Sakic Wants To Evaluate Fully Healthy Team Before Pursuing Trades, Calvert On Personal Leave
With that in mind, the Avalanche have been suggested as a team that could be a big buyer heading into the trade deadline. Speaking with Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (subscription required), GM Joe Sakic tried to cool that down for the time being, indicating that he would like to see the team at full health before assessing what needs to be done. While that may take them out of the trade picture in the short term, they should still be viewed as a team that could make a big splash by the February 24th trade deadline.
- Still with the Avalanche, the team announced that winger Matt Calvert is away from the team and will not play tonight against Boston due to a personal matter. He had just returned to the lineup after suffering a concussion in mid-November after getting hit in the head with a hard shot. Taking Calvert’s place in the lineup will be winger Vladislav Kamenev who had missed two straight games due to illness.
Gabriel Landeskog Activated From Injured Reserve
The Colorado Avalanche will have their captain back in the lineup tonight for the first time since October. Gabriel Landeskog has been activated off injured reserve and will play tonight against the Montreal Canadiens. Andre Burakovsky will be across from him on the second line, while Nazem Kadri is out with a lower-body injury.
Even with Nathan MacKinnon trying to put the team on his back offensively, you could tell that the Avalanche missed Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen. The team has gone 9-7-1 in the captain’s absence, but is rolling again and healthy enough to take a shot at the top of the Central Division.
One of only three teams that has scored 100 goals this season already, the Avalanche reach new heights when Landeskog is healthy and contributing. Coming off a career-high 34 goals and 75 points last season, the 27-year old should give them a confidence boost as they play the second half of a back-to-back.
Nathan MacKinnon Willing To Take Less On Next Deal
It’s not often you hear NHL players openly talking about their contract negotiations, both past and future, but that’s exactly what Nathan MacKinnon did when he sat down with Jordan Horrobin of Forbes. The Colorado Avalanche star went into his decision to sign a long-term deal in the summer of 2016 and how well it has worked out for both him and the organization, who are using cap savings from his relatively-low contract to strengthen the team.
Most notably however is the end of Horrobin’s piece, which includes a jarring, if optimistic quote from the superstar center:
On my next deal, I’ll take less again. Because I want to win with this group.
MacKinnon, 24, is set to become an unrestricted free agent when his seven-year, $44.1MM contract expires following the 2022-23 season. At that point he will be 27 and still likely considered one of the best players in the entire NHL. He’s already there after scoring 196 points over the last two seasons and another 44 in his first 27 games this year. Those performances have earned him second and sixth-place finishes in Hart Trophy voting, and if the award was given out today he’d be among the finalists once again.
A 27-year old star like MacKinnon doesn’t hit the market every year and teams would be tripping over themselves to hand him a blank check to join their roster. It obviously sounds like he wants nothing to do with that though, and will instead try to ink a team-friendly deal to win in Colorado.
That’s a noble position to take for MacKinnon, who has become the face of the franchise since Matt Duchene was shipped off to Ottawa two years ago. Colorado, who have suffered countless injuries this season to key players, rely on MacKinnon to generate offense at an exceptional pace, something he has had no problem doing of late. Currently on an eight-game point streak (seven goals, 11 assists), he has caught up to Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand and now sits behind only Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid in league scoring.
His $6.3MM cap hit is often pointed to as one of the best bargains in the league, but if MacKinnon takes a discount on his next deal Colorado GM Joe Sakic will really be the envy of every other front office in the league.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Injury Notes: Juolevi, Spurgeon, Avalanche
The Vancouver Canucks issued an update on top prospect Olli Juolevi, explaining that his recent removal from the Utica Comets roster was precautionary but that he is now fit to return to action.
Juolevi hasn’t played an AHL game since November 17th, but will seemingly return soon for the Comets and continue his development. The 21-year old defenseman is such an important prospect for the Canucks after they used the fifth-overall pick on him in 2016, but he has yet to find any modicum of health during his relatively short professional career. In 14 games this season he has five points and still seems a long way from becoming a full-time NHL option.
- Jared Spurgeon will be out for two weeks after suffering an upper-body injury last night. The newly-extended defenseman is one of the Minnesota Wild’s most important players and averages close to 23 minutes a game. The team will also lose Mikko Koivu on a day-to-day basis with a lower-body injury.
