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Avalanche Activate Jonathan Drouin, Place Ivan Ivan On IR

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Dec. 31st: As expected, the Avalanche have officially activated Drouin from the injured reserve for today’s matchup. On the flip side, the team has also placed Ivan on the injured reserve with multiple reports indicating he’ll be out for the next few weeks.

Dec. 30th: The Colorado Avalanche are expected to activate forward Jonathan Drouin off the injured reserve tomorrow, meaning that the 29-year-old would be back in the lineup tomorrow night against the Winnipeg Jets (as per Corey Masisak of The Denver Post). Drouin has been dealing with an upper-body injury that caused him to miss 16 games, and it was his second extended absence of the season.

Drouin has been good when healthy, dressing in just five games this year for Colorado, posting two goals and two assists while averaging 20:40 of ice time. The former third-overall pick was terrific for Colorado last year with 56 points in 79 games but was unable to secure a long-term deal in free agency this past summer, opting instead to return to the Avalanche on a one-year deal worth $2.5MM. Drouin will have roughly half the season to prove his worth before hitting free agency once again next summer.

In other Avalanche news, forward Ivan Ivan has an upper-body injury and may miss some time, although he is still being evaluated. The 22-year-old was likely coming out of the lineup with the return of Drouin and could be scratched tomorrow regardless of his health. Ivan probably wasn’t ready to be thrust into an NHL role this season, but circumstance has allowed him to dress in 37 games for the Avalanche where he has played just over ten minutes a night, chipping in five goals and three assists.

Latest On The New York Rangers

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Elliotte Friedman commented today on the Sunday column from Larry Brooks of the New York Post. In the column, Brooks writes that the Rangers players have quit on just about everyone, including their head coach Peter Laviolette. As Friedman points out, the Rangers collapse has been historic after the team won the President’s Trophy and went to the Eastern Conference Finals just last season. In his column, Brooks writes that the Rangers collapse will eventually result in Laviolette losing his job, and another loss tonight to Florida certainly won’t help things.

Friedman comments that Brooks is incredibly plugged into the Rangers organization and feels that this column carries a ton of weight. He adds that Laviolette knows that hockey is results-driven, and with the Rangers losing 15 of their last 19 games, the results have been very poor.

The Rangers haven’t been shy about making hard choices in recent years, leveraging waivers as a means of sidestepping no-trade clauses, and moving on from long-time veterans. The Rangers just underwent a dramatic rebuild prior to the pandemic, and now, at a time when they should be competing for the Stanley Cup, they are amid their season unravelling. It is anyone’s guess as to what the Rangers will do next and there could be many more surprises in store in New York City.

General manager Chris Drury has already traded his captain, he’s traded a recent second overall pick, he’s called around the league and let teams know that most of their roster is available (including long-time veteran Chris Kreider). He hasn’t been shy about calling players out, or doing what he thinks is best to improve the team.

Now, with the team free-falling, Drury has some hard choices to make. He is unlikely to overhaul the roster into a contender this season, and given that the Rangers just exited a rebuild, it’s unlikely that the franchise has the appetite to endure another one. But, with each passing day, some sort of action will need to occur, and it seems likely (at least according to Brooks) that it will start with Laviolette.

Jets Recall Dominic Toninato, Haydn Fleury To IR

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The Winnipeg Jets have recalled forward Dominic Toninato from the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League and also placed defenseman Haydn Fleury on the injured reserve. A move was expected at some point before the Jets head out to Colorado to take on the Avalanche tomorrow night. Mason Appleton did not take to the ice for warm-up tonight against Nashville which led to the speculation that the Jets would bring someone up for insurance.

Toninato is the captain of the Moose and is receiving his first NHL recall of the season. The 30-year-old has dressed in 25 games this year for Manitoba, registering six goals and five assists. Last year, Toninato spent 15 NHL games with Winnipeg, tallying a goal and four assists.

The Jets placed Fleury on IR retroactive to December 23rd. The 28-year-old is dealing with a lower-body injury that he suffered a week ago against Toronto. Fleury has been a regular for much of this season, dressing in 25 games and posting six assists. The former seventh-overall pick has bounced around to four different franchises in the past five seasons but was settling in with the Jets, playing some of his best hockey at the NHL level despite the unfavorable deployment.

Logan Stanley took Fleury’s spot in the lineup the past two games, playing almost 20 minutes on Saturday night against Ottawa.

Bruins Receiving Trade Interest In Trent Frederic

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Boston Bruins forward Trent Frederic is reportedly receiving trade interest from multiple teams (as per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet on Saturday Headlines). It is the second time in two weeks that Friedman has reported on the interest in Frederic, and it’s fair to wonder if Boston will move the 26-year-old given his current contract situation. Frederic is in the final season of a two-year $4.6MM contract that expires on July 1st, 2025, at which time he will become an unrestricted free agent. The teams calling on Frederic are asking if Boston intends to sign Frederic or what their thinking could be going forward.

