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Minor Transactions: 2/18/25

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The transaction wire is active again today, with many teams hosting their first practices in over a week. The regular season schedule after the 4 Nations Face-Off resumes this weekend, so the players who teams reassigned to the minors over the break to continue playing will be added back to rosters today and tomorrow to make them eligible to practice with their NHL teammates. Here are all of today’s moves that largely constituted reversals of pre-break demotions.

  • The Hurricanes announced they’ve promoted defenseman Riley Stillman from AHL Chicago. While he’d been off the roster for a few days already prior to the break, he’s been a frequent traveler between Carolina and Chicago this season. He was last rostered for a game on Jan. 28 against the Rangers – his season debut, in which he recorded a fight and a shot on goal in 7:40 of ice time. A routine healthy scratch/extra defenseman, Stillman is close to requiring waivers again to head to the minors after clearing them in November. The 26-year-old has 2-3–5 with 41 PIMs and a minus-three rating in 20 AHL contests this year.
  • The Stars announced they’ve recalled defenseman Lian Bichsel from AHL Texas. He was quietly shuttled down on Feb. 8 after making eight straight appearances for Dallas leading into the break. The 2022 first-rounder has 2-3–5 and a plus-six rating through his first 16 career NHL games, all coming this season, and will continue in a regular role for the time being with Miro Heiskanen and Nils Lundkvist on the shelf.
  • The Canucks announced they’ve promoted all of center Nils Åman, forward Arshdeep Bains, and defenseman Elias Pettersson from AHL Abbotsford. They also added goalie Arturs Silovs from the Baby Canucks on an emergency loan and will have Nikita Tolopilo around as a practice goaltender until Kevin Lankinen is ready to return from representing Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off, although the latter won’t take up a roster spot. Åman and Pettersson were sent to Abbotsford on Feb. 8, but this is Bains’ first recall since late November. The 24-year-old winger had one goal and a minus-four rating in 11 games earlier this season but has remained a near point-per-game threat in the minors, posting 7-20–27 in 32 AHL games. He’ll now get another crack at NHL minutes in the final season of his entry-level contract. Silovs, who’s struggled to the tune of a 1-4-1 record and .847 SV% in seven NHL appearances this season, will come up to serve as Lankinen’s No. 2 with Thatcher Demko still dealing with the undisclosed injury that caused him to leave Vancouver’s last pre-break game against the Maple Leafs. Tolopilo’s stay will be brief, and the 24-year-old will return to Abbotsford as soon as Lankinen is available.
  • The Penguins called up winger Emil Bemström and goalie Joel Blomqvist from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and returned netminder Tristan Jarry to the minors in a corresponding transaction, the team announced. It’s a pure reversal of the moves Pittsburgh made after their last game on Feb. 8. Bemström has no points and two shots in two games since being recalled for the first time this season on Feb. 7, while Blomqvist has a 3-8-0 record with a .896 SV% and 3.54 GAA in 11 appearances on the year. The 23-year-old has struggled since taking over for Jarry on the roster, posting a .868 SV% in three starts since the veteran was waived in mid-January. The 29-year-old Jarry will continue to bide his time in the minors as he awaits another NHL chance, knocking on the door with a .924 SV% and 2.11 GAA in nine games.
  • The Rangers announced they’ve recalled goaltender Dylan Garand from AHL Hartford. The 22-year-old comes up to serve as Jonathan Quick’s backup with Igor Shesterkin not ready to return from the upper-body injury that kept him out of New York’s final game before the break. He’s sporting a .914 SV%, 2.73 GAA, three shutouts, and a 13-7-5 record in 25 showings with Hartford this year.