- After returning to the Colorado Avalanche lineup and contributing four points in fewer than 11 minutes of ice time, Mikko Rantanen sat out the entire third period of Saturday’s contest against the Chicago Blackhawks and then missed a practice on Monday. He’s good to go for tonight’s game in Toronto however and will suit up against the Maple Leafs. Matt Calvert, who hasn’t played since taking a puck to the head against the Vancouver Canucks, will also return to the Colorado lineup tonight.
Erik Johnson Out Week-To-Week
- On top of losing winger Colin Wilson to a long-term injury that will require surgery, the Avalanche will also be without Erik Johnson for a little while as Mike Chambers of the Denver Post reports that the defenseman is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Johnson is no stranger to missing time due to injuries as he has missed 20 or more games in three of the last five seasons. Colorado has had a plethora of injuries already this season and now they’ll have to make do without one of their top blueliners for a while.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Backstrom, Wilson
The NHL has released their Three Stars for last week, and a familiar name is at the very top. Nathan MacKinnon finds himself awarded top honors once again after nine points in three games. The Colorado Avalanche center has been carrying the offensive weight without his usual running mates Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog as they deal with injury, but shows no sign of slowing down.
Second and third place go to a pair of goaltenders who have battled hard to stay in their respective roles. David Rittich stopped 95 of 101 shots last week to help the Calgary Flames potentially save their season, while Martin Jones is a huge reason why the San Jose Sharks are back in the playoff race at all. Both netminders have had their share of adversity over the years, but are playing inspired hockey at the moment.
- It was reported recently that Nicklas Backstrom is representing himself in negotiations with the Washington Capitals, and he confirmed as much today to reporters including Samantha Pell of the Washington Post. Pell reports that Backstrom actually wanted to get an extension done with the team before the season began, but feels he “can be honest” with the organization after so many years together. The 32-year old center is in the final season of a ten-year contract he signed with the Capitals in 2010 and carries a $6.7MM cap hit.
- Speaking of Colorado injuries, Colin Wilson will undergo surgery on a lower-body injury and is out for a while, according to Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic. Wilson has only played nine games this season and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. It’s not clear exactly how long he will be out.
Snapshots: Three Stars, Makar, Nugent-Hopkins
With another month having passed, the NHL revealed its Three Stars for the month of November and no surprise that Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid heads the list. The two-time Art Ross Trophy winner dominated November in 14 games, leading the league with 13 goals, 26 points, six power play goals and 11 power play points over the month. That performance has put Edmonton at the top of the Pacific Division with a 7-5-2 record in November.
The Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon and Chicago Blackhawks Patrick Kane round out the top three. MacKinnon ranked second in the NHL in points in November with 10 goals and 25 points in 14 games and did it while being without his two linemates, Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog for most of that month. Kane, meanwhile, scored a point in all 15 games that he played, scoring 11 goals and 24 points.
- The NHL also announced the NHL ‘Rookie of the Month,’ handing the award to Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar, who dominated the month of November. The 21-year-old led all rookies with seven goals, 16 points, three game-winning goals, +10 plus/minus and ATOI, averaging 21:25. Makar became the fifth rookie to score seven or more goals in a month and the last to do it since Brian Leetch did it in 1989. Makar beat out New York Rangers’ Adam Fox, Vancouver Canucks’ Quinn Hughes, Carolina Hurricanes’ Martin Necas, Buffalo Sabres Victor Olofsson and Pittsburgh Penguins’ John Marino.
- The Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins writes that despite rumors that Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a surgical procedure last week on his hand, he did not. Instead, Nugent-Hopkins received an injection, suggesting that the injury is more pain-related than anything else. The Oilers hope to get the top-six forward back sometime later this week.
Notes On Taylor Hall, New Jersey Devils
With reports Saturday that the New Jersey Devils and general manager Ray Shero are listening to offers for prized forward Taylor Hall, plenty of speculation has drifted around the hockey world. Moving Hall, who has made it increasingly clear that he isn’t willing to sign an extension during the season, might be the best option for the Devils as the team certainly doesn’t want to lose him for nothing on July 1.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that there are a number of suitors who would be willing to acquire Hall. In fact, he said Hall’s former team, the Edmonton Oilers, might be among the top suitors in a potential trade Saturday night on Hockey Night in Canada.
“I do think that the Oilers are one of several teams with the likes of Montreal, Colorado and St. Louis who will be in this,” Friedman added. “But like Chris said, I think a lot of it depends on price for the Oilers and anyone else who may bite.”
Hall was originally traded to the Devils in 2016 for defenseman Adam Larsson and many in Edmonton would like to see that trade rectified and bring Hall into a top-six group that already includes Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and James Neal although the Oilers’ cap concerns could make a deal challenging.
