is a chance he could get back into the lineup this weekend. McAvoy underwent a procedure to treat an abnormal heart rhythm just last week, and all signs point to him moving past the episode quickly.
McAvoy has been one of the most important players to the Bruins this season, logging close to 23 minutes a night and recording 25 points in 45 games. The 20-year old defenseman has made a quick transition to the NHL after two years at Boston University, making his debut last season in the playoffs for the Bruins.
Boston finds themselves in second place in the Atlantic Division after an incredible streak of 18 games with at least a point (a streak that was broken on Tuesday night). The lead the Toronto Maple Leafs by three points despite having played four fewer games, and are within striking distance of the Tampa Bay Lightning for first overall in the conference. McAvoy’s return will be integral to any thoughts the Bruins have of toppling the Lightning and heading into the season with guaranteed home ice advantage.
Sergei Mozyakin Signs Two-Year Extension In KHL
For anyone hoping for a late-career appearance by one of the greatest players to never play in the NHL, it doesn’t look like it will happen. Today, Sergei Mozyakin signed a two-year extension with Metallurg Magnitogorsk likely meaning any possibility—of which there was already very little—the 36-year old would come to North America is gone.
A ninth-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Mozyakin has never shown much interest in the NHL. After spending a few games in the QMJHL as a youngster, he would return to Russia where he has remained ever since. In his final year of draft eligibility, Columbus used the pick just in case, but no team had any indication he would be leaving. That has paid off for him, as he’s become the KHL’s all-time leader in games played, goals, assists, points, game winning goals and shots. He has six World Championship medals, including two gold, and has won the Gagarin Cup twice. Many of those records remain even if you include games played in the top Russian league before the KHL was formed.
Amazingly, Mozyakin has never suited up for the Olympics during his long career. This time will be his first and perhaps final opportunity, where he’ll face off against several teammates including Wojtek Wolski and Chris Lee. Unfortunately for him, it will be under a neutral flag as an Olympic Athlete from Russia.