  • The Blackhawks summoned defenseman Ethan Del Mastro from AHL Rockford, a team announcement states. Chicago sent the 22-year-old down at the beginning of the break for additional playing time in the minors, where he posted three shots and a plus-one rating in four games over the past couple of weeks. He has one assist in six NHL games since first being called up in late January and will continue competing for bottom-pairing minutes while Louis Crevier is on injured reserve with a concussion.
  • The Bruins recalled defenseman Michael Callahan, center Matthew Poitras, and left-winger Riley Tufte from AHL Providence – the latter coming up under emergency conditions, per the team. Goaltender Michael DiPietro will also practice with the team while Jeremy Swayman remains with Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off but won’t count against the active roster. Callahan’s and Poitras’ recalls are reversals of pre-break assignments, with the former’s recall serving as confirmation that Hampus Lindholm won’t be ready to come off LTIR before Saturday’s game against the Ducks. Tufte’s recall is his first since November, and his inclusion is a solid indication that Charlie McAvoy will be IR-bound after sustaining an upper-body injury and subsequent infection at the 4 Nations.
  • The Jets announced they’ve recalled Kaapo Kähkönen from AHL Manitoba to serve as a practice player with Connor Hellebuyck slated to start for the Americans in Thursday’s 4 Nations championship. He’s played one NHL game since signing a one-year, $1MM deal in Winnipeg last offseason – although it was for the Avalanche, who claimed him off waivers in October but lost him back to the Jets on the wire the following month. The 28-year-old has taken a tumble in Manitoba with a .885 SV% in 20 games – a worse save percentage than he posted on last year’s league-worst Sharks.
  • The Sharks announced they’ve recalled forward Collin Graf and defenseman Jack Thompson from AHL San Jose. They were both assigned to the minors after their final pre-break game, although notably, veteran Andrew Poturalski remains in the minors after being demoted along with Graf and Thompson. The rookies are both likely to play next Sunday against the Flames.
  • Utah announced they’d recalled winger Josh Doan from AHL Tucson after the previously reported summons of goaltender Jaxson Stauber. His reinstatement to the roster suggests Logan Cooley won’t be quite ready to return from his lower-body injury this weekend against the Kings, but general manager Bill Armstrong said yesterday he’s not expected out for much longer. Doan has 4-5–9 in 25 NHL games and 11-15–26 in 28 AHL games this year.
  • The Blues will have goaltender Will Cranley join them for practice while Jordan Binnington remains with Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off, the club announced. Cranley, 22, was a sixth-round pick of 2020 and is in his second season of pro hockey. He’s spent almost all of his time in the ECHL, where he has a .911 SV% and 2.28 GAA in 16 appearances with the Florida Everblades this year.
  • The Predators recalled goalie Matt Murray to join them as a practice player while Juuse Saros returns from repping the Fins at the 4 Nations, Emma Lingan of The Hockey News reports. Murray has yet to appear in a game for Nashville after spending the past few years in the Stars organization but has been recalled a few times as injury insurance this season. The 27-year-old has a sparkling .930 SV%, 2.17 GAA, two shutouts, and a 17-7-6 record for Milwaukee.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled forwards Gage Goncalves and Gabriel Fortier to join as practice players. Goncalves has served as Tampa Bay’s extra forward for much of the year. His NHL career is still young, and his one goal and seven points in 33 games with the Lightning marks the first scoring of his career. Goncalves has also scored 18 points in 14 AHL games this year. Fortier has spent his whole season in the minors and scored 10 goals and 17 points in 37 games. He ranks third on the Syracuse Crunch in goals and seventh in points.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Assessing Brayden Schenn As A Trade Candidate For The Colorado Avalanche