Both Colorado and Montreal have the potential to easily sign Hall to an extension, while having the prospects and picks to make a deal work. The Blues would be a tougher fit under their cap constraints, but the team does have some prospects it could move and an expiring contract in Alex Pietrangelo.
- Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal writes that too many people dismiss the Oilers due to their salary cap. The Devils have between $4-5MM in cap space and are willing to retain salary for the best possible package. The Devils might even be able to take a contract back in a deal and with a significant amount of solid prospects and draft picks, it’s more than reasonable to think that Edmonton could acquire Hall.
- After a 4-0 drubbing to the rival New York Rangers, the New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes that it is up to Shero to fix the mess that is currently underway in New Jersey. With a 9-12-4 record, Brooks wonders how much longer the GM intends to stick with head coach John Hynes, suggesting it might be better for the Devils to move on from a coach that has failed to inspire players to play better against rival teams and has only reached the playoffs once in four years. Firing Hynes and bringing in the right coach might make a difference on whether Hall might opt to stay in New Jersey in the future.
- The Athletic’s Cory Masisak (subscription required) writes that the Devils are at a crossroads as trading Hall means trading one of greatest players in the team’s franchise history. Acquiring Hall for Larsson in that trade in 2016 was a key to Shero’s tenure as general manager and what the GM does over the next few months will have a major and long-term effect on the franchise. The team will also have to commit to a path which includes committing to a significant rebuild or attempting to rebuild the team like the New York Islanders did by replacing Hall with veteran players in hopes of competing sooner.
- In the same article, Masisak also points out that if Hall does get traded, that could also mean that several other players could be on their way out as Wayne Simmonds and Sami Vatanen, both unrestricted free agents this summer, would also be likely trade candidates. While Andy Greene is in a different situation, he might be willing to move his no-trade clause to head to a contender rather than stay for any kind of rebuild.
Central Notes: Rantanen, Foligno, Kyrou, Johns
The Colorado Avalanche have finally gotten the news they were hoping for as the team announced that star forward Mikko Rantanen will be returning to the lineup tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks. He has been out for the past 16 games with a lower-body injury, but has been a full participant at practice since Tuesday.
Rantanen has been a key first-line wing option for Nathan MacKinnon, who has been without his two linemates for quite some time. Gabriel Landeskog has also been out with an injury of his own. However, with Rantanen back in the lineup, the first line should regain some of its previous success with Joonas Donskoi filling in for Landeskog. The 23-year-old has only appeared in nine games for Colorado this year, but was impressive in that span, scoring five goals and 12 points before going down against the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 21.
- StarTribune’s Sarah McLellan reports that Minnesota Wild winger Marcus Foligno is close to returning the lineup and could break up some of the team’s recent success as he is likely to break up some the team’s current fourth line of Victor Rask, Ryan Donato and Ryan Hartman. Foligno, who has been out since Nov. 7 with a lower-body injury, could return to the lineup Sunday, but head coach Bruce Boudreau hasn’t decided on whether he will use Foligno yet. With Foligno’s return, the Wild will also have to take one of their current fourth-liners out of the lineup.
- With a number of key injuries on their forward lines, the St. Louis Blues have recalled a number of players from the San Antonio Rampage, their AHL squad. However, The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford (subscription required) writes that the team still hasn’t recalled youngster Jordan Kyrou, who returned from offseason knee surgery in early November. While his numbers have been impressive (five goals and 11 points in 11 games with San Antonio), the team wants to make sure he’s ready to take over a top-nine role with the team, which will likley come in the next few weeks.
- The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro reports that Dallas Stars defenseman Stephen Johns, who hasn’t played since the 2017-18 season due to post-traumatic headaches, has been cleared to practice with the team again and did so on Saturday. He is taking the necessary steps to return to NHL action, although he still has a ways to go, according to head coach Jim Montgomery.
A.J. Greer Assigned To AHL Colorado
- A.J. Greer’s stint with the Avalanche was short-lived. One day after being recalled, he has been returned to AHL Colorado, per the AHL’s Transactions Page. The winger has had two NHL call-ups this season but has yet to play with the big club. Greer has two goals and 44 penalty minutes in nine games with the Eagles so far.
- The Avs also announced (Twitter link) that they’ve returned center Sheldon Dries to the minors. He has just one NHL game under his belt this season after playing 40 a year ago. He has been productive with the Eagles though, leading them in scoring with 14 points in 17 contests.