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Avalanche Recall Taylor Makar

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A pair of brothers could soon be getting a chance to play together in the NHL for the first time.  The Avalanche announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled forward Taylor Makar from AHL Colorado.  They had two open spots on their active roster, meaning no corresponding move needed to be made to bring him up.

It’s the first recall of Makar’s career.  The 24-year-old, the younger brother of star defenseman Cale Makar, was selected by the Avs in the seventh round back in 2021, taking him 220th overall.  Makar went on to spend four years in college, three with UMass before transferring to the University of Maine for his senior year, one that saw him record 18 goals and 12 assists.  For context, he had a total of 22 points over his first three college campaigns.

That improvement was enough for Colorado to sign Makar to a one-year, entry-level deal for this season.  He’s off to a decent start with the Eagles, picking up one goal and three assists in nine games so far this season.

Makar’s recall is likely tied to the fact that winger Gavin Brindley left today’s game against Vegas after taking a hit from Ivan Barbashev and didn’t return.  With the Avs only carrying 12 forwards on their active roster before this move, it would appear that Makar would be in line to make his NHL debut if Brindley can’t suit up on Saturday against San Jose.

Evening Notes: Couturier, Boeser, Blue Jackets, Avalanche

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Two notable players have left their respective games after taking hard shots: Sean Couturier and Brock Boeser. First, the Flyers announced mid-game their captain Couturier will not return vs Nashville. The 32-year-old’s injury was not disclosed, but he appeared bothered after blocking a shot in the first period. Couturier has been off to a great start so far this season, with nine points in nine games, looking like his old self after two straight seasons not passing the 45-point mark. 

Meanwhile, the Vancouver Canucks confirmed Boeser will not return after being struck in the midsection point-blank from his teammate Elias Pettersson (defenseman) on a slap shot just 33 seconds into the game vs St. Louis. It’s an extra tough blow considering that the team is already missing Conor Garland, Quinn Hughes, and several other forwards.

Elsewhere across the league:

  • The Columbus Blue Jackets recalled defenseman Dysin Mayo from AHL Cleveland, per the team. With veteran Erik Gudbranson day-to-day, having already missed time this season, Columbus has called upon the 29-year-old with 82 games of NHL experience in advance of Saturday’s game vs St. Louis. Although Mayo is likely just insurance, if he is to appear, it will be his first NHL game since 2022-23, all 82 of his so far as an Arizona Coyote. The right-hander leads the Cleveland Monsters in points, with four helpers in five games. 
  • In what has been a big day for the Avalanche, after locking up Martin Necas, the team announced that they have recalled defenseman Wyatt Aamodt from AHL Colorado. While Samuel Girard remains sidelined, Jack Ahcan has drawn into the lineup for the last two games, but Aamodt will be added depth if needed, as the Avs head to Vegas, then San Jose, on a road trip this coming weekend. The 27-year-old has spent the last four seasons with the Colorado Eagles, earning a two-game stint with the Avalanche last year.

Avalanche Sign Martin Necas To Eight-Year Extension

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Another big-ticket name is off next summer’s free agent board. The Avalanche have signed Martin Nečas to a max-term extension, the team announced. The deal is worth $92MM in total and carries an $11.5MM cap hit, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. $60MM of that $92MM is signing bonus money, and the deal carries a no-movement clause from 2026-27 through 2032-33, Friedman adds. The eight-year contract carries Necas through the 2033-34 season.

After potential 2026 UFAs Connor McDavid, Kirill Kaprizov, Jack Eichel, and Kyle Connor all signed extensions over the past several weeks, Nečas and Artemi Panarin were left alone at the top of the class for next summer. Instead of waiting to see what Nečas might have been able to land on the open market for the first time in his career, he’s making a long-term commitment to Colorado.