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In a recent edition of his mailbag, Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette assessed Brayden Schenn’s potential fit with the Colorado Avalanche. It’s hard to imagine the St. Louis Blues sending a top-six center to a division rival, but Schenn might be exactly what the Avalanche need.

There’s no question Colorado has high-end talent. Even after trading Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes in late January, the Avalanche still have annual MVP candidate Nathan MacKinnon and James Norris candidate Cale Makar on the roster. Still, Colorado has failed to find a consistent answer at the second-line center position since Nazem Kadri left as an unrestricted free agent in 2022.

Kadri’s immediate replacements were Alex Newhook and J.T. Compher during the 2022-23 season but later departed the organization. The Avalanche took their biggest swing at last year’s deadline, sending emerging top-four defenseman Bowen Byram to the Buffalo Sabres for Casey Mittelstadt. The Eden Prairie, MN native performed admirably down the stretch, scoring four goals and 10 points in 18 regular season contests with another three goals and nine points in 11 games during the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.

This season hasn’t been as fruitful. Mittelstadt is fifth in scoring on the team with nine goals and 32 points in 57 games. However, his -13 rating ranks last in Colorado and his 41.8% faceoff rate is the second-worst of his eight-year career. Mittelstadt’s disappointing production has led to some reporting that the Avalanche have already engaged in trade talks regarding the center they recently signed to a three-year, $17.25MM contract.

Rawal correctly points out that Schenn and Mittelstadt’s points-per-60 are remarkably similar at 1.55 and 1.52 respectively. Still, Schenn’s track record as a physical player willing to sacrifice his body on both sides of the puck can’t be understated, and his 50.1% success rate in the faceoff dot will help Colorado pull themselves out of 30th place in the category. Additionally, it’s known that Schenn and MacKinnon have become close friends over the years which would help his transition to the Avalanche’s locker room.

Still, there would be some concerns regarding Schenn’s acquisition, especially if Colorado considers sending Mittelstadt the other way in a potential swap. For one, Schenn is signed through the 2027-28 season for $6.5MM taking him to his age 36 season. Mittelstadt is dissimilarly on the ’right side’ of 30 so the Avalanche wouldn’t be acquiring a player enthralled in his prime years of production. As a counterpoint, Schenn has never relied on his speed or quickness to create offense so he may age more gracefully than most.

Colorado has the cap space to make it work, assuming Mittelstadt is a part of the return package. There’s no indication the two Central Division rivals will link up for a trade of this magnitude but Schenn may become a top-trade candidate for the Avalanche leading up to the deadline.

Cale Makar Still Listed As A Game-Time Decision

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One of the more unfortunate substories during Team USA’s victory over Team Canada on Saturday night was the lower-body injury forward Matthew Tkachuk suffered in the third period. He won’t play against Team Sweden tonight, as Dan Rosen of the NHL reported that Tkachuk didn’t practice with the team this morning.

Since they are the only team in the tournament with two regulation wins, there’s not much on the line for Team USA this evening. However, it seems the United States is confident Tkachuk will return for the championship game on Thursday. Amalie Benjamin of The Boston Globe shared a note from Matthew’s brother, Brady Tkachuk, saying Matthew will be ’good to go’ for Thursday’s matchup.

It’ll be important for the United States to get Matthew back in the lineup for the championship contest. He scored two goals and one assist in their victory against Team Finland last week and got the all-important matchup against Canada started with a fight against Brandon Hagel off the opening faceoff. Much like they are for their respective NHL clubs, the Tkachuk brothers have quickly become Teams USA’s emotional lifeblood.

Other notes from the 4 Nations Face-Off:

  • Another important substory from Saturday night’s rivalry matchup between Canada and the United States was the lack of the former’s top defenseman, Cale Makar. The former James Norris, Calder, and Conn Smythe Trophy winner was dealing with an illness that prohibited him from participating. Unfortunately for Team Canada, there’s no guarantee he’ll return against Team Finland. ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski shared that Makar has again been listed as a game-time decision for today’s matchup, meaning a firmer decision will be made closer to puck drop.
  • Speaking of Team Finland, the team’s forward grouping will look slightly different. Dan Rosen reported that Montreal Canadiens forward Joel Armia is replacing Chicago Blackhawks’ Teuvo Teräväinen in this afternoon’s lineup. Teräväinen has gone scoreless throughout the tournament averaging approximately 8:30 of ice time per game.

