The Avalanche announced that defenseman Jacob MacDonald has been recalled from AHL Colorado. Their roster size is now 25, and his recall presumably comes under emergency conditions, with Samuel Girard, Erik Johnson and Josh Manson all not expected to play tonight against the Red Wings because of injury.
MacDonald will kick off his second NHL stint with the Avs, assuming he enters the lineup. An undrafted free agent signed by the Panthers in 2018, he was flipped to Colorado the following summer and spent nearly four years in the Avalanche organization. A dual-threat defenseman and left-winger, he was traded to the Sharks midway through the 2022-23 campaign but returned to the Centennial State on a two-year deal last summer.
The 32-year-old Portland, Oregon, native has been spectacular on the Eagles’ blue line this season. He’s posted 27 goals through 55 games – three short of the record set by John Slaney for goals by a defenseman in an AHL season. The recall certainly hurts his hopes of tying or breaking that record, but he should have a few games left to do it, assuming Girard’s and Johnson’s injuries remain short-lived. He’s added 23 assists for 50 points with a +19 rating, leading the Eagles in scoring.
MacDonald previously scored 1-10–11 in 74 NHL games for Colorado from 2020-21 to 2022-23, along with a +10 rating while averaging 11:37 per game. He shouldn’t expect more minutes than that tonight, as he’ll likely replace Johnson in a third-pairing role alongside little-used Keaton Middleton.
MacDonald will presumably be returned to the AHL once one of the Avs’ injured rearguards is ready to return to the lineup. The Cornell product is on a two-way deal that pays him a $525K salary in the minors. He’ll remain in the organization next year, after which he’ll be an unrestricted free agent.