As for the Avs, they didn’t have much of a choice but to keep grinding away until they got a deal done. Nečas became a top-line cornerstone and their de facto No. 2 forward behind Nathan MacKinnon when they initiated a series of blockbuster trades midway through last season. Colorado was unable to make tangible progress on an extension with star pending UFA Mikko Rantanen, so they traded him to the Hurricanes and received Nečas back as the centerpiece. Rantanen was similarly unable to come to terms on a deal with Carolina and was flipped to the Stars at the trade deadline, where he did end up signing an eight-year deal.

Leaving Nečas in lame duck status for much longer risked the same situation developing that torpedoed their relationship with Rantanen less than 12 months ago. It’s hard not to see the terms of the contract as a net positive for the Avs, who get Nečas locked in for $500,000 per season under what Rantanen ended up receiving from Dallas. They also keep their internal salary structure intact by keeping his cap hit well below MacKinnon’s $12.6MM mark, giving them more added flexibility when starting up extension talks with potential 2027 UFA Cale Makar next summer.

Aside from that drama, the Avs are evidently pleased with what Nečas has brought to the table in the last nine months. The 2017 No. 12 overall pick had flashes of top-line play in Carolina throughout his development, but never put a pair of back-to-back star-level seasons together. That looks to be changing now. Nečas crossed the point-per-game threshold for the first time in 2024-25, racking up 27 goals, 56 assists, and 83 points in 79 appearances between the Canes and Avs. He had 28 of those points in 30 games with Colorado. He’s off to a similarly hot start this season with seven goals and 13 points in 11 contests while averaging a career-high 21:15 per game.

In signing his deal, Nečas becomes the seventh Avalanche player signed through 2030 or longer. He joins MacKinnon, Valeri Nichushkin, Devon Toews, and Mackenzie Blackwood as the team’s core pieces locked in for that long, while depth forwards Parker Kelly and Logan O’Connor are also signed to lower-cost, long-term deals.

Now, the Avs hope Nečas’ emergence since the beginning of 2024-25 is sustainable for the rest of his prime. Through his first five full seasons in Carolina, Nečas only averaged 23 goals and 58 points per 82 games. Now, he ranks 25th in the league in points per game since October 2024 among those with at least 25 appearances. Possession play, previously an intermittent concern in Raleigh, has also seen improvement since his arrival in Denver. He posted a dominant 60.6 CF% at even strength for the Avs down the stretch last year and has continued humming along with a 57.6% mark with a 62.2 xGF% this year.

Nečas was finishing up a two-year, $13MM contract he signed with the Canes as an RFA in July 2024. Now, he falls just outside the top 10 highest cap hits for the 2026-27 season. Six of the 10 players ahead of him have signed their contracts in the last calendar year.

The extension doesn’t cripple the Avs’ salary cap picture for 2026-27, but it’s still uncomfortably tight. They have $16.125MM in projected space, assuming a $104MM cap, but nine roster spots are unaccounted for, per PuckPedia. That’s an average of just $1.79MM per spot. The good news – none of their remaining pending free agents currently make more than that figure. Their eight highest-paid forwards, their four highest-paid defensemen, and their highest-paid goaltender are all signed through at least next season, meaning that $1.79MM average to fill out their depth could end up being a feasible number to work with.

Image courtesy of Winslow Townson-Imagn Images.

Avalanche Assign Trent Miner To AHL

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Oct. 29th: Colorado announced that they’ve reassigned Miner to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, indirectly confirming he made it through waivers unscathed.

Oct. 28th: The Avalanche placed goaltender Trent Miner on waivers today, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. He’ll head to AHL Colorado if he clears.

While doing so will open a roster spot, that’s not of concern to the Avs, as they already have one. It instead ushers the formal return of starting netminder Mackenzie Blackwood, who will be backing up Scott Wedgewood tonight as he’s healthy enough to dress for the first time this season, per Bailey Curtis of DNVR Sports. He’s missed 10 games with a lower-body issue and has continued to sit out after being recalled from his conditioning loan to the AHL over a week ago.