Cale Makar Potentially Out With Illness

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Feb. 15th: According to Friedman, Makar has officially been ruled out of tonight’s contest due to an illness. Team Canada has been allowed to add Harley to the roster, who will draw in for Makar this evening.

Feb. 14th: Team Canada could be without its best defenseman, Cale Makar when it takes on Team USA, also without its best defenseman, Quinn Hughes. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported this morning that Makar had missed today’s practice due to illness and that Philadelphia Flyers’ defenseman Travis Sanheim was skating in his spot in the lineup.

It would ultimately be a massive blow to a Canadian team that has already lost defenseman Shea Theodore for the remainder of the tournament. Chris Johnston of The Athletic confirmed yesterday that Dallas Stars’ defenseman Thomas Harley was brought in on a stand-by role should Team Canada lose another defenseman.

Given the tournament’s rules, there was speculation that Harley wouldn’t be allowed to join the team. However, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported that the NHL and NHLPA concluded that Harley could travel to join the team in Montreal but would only be allowed to practice and/or play if Makar is officially ruled out.

That doesn’t appear to be a likely outcome. LeBrun later shared that Team Canada’s head coach, Jon Cooper, felt confident that Makar would be in tomorrow’s lineup.

Cooper’s confidence should assuage most doubts about Makar’s availability tomorrow night. The former Calder, James Norris, and Conn Smythe Trophy winner went scoreless over 28:06 in Team Canada’s opening night win over Team Sweden adding three blocked shots.

Colorado Avalanche Reassign Trent Miner

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The Colorado Avalanche made a small roster move in the early hours of Saturday morning. Colorado announced they’ve reassigned netminder Trent Miner to their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, leading up to their two-week break for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Miner has been rostered on the Avalanche for much of January and February due to the injuries to backup goaltender Scott Wedgewood. The latter missed just over a week in early January with a lower-body injury and the last few days with an upper-body injury.

However, this hasn’t resulted in increased playing time for Miner. The 24-year-old goalie has only played in two games for the Avalanche this season and has been credited with just one loss. His .879 save percentage and 2.62 goals-against average aren’t horrible numbers for a backup but it doesn’t appear Colorado is willing to extend his leash just yet.

His production with AHL Colorado has understandably been more fruitful. Miner owns a 9-5-7 record in 19 AHL contests with a .905 SV% and 2.49 GAA. It’s a positive development given he spent much of last season with the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies and has five more opportunities with the Eagles over the 4 Nations Face-Off break at the very least. There’s no indication the Avalanche will recall Miner after the international tournament so he’ll likely stay in Loveland for the foreseeable future.

Trade Deadline Primer: Colorado Avalanche

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With the 4 Nations Face-Off break approaching, the trade deadline looms large and is about a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Colorado Avalanche.

The Colorado Avalanche have been busy on the trade market this season, moving on from long-time star Mikko Rantanen and acquiring two netminders to remake their goaltending. Given the talent on the team, it would be fair to say their season has been a disappointment. However, with the injuries that the Avalanche have dealt with this year, it’s fair to say that they’ve navigated some bumpy waters admirably. Colorado does have holes in its lineup, but with how busy they’ve been in-season up to this point, it’s hard to imagine them making many moves over the next few weeks.

Record

33-22-2, 4th in the Central

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$3,986,500 on deadline day, 1/3 retention slots used, 46/50 contracts used, per PuckPedia.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2025: CAR 2nd, NYR 2nd, COL 4th, VAN 4th, COL 7th
2026: COL 1st, COL 4th, CAR 4th, COL 5th, PHI 5th, COL 7th, NYR 7th, OTT 7th

Trade Chips

The Avalanche don’t have many desirable trade chips that they would be willing to move on from, which is the price you pay when you are a team that has been in Stanley Cup contention for the last few years and you’ve already moved on from your biggest pending UFA . In terms of roster players that Colorado could move, center Casey Mittelstadt and forward Ross Colton come to mind, but both players have term remaining and have struggled this season.