The St. Louis, Missouri native had a career year last year, posting 18 goals and 22 assists in 82 games with a +9 plus/minus rating. This year, Frederic has seen his offensive numbers fall to just five goals and six assists in 38 games. While the drop in production is concerning, the biggest issue for Frederic has been his shooting percentage which has dropped from 14.6% to 9.3%.

Given Boston’s current standing in the Atlantic Division (third place), it’s unlikely the Bruins would opt to be sellers. However, Boston has played significantly more games than Tampa Bay and Ottawa, so they may fall into a Wild Card spot. The Bruins could also look to move Frederic in the hopes of plugging a different hole in their roster but given Frederic’s ability to play center and wing, Boston may view his versatility more favorably than any potential returns via trade.

Penguins Have Tough Decisions To Make In Second Half Of Season

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The Pittsburgh Penguins will have some difficult choices to make as they inch towards the NHL trade deadline on March 7th, 2025. Pittsburgh has several intriguing trade possibilities, including defensemen Marcus Pettersson, Matt Grzelcyk, and forward Drew O’Connor. The Penguins have played better as of late, turning things around from an early season run of poor hockey that had fans screaming for a coaching change. This run has further complicated the direction general manager Kyle Dubas can take this team in the second half of the season.

A 9-3-1 run heading into the holiday break had people wondering if Dubas should hang on to pending unrestricted free agents, however, the Penguins played a fairly uninspiring game last night against a division rival, dropping a 6-3 decision to the lowly New York Islanders. The loss kicks off an unofficial second half of the season for Pittsburgh, one in which the possibilities appear to be many. The month of January will be crucial for Pittsburgh to determine the direction in which the remainder of the season will go. If the Penguins play .500 hockey or below, it is likely that Dubas will opt to move on from Pettersson and company and keep his eyes on the future. However, if Pittsburgh is in the hunt, standing pat could be an option too.

Additions seem unlikely given that Dubas has been accumulating future assets for the past calendar year and has publicly expressed his desire to build for the future. Acquiring a young, controllable player could be a move that Dubas desires, similar to the recent trade for forward Philip Tomasino.

The other looming concern for Pittsburgh is franchise legend Sidney Crosby and the message it would send to him if Dubas were to move out veterans while the Penguins are in the thick of a playoff hunt. At 37 years old, Crosby only has a few high-level seasons left in him, and he has been on a tear as of late, rounding into mid-season form. Dubas has already said the Penguins won’t enter a full rebuild with Crosby on the roster, meaning they will continue to try and remain competitive with an eye toward the future.

The next two months in Pittsburgh should be interesting, Pettersson would fetch a solid return of futures. However, there aren’t many other players Dubas can move that will bring in anything of substance, which could be another factor in his decision before the deadline. O’Connor is an intriguing possibility for teams, but he hasn’t been able to recapture his offensive numbers from last season, which has impacted what the Penguins can get in a trade for him. The 26-year-old has just three goals and seven assists in 37 games this year.

Joey Daccord Not Travelling With Kraken, Burakovsky Day-To-Day

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Kate Shefte of the Seattle Times Sports is reporting that goaltender Joey Daccord isn’t travelling with the Seattle Kraken meaning that Philipp Grubauer will start in net tonight in Vancouver. Daccord reportedly suffered an undisclosed injury during last Sunday’s game against Colorado but managed to finish out the game.

The 28-year-old had a career year last season and is off to a great start this year as well, posting a 12-9-2 record with a .912 save percentage and a 2.51 goals-against average. On the surface, Daccord’s numbers look pretty pedestrian, however, his 9.2 goals saved above expected tells a more detailed story (as per Money Puck).

If Daccord is out for any length of time, Grubauer will likely see a lot more action. The former Stanley Cup Champion has struggled this season, posting a 3-10 record with an .877 save percentage and a 3.63 goals-against average.

Kate Shefte also reported that Kraken forward Andre Burakovsky is day-to-day with an illness. Like Daccord, Burakovsky also stayed back in Seattle and is not travelling with the team to Vancouver.

The 29-year-old Burakovsky has struggled to score this season, carrying over his lack of offensive production from last season. The Klagenfurt, Austria native is just three years removed from posting 61 points in 80 games with Colorado but has registered just 22 goals and 45 assists in 132 games since signing a massive five-year $27.5MM deal as a free agent in July 2022.

Kings Recall Andre Lee From AHL

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The Los Angeles Kings have recalled forward Andre Lee from the Ontario Reign of the American Hockey League. Lee was sent to the AHL on December 24th, after making his first NHL appearance in December last Sunday. The 24-year-old Lee has spent the bulk of this season playing in the NHL for Los Angeles, dressing in 17 games and registering two points.