Only recently has Miner played a factor in Blackwood’s absence. He played two of the last three, one in early relief and one as a start, for Colorado to give the overtaxed Wedgewood some rest. The veteran backup performed as well as could be hoped for in spot-starting duty, logging a 5-1-2 record and a .904 SV% with a 2.42 GAA in nine appearances. He’s faltered recently, though, logging a 0-1-1 record and .825 SV% in his last three outings. That explained Colorado’s decision to give Miner his first start of the season and second of his career in Sunday’s overtime loss to the Devils. In his two appearances this month, the 24-year-old managed a 0-0-2 record with a .909 SV% and 2.12 GAA. He saved one goal above expected, per MoneyPuck.

The Avs’ third-stringer now returns to the AHL – assuming he clears waivers – where he had great success last season. The 2019 seventh-round pick made a career-high 38 appearances for the Eagles and came away with a 22-10-9 record, .918 SV%, 2.12 GAA, and three shutouts. His solid showing in brief NHL action this year likely quiets any concerns that may have existed about Miner being a capable No. 3 option.

While Miner’s recent numbers may generate some interest on the wire, he’s still under contract through 2026-27. While he’s on a league-minimum, two-way deal, that could be enough to dissuade any potential claimers.

Avalanche Sign Tristen Nielsen

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The Colorado Avalanche have signed forward Tristen Nielsen to a two-year NHL contract. The deal is a promotion from the AHL contract Nielsen entered the season on. His new contract will run through the end of the 2026-27 season.

Nielsen has had a red-hot start to the AHL season. He has scored seven points in seven games, tying him for the Colorado Eagles’ scoring lead alongside Daniil Gushchin, who has seven points in five games. It’s a huge spike in production for Nielsen, who spent the last four years in a depth role on the Abbotsford Canucks. He reached a career-high 41 points in 64 AHL games during the 2022-23 season, but fell all the way to 28 points in 67 games last year.

A scoring decline pushed Nielsen towards a change of scenery this summer. He signed a minor-league deal with the Eagles in early August and joined the Avalanche for their training camp in September. He scored three points in three NHL preseason games throughout camp – an especially impressive milestone given Nielsen only played in two preseason games over the course of four years in the Canucks organization. He’s continued that hot scoring into the regular season, and earned a second-look from the NHL brass as a result.

Nielsen originally signed with Vancouver as an undrafted free agent, after appearing in parts of six seasons in the WHL. He split those years evenly between the Calgary Hitmen and Vancouver Giants, and racked up 175 points across 241 games in the league. That includes a team-leading, and career-best, 65 points in 61 games during the Giants’ 2022-23 season. The Canucks signed Nielsen as a local gem two years later, and while he was never able to strike in Vancouver, his new contract will open the door to a possible NHL debut with the Avalanche soon.

Avalanche Assign Ronnie Attard To AHL

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Colorado’s injury list has been pretty full in the early going this season with three players on injured reserve (one on LTIR) plus several others on season-opening injured reserve who are destined for the minors when they’re cleared to return.  The latter has been shrunk by one as the Avalanche have assigned defenseman Ronnie Attard to the minors, per the AHL’s transactions log.

The 26-year-old is in his first season with the Avs after signing with them as a Group Six unrestricted free agent this past summer, inking a one-year, two-way deal.  He cleared waivers early in training camp but was recalled for a game after that, sustaining a lower-body injury that ultimately kept him out for the better part of a month.

Last season, Attard split the season between the AHL affiliates of Philadelphia and Edmonton after the latter acquired him in an early-season swap of minor league defensemen.  Between the two squads, he put up seven goals and ten assists in 66 games.

Attard has 29 career NHL appearances under his belt, all with the Flyers, tallying six points altogether.  However, he didn’t see any time on an NHL roster last season, meaning there was no lingering cap charge associated with his SOIR placement.  He’ll now join the Eagles in the hopes of playing his way into a recall as the season goes on.

Avalanche Recall Jack Ahcan, Daniil Gushchin

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The Avalanche announced Friday that they’ve recalled defenseman Jack Ahcan and winger Daniil Gushchin from AHL Colorado. The team has two open roster spots, so no corresponding transaction is required.