Mittlestadt started the season on fire, posting six goals and seven assists in his first 10 games. However, since that torrid start, the 26-year-old has struggled considerably, tallying just three goals and 16 assists in 47 games. His underlying numbers have also fallen off this year; his possession numbers have dropped at even strength, as evidenced by his CF%, which was 56.7% last season and has fallen to 50.5%. Any acquiring team is going to see Mittelstadt as a bounce-back candidate with a change of scenery but likely won’t want to pay a big cost to trade for him.

Colton’s decline this season hasn’t been as pronounced as Mittelstadt’s, however, his play hasn’t been what it was in previous years. On the surface, Colton’s 13 goals in 40 games represent the best pace of his career, however, he has produced these numbers with the most favorable deployment of his career. His overall point production has declined, with just 16 points in 40 games, and his control of the puck has been a problem throughout the season. Colton has 33 turnovers in 40 games compared to just 23 in 80 games a year ago.

Outside of their roster players, Colorado isn’t exactly ripe with draft picks, but they do have two second-round picks in this year’s NHL Entry Draft, as well as two fourth-round picks. Next season, Colorado has eight draft picks available, including their first-round pick. However, they don’t have a second or a third-round pick, and three of those eight picks are in the seventh round.

Finally, Colorado could dip in their prospect pool and look to move out some pieces from an already thing depth chart. Center Calum Ritchie and defenseman Mikhail Gulyayev are arguably their top two prospects, and while neither player is a can’t miss prospect, they do have an upside, though. Both players would be a valuable trade piece if Colorado is looking to swing a bigger deal. Ritchie had a seven-game NHL audition this season, posting a single goal. He has since been tearing it up in the Ontario Hockey League with the Oshawa Generals, registering 14 goals and 42 assists in 30 games.

Gulyayev, on the other hand, has been playing in the KHL this season and has posted six goals and six assists in 52 games. While those numbers don’t jump off the page, it is a solid improvement on last season’s numbers when he had four goals and eight assists in 64 games. The 19-year-old was a late first-round pick and is undersized at just 5’10” and 172 lbs, which could chase some teams off who have seen undersized defensemen struggle in recent seasons when trying to break into the NHL.

Other Potential Trade Chips: F Jonathan Drouin

Team Needs

1) A Center: With J.T. Miller off the market, the options for Colorado might be limited here. At the start of the year, it didn’t seem possible that Colorado would be hunting for a center, but the play of Casey Mittelstadt has been a major cause for concern.  Acquiring a second line center could allow Mittelstadt and recently acquired Jack Drury to shift down the depth chart, which would likely suit both players better at this point in their respective careers. If that is a route Colorado opts to go, their options will be extremely limited. Dylan Cozens of the Buffalo Sabres is available, but the cost would be high, and like Mittelstadt, the young center has struggled this year. Brayden Schenn is another possibility out of St. Louis, but with three more seasons at $6.5MM per year, Colorado might not want to take on a veteran on a high-priced long-term deal. If they want a younger center under control, Trevor Zegras out of Anaheim would be an option. The 23-year-old has one more year at $5.75MM and would be an arbitration-eligible RFA in the summer of 2026.   The Avalanche might need to pivot and look at other forwards or perhaps add a center to the bottom half of their forward group, it will all come down to how the market shakes out.