Before this year, Lee had spent his entire professional career in the AHL with the Reign. His AHL appearances have been limited this season, dressing in just four games and registering a goal and an assist. Over the course of his four-year AHL career, Lee has dressed in 109 games and tallied 15 goals and 11 assists.

The former seventh-round pick doesn’t provide much offense but is a good forechecker and can make space for his linemates. However, he isn’t overly physical given his 6’4” 205-pound frame and may need to find other ways to produce if he hopes to stick around in the NHL.

Lee spent the first month of the season in Los Angeles, but since then he has bounced back and forth between the NHL and AHL and will likely continue to do so for the remainder of this season unless he can start to produce a bit of offense in a bottom six role.

Avalanche Activate Josh Manson Off Injured Reserve

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The Colorado Avalanche activated defenseman Josh Manson off injured reserve yesterday before their 4-1 win over the Utah Hockey Club. Manson went on to dress last night, recording three shots on goal, two hits, a blocked shot and a +1. The 33-year-old hadn’t played in almost a month, missing 12 consecutive games due to an upper-body injury.

Manson skated alongside Samuel Girard last evening, the two are familiar with one another having formed a solid pairing when the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 2022. During Manson’s absence, Girard played well as he was paired with Cale Makar and Sam Malinski. In nearly 250 minutes paired together Girard and Manson didn’t have much success, bleeding opportunities against before eventually getting separated before Manson’s injury. With Manson back in the fold, Colorado has some options on the back end. The pairing of Devon Toews and Makar is elite, but the Avalanche could always opt to break them up if Girard and Manson can’t find their game as a unit.

Manson won’t provide much offense, having notched just a goal and five assists in 25 games this season. However, he does take on tough assignments and unfavorable deployment, starting nearly 60% of his shifts in the defensive zone at even strength.

Manson was okay in his return to the ice yesterday, making some good plays, but also showing a bit of rust which is to be expected after missing nearly a month of action. He’ll have some time to get comfortable before the Avalanche play against as they are off until New Year’s Eve.

Kirill Kaprizov Out Day-To-Day

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Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov is missing tonight’s game against the Dallas Stars with a lower-body injury (Twitter link). Kaprizov didn’t travel with the Wild to Dallas and will miss just his second game of the second. The 27-year-old reportedly had some pain heading into the holiday break that is unrelated to the lower-body injury that kept him out of Minnesota’s game on November 23rd.

Kaprizov currently sits fourth in the NHL in points with 50 on the season, and second in goals with 23. His 56 goals in 2024 have him tied with Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart for the most this calendar year. Kaprizov has heated up recently, tallying points in 12 of his last 15 games, including five goals in his last six games.

Minnesota started the season red hot going 16-4-4 in October and November. However, since the calendar switched to December the Wild have cooled off with the season, going a pedestrian 6-6. Despite the December slump, Minnesota remains in second place in the Central Division, five points back of first-place Winnipeg.

The Wild return home Sunday to take on the Ottawa Senators and there is no word yet on whether Kaprizov will play. The 2020-21 Calder Trophy winner has yet to play a full season in the NHL, playing over 80 games just once, back in 2021-22.

Sharks Notes: Kostin, Vanecek, Eklund, Walman

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The San Jose Sharks have activated forward Klim Kostin from the injured reserve. Kostin has missed the Sharks past five games with an upper-body injury but isn’t likely to play tonight and will serve as a healthy scratch. Kostin has had several stretches this season where he has served as a healthy scratch due to poor play, including a stretch of three weeks in November. The former first-round pick was solid as a depth scoring option in Edmonton during the 2022-23 season but has just a goal and three assists in 20 games this year.

In other Sharks notes:

  • The Sharks have placed goaltender Vitek Vanecek on the injured reserve. The 28-year-old hasn’t played in almost two weeks and can be activated whenever he is healthy enough to play again. It’s been a struggle this season for Vanecek as he’s posted a 3-8-1 record with a .885 save percentage and a 3.84 goals-against average. Vanecek was acquired from the New Jersey Devils back in March and is in the final season of a three-year $10.2MM contract.
  • Sharks forward William Eklund is day-to-day with an upper-body injury (as per Max Miller of The Hockey News). The 22-year-old took a nasty hit from Tyler Myers in the first period of Monday night’s game against Vancouver and missed the second and third periods. The Sharks don’t appear overly concerned at the moment and are monitoring Eklund’s recovery. The former seventh overall pick in 2021 has been sloppy with the puck at times this season, but his play-driving abilities and offensive instincts have been on full display. In 36 games this season Eklund has posted seven goals and 20 assists.
  • Finally, Sharks defenseman Jake Walman is also out day-to-day with a lower-body injury (as per Max Miller of The Hockey News). Walman suffered an apparent injury at some point in Saturday’s game against Edmonton and will miss his second consecutive game this evening. The 28-year-old has already set a career-high in points this season with 25 (five goals and 20 assists) in just 31 games.

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