Today marks Ahcan’s second recall of the young season. He made the team out of camp after clearing waivers, but was sent down a couple of days in as Ilya Solovyov came off the non-roster list. He was summoned again the following week to give the Avs an extra defenseman in the wake of Samuel Girard’s injured reserve placement, but was scratched twice before being returned to the AHL last Saturday.

All that roster time hasn’t translated into playing time for Ahcan. In the seven days he’s spent up in the NHL this month, Colorado’s had three games, and he’s played in none of them. The 28-year-old is in his third year in the organization. He initially signed a two-year, two-way deal in the 2023 offseason and reupped with the club on another two-way deal over the summer. He’s spent all but 11 games of his pro career in the minors, where he’s torched AHL competition with a goal and four assists in four games so far this season. His most recent NHL appearances came in a back-to-back set in April last season, his first games as an Av and his first in the NHL since the 2021-22 campaign with the Bruins.

With Colorado still only carrying six defenders for their recent stretch of games, Ahcan will give them a seventh option for their two-game road swing through Boston and New Jersey in case another injury pops up. It essentially serves as a confirmation that Girard, who’s week-to-week with his upper-body issue, won’t come off IR in the next few days.

Gushchin’s recall serves a similar purpose, but for the team’s forward group. Acquired from the Sharks over the offseason, Guchshin cleared waivers during training camp after putting together a 2-3–5 scoring line in 18 appearances over the past three years with San Jose. The undersized but skilled 23-year-old has made a considerable impression in the Avs’ farm system so far, leading the AHL with six goals in five games. A 2020 third-round pick, that’s more than earned Gushchin his first call-up as an Av, and, with fellow sub-5’10” winger Gavin Brindley off to a slow start with one goal in eight games on Colorado’s fourth line, he might get a look in Brindley’s spot on the upcoming road trip if the Avs are looking to jumpstart their depth.

Summer Synopsis: Colorado Avalanche

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With the regular season now upon us, the bulk of the heavy lifting has been done from a roster perspective.  Most unrestricted free agents have found new homes, the arbitration period has come and gone, and the trade market has cooled.  Accordingly, it’s a good time to take a look at what each team accomplished over the offseason.  Next up is a look at the Colorado Avalanche.

The Avalanche had a shocking end to their season this past spring and are looking to put it behind them and resume their quest for another Stanley Cup. The Avalanche aren’t mentioned in the upper echelon of NHL teams like they were a few years ago, but on paper, they are very much in the conversation. They don’t boast the depth that they used to, but their top six remains one of the strongest in the league, and they still have a top defensive pairing in Devon Toews and Cale Makar.

Draft

3-77 – D Francesco Dell’Elce, UMass (NCAA)
4-118 – D Linus Funck, Luleå HF J20 (J20 Nationell)
7-214 – F Nolan Roed, Tri-City (USHL)

The Avalanche didn’t have many picks this year, which is the result of doing business when you’re in the Stanley Cup window. With their third-round pick, Colorado chose an offensive defenseman who already moves like a pro and stays very calm under pressure. He has an excellent first pass and can lead the transition game with his skating and passing. You might wonder why he was drafted in the third round after reading that. Firstly, he’s an older prospect at 20. He’s also better with the puck than without it, suggesting that his defensive game could improve.

With their fourth-round pick, the Avalanche selected Funck from Sweden. The mobile defenseman is another good transition player, with a strong first pass and good ice awareness. He’s a solid defender and appears to transition smoothly from offense to defense, which might explain his significant jump of 36 spots in the spring rankings. While he has considerable potential, he may face some challenges. Funck is lean and will likely need to add strength to handle net-front battles and NHL forecheckers.