2) A Defenseman: In an ideal world, the Avalanche would probably love to acquire a right-shot, second-pair defenseman to slot alongside Samuel Girard. Injured defender Josh Manson could certainly fill that role when he returns but would be better served on a third pairing at this point in his career. Bumping Manson down to the third pairing would mirror what the Avalanche did in 2022 when they acquired Manson and bumped veteran Erik Johnson to the third pair. Manson has dealt with injuries this season and would likely be more effective in a less demanding role. Right shot defensemen are always in demand, and acquiring one is never easy, especially in season. Erik Karlsson and Seth Jones are two defensemen who are available, but both would come with high-priced cap hits and may not fit in the salary cap structure of the Avalanche.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Avalanche Had Interest In J.T. Miller, Fielding Calls On Casey Mittelstadt

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The Avalanche remain in the market for an upgrade at center, with Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reporting Thursday they were one of the teams who submitted trade proposals to the Canucks for J.T. Miller. Their offer “never got close enough to threaten the Rangers deal,” Friedman writes. Still, he confirms a report from Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff earlier in the week they’re listening to inquiries on struggling pivot Casey Mittelstadt to help facilitate an addition.

Colorado opened up a decent chunk of short-term financial flexibility when they swapped out Mikko Rantanen for Martin Nečas in last month’s blockbuster. They also managed to add some center depth in that deal by landing Jack Drury from the Hurricanes, but he doesn’t have top-six utility on a contending team. That leaves Mittelstadt, amid an underwhelming 9-23–32 scoring line in 55 games with some of the team’s worst possession impacts, as their only legitimate option to anchor the second line behind Nathan MacKinnon. His sputtering defensive play and lower volume of shots this season indicate the 26-year-old is a better fit elsewhere in the lineup or simply a better fit in another team’s system.

The Avs are hoping 20-year-old Calum Ritchie will be the long-term answer. Ritchie played seven NHL games earlier this season after a strong training camp, scoring once but posting a minus-seven rating. The 2023 first-round pick was returned to OHL Oshawa, where he leads the team with 1.83 points per game and ranks second in the league behind 2025 first-overall contender Michael Misa. He’s a top-50 prospect in the league and easily the best in the Colorado system.

But Ritchie could still need AHL adjustment time when he turns pro for good next season, and even if he doesn’t, he may be better suited for a bottom-six role out of the gate. Colorado needs a stopgap, and while they were searching for a longer-term fit in Miller, they could also look for short-term upgrades on Mittelstadt. Unfortunately, the options available to them for an in-season boost on the trade market are increasingly slim.

The only seemingly available unquestionable upgrades over Mittelstadt are the Islanders’ Brock Nelson and the Predators’ Ryan O’Reilly. There are issues with both. Despite a rash of injuries, the Isles’ recent hot streak makes it feasible for them to hold onto their pending UFA. At the same time, O’Reilly’s first tenure in Colorado ended 10 years ago with a publicly unpleasant contract saga. Nashville is treating O’Reilly like he has a no-movement clause despite not holding one in his contract, and whether the 2019 playoff MVP would be open to a return to Colorado is uncertain.

Other options available down the middle include Ryan Donato, Yanni Gourde, and Scott Laughton, but all carry risk. The latter two would be two-way upgrades over Mittelstadt, but they produce points at a lesser rate than his, which would exacerbate the Avs’ depth-scoring problem. Donato is clicking at a career-best 0.63 points per game rate with the Blackhawks but is untested in extended top-six minutes, especially at center. There’s also the Sabres’ Dylan Cozens, but he carries question marks similar to Mittelstadt’s when they acquired the latter from Buffalo at last year’s deadline.

A Mittelstadt move would likely be a separate transaction instead of Colorado leveraging him as part of an upgrade package. According to Friedman, the Devils, Maple Leafs, and Senators have “poked around” about his availability, but talks haven’t progressed past an initial stage.

Sharks Still Open To Moving Mario Ferraro, Avalanche Interested

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The Avalanche are one of the teams displaying interest in Sharks defense mainstay Mario Ferraro as they continue to listen to trade offers, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports.

San Jose hasn’t been actively shopping Ferraro but has been listening to offers for over a year. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported in December 2023 that the Sharks were beginning to field calls on the blue-liner. Pagnotta said before last year’s draft that they continued to weigh offers. He’s stuck around in the Bay Area in part due to a high asking price, something that made sense for Grier earlier in the process with plenty of term left on his contract and no urgency to move him.

However, Ferraro will enter the final year of his contract in 2025-26 and has a $3.25MM cap hit right in line with his market value, if not slightly lower. The Sharks could always opt to hold onto him and initiate extension negotiations over the offseason, but that would be out of line with Grier’s recent moves. Pending UFAs Mackenzie Blackwood and Cody Ceci both expressed interest in extensions with the Sharks midseason but have both been traded.

At first glance, Ferraro’s numbers are ghastly. He’s logged heavy minutes on an understaffed San Jose blue line over the life of his deal and has a cumulative -91 rating in 205 games over the last three seasons. He’s not a factor on the power play and has 11 points in 55 games, so he’s not a considerable factor offensively, either. But his relative possession metrics have improved in recent campaigns, especially considering the quality of competition he faces without much support. His 43.8 CF% last year and 45.2 CF% this year are right in line with team averages. Ferraro’s pairings with Timothy Liljegren and Jan Rutta this season have also been the best of a bad bunch at controlling possession quality, ranking first and second among qualified Sharks defense units with a 44.4 xGF% and 43.9 xGF%, per MoneyPuck.

There’s slightly more reason for the Sharks to move on with a year left on his deal, and there’s likely more interest from trade suitors with less financial risk if he doesn’t pan out. The 26-year-old lefty could have increased effectiveness in reduced usage, although he hasn’t seen third-pairing deployment since his rookie season in 2019-20.

Regarding the Avalanche’s interest, they have a clear need for a third-pairing upgrade, especially on the left side. Calvin de Haan and Oliver Kylington have been unimpressive enough to lose their roles to career AHLer Keaton Middleton, who has two assists in 26 games this season but averages just 10:44 per game. While Ferraro wouldn’t be relied upon for 20-plus minutes behind Devon Toews and Samuel Girard on Colorado’s left side, he can certainly manage far more usage than that and be a factor on the team’s penalty kill, which is already clicking at an above-average 80.4%.

Avalanche Activate Oliver Kylington, Place Valeri Nichushkin On IR

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The Colorado Avalanche have activated defenseman Oliver Kylington off of injured reserve. He’s missed the last two months and 31 games due to an upper-body injury suffered in the team’s November 27th win over the Vegas Golden Knights. In a corresponding move, Colorado has also placed winger Valeri Nichushkin on injured reserve retroactive to his last game on December 31st. Nichushkin is working through a lower-body injury and suffered a setback in his recovery in mid-January. He isn’t expected to return until after the upcoming break for the 4-Nations Face-Off.

The lineup implications of these moves are hard to gauge. Kylington has played in just eight games this season. He was a routine healthy scratch prior to injury and has only managed two points, four penalty minutes, and a minus-two in his appearances. Calvin de Haan has planted his feet as Colorado’s extra defender in Kylington’s absence, which could leave the latter exposed to waivers when Nichushkin works his way back to full health. The winger has contributed far more to the lineup this year, immediately returning to productivity in both ends after missing the first month of the season. Nichushkin has 17 points in 25 games this season, a mark that still ranks ninth on the Avalanche in scoring even though he hasn’t played in over a month. He’s scored 73 points over his last 82 regular season games collectively, but that span dates all the way back to April, 2023. Nichushkin’s last fluctuated on the same wave – with spans of high-impact play being marred by extended absences to injury or personal leave. His return after the 4-Nations Face-Off will be an exciting chance to break that spell, and help support a playoff push for an Avalanche roster now sans Mikko Rantanen.

Wedgewood Day-To-Day With Upper-Body Injury

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  • Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, mentions Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette (Twitter link). He will, however, accompany the team on the road so he shouldn’t be out for too long.  The 32-year-old has a 2.40 GAA and a .910 SV% in his first nine games with Colorado after being acquired from Nashville at the end of November.  Trent Miner is already up on recall so the Avs won’t need to bring anyone else up.

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