Expectations are rarely high for seventh-round picks, but there is a lot to like about Roed’s game. He can move around the ice with speed and plays a north-south style of hockey. He creates separation with his skating and remains poised under pressure when carrying the puck. While he performs well in open spaces, the biggest critique of Roed is that he struggles with physical contact and is easily knocked off the puck in board battles and net-front confrontations.

Trade Acquisitions

RW Gavin Brindley (from Columbus)
LW Danil Gushchin (from San Jose)

The Avalanche made a few trades this summer, with the Brindley acquisition aimed mainly at shedding the contracts of Coyle and Wood rather than Brindley, the player. The 21-year-old Brindley is a former second-round pick (34th overall) and is expected to see NHL action this season, even though he is undersized at just 5’8” and 173 lbs. The Avalanche lack a well-established bottom six, so they are open to giving young players in that role opportunities if they believe they can be long-term solutions.

Gushchin is another small player Colorado was willing to take a chance on. The 23-year-old, a former third-round pick (76th overall) in 2020, has been a consistent scorer in the AHL over the past three seasons. Gushchin had a lengthy stint in the NHL with San Jose, but he managed only one point in 12 games and wasn’t a significant presence. At 165 lbs, there are concerns that he might get pushed around in battles and easily be knocked off the puck. However, given his skill level, Colorado was willing to take the gamble on him.

UFA Signings

D Jack Ahcan (one year, $775K)*
D Ronald Attard (one year, $775K)*
C Alex Barre-Boulet (one year, $775K)
D Brent Burns (one year, $1MM)
C Parker Kelly (four years, $6.8MM)^
F Joel Kiviranta (one year, $1.25MM)
D Josh Manson (two years, $7.9MM)^
C Brock Nelson (three years, $22.5MM)^
F Victor Olofsson (one year, $1.575MM)
C TJ Tynan (one year, $775K)*

*-denotes two-way contract
^-denotes re-signing

The most significant move for the Avalanche in free agency was re-signing veteran center Nelson, who fit well after joining from the New York Islanders at the NHL Trade Deadline. Spending $7.5MM annually on a 34-year-old is definitely a gamble, but given their position in the contention window, the signing makes sense for the Avalanche. It provided them with a second-line center and a reliable player driver, which they’ve been looking for since winning the Stanley Cup in 2022.

In terms of new faces, signing Burns to a one-year deal was a smart gamble even though he’s 40 years old. The former Norris Trophy winner remains a very effective offensive defenseman with his shot and passing still quite good, even if his skating isn’t what it used to be. Burns can’t log 26 minutes a night anymore, but he can probably handle around 20 minutes and still be effective, which is a steal for $1MM. It’ll be interesting to see how he performs in the later stages of the season, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see him finish with 30-40 points.

Olofsson is another intriguing addition who could have some upside in Colorado. The 30-year-old is a three-time 20-goal scorer who could reasonably reach a 40-point pace over an 82-game season. The problem with Olofsson has always been that if he hits a slump, he doesn’t do enough without the puck to secure a spot in an NHL lineup; however, last season, he disproved that notion by significantly improving his defensive play and posting excellent defensive numbers. It’s uncertain if he can keep this up, but only time will tell.

Finally, the Avalanche decided to re-sign veteran defenseman Manson for another two years. The 34-year-old is in his fifth season with the Avalanche and continues to be a defense-first defenseman who isn’t afraid to hit. Manson missed half of last season but reduced his penalties when he did play. His puck control was poor last year, as he was responsible for many turnovers in limited ice time. Right-shot defensemen are hard to find, and at the very least, Manson remains a third-pair defender.

RFA Re-Signings

F Danil Gushchin (one year, $775K)*
D Sam Malinski (one year, $1.4MM)
G Trent Miner (two years, $1.55MM)*
RW Jason Polin (one year, $775K)
C Matthew Steinburg (one year, $775K)*

*-denotes two-way contract

There isn’t much to comment on regarding the Avalanche’s RFA list from this past offseason. Malinski is essentially the only RFA who could make an impact at the NHL level this season. The 27-year-old is a bit small, but he’s swift and isn’t afraid to use his skills to create plays with the puck. Malinski is clearly talented with the puck on his stick, and he’s willing to jump into the play from the point or lead the team in transition. This upcoming season is crucial for Malinski as he aims to break into Colorado’s top four.

Outside of Malinski, the remaining RFAs re-signed and will spend most of their time in the AHL. Gushchin might get a look at the NHL level given his skill set, but with his size, it’s hard to see him getting an extended opportunity.

Departures

F Charlie Coyle (traded to Columbus)
F Jonathan Drouin (signed with Islanders, two years $8MM)
D Erik Johnson (retired)
D Ryan Lindgren (signed with Seattle, four years $18MM)
D John Ludvig (signed in Czechia)
D Calle Rosen (signed with Washington, one year $775K)*
D Devante Stephens (signed in Austria)
F Miles Wood (traded to Columbus)

*-denotes two-way contract

The Avalanche’s forward group suffered significant losses this offseason as Coyle, Wood, and Drouin moved on. This causes pressure on the team’s bottom six, which will look quite different this year. Whether that turns out to be a good thing remains to be seen, but currently, several questions surround the team’s fourth line, specifically regarding Zakhar Bardakov and Brindley. Parker Kelly is an established player on that fourth line and is likely to serve as a mentor to the other two as they work towards becoming regular NHL players.

Bardakov has good size and could bring a bit of a power-forward feel to the fourth line. He doesn’t have a long history of scoring, but last season he was a solid depth scorer in the KHL, recording 17 goals and 18 assists in 53 games. The 24-year-old was a seventh-round draft pick and isn’t highly touted, but if he can competently fill the fourth line role for Colorado, it would check off one of their shopping list items and provide a solid return on that late-round pick.

On the defensive end, the most notable loss was Lindgren, who bolted to Seattle on what can best be described as an overpayment. Lindgren has traditionally been a decent middle-pair option, but he was a disaster last year in New York with the Rangers and damaged many of his partner, Adam Fox’s, numbers. He was moved at the deadline to Colorado, where he posted arguably the worst results of their entire defense core. Colorado could have probably received better results from the player they traded for Lindgren (Calvin de Haan) and correctly moved on during the off-season. That’s not to say Lindgren is a bad player by any means, but for $4.5MM annually, Colorado could find a better fit.

Former first overall pick Johnson also retired after playing 1023 NHL games. The 37-year-old split his time between Philadelphia and Colorado, performing respectably with the Avalanche, though a 101.3 PDO helped him. It seemed like he might continue his career this season, but ultimately, he chose to hang up his skates. For Colorado, Johnson isn’t a significant loss, as they have plenty of options to fill the role he played last season in his limited time.

Salary Cap Outlook

The Avalanche are close to the salary cap, but isn’t in the worst position with just over $1.1MM available currently (as per PuckPedia). That figure multiplies to $4.665MM at the NHL Trade Deadline, meaning the Avalanche can add an impact player without needing to shed salary and could even acquire a player with a cap hit above $8MM if the other team is willing to retain. Next summer, the Avalanche will once again face a cap crunch with just under $27MM available and 14 players signed. One of their free agents is forward Martin Necas, who could consume more than one-third of that remaining cap space, indicating a summer squeeze once again in Colorado.

Key Questions

Do the Avalanche have another deep playoff run in them?

The Avalanche don’t have a perfect roster, and no NHL team does in a salary cap world. As mentioned earlier, there are question marks on the lower tiers of their roster, but the top end remains elite, giving them a chance for a deep playoff run unless significant injuries occur. A concern for the Avalanche in the Central Division is that they could face either the Dallas Stars or Winnipeg Jets in one of, if not both, of the first two rounds of the playoffs, and those teams are also top-tier NHL clubs.

How will Mackenzie Blackwood perform for a whole season?

Blackwood performed exceptionally well after joining the Sharks in a midseason trade. His performance was so impressive that it prompted the Avalanche to sign him to a long-term extension. It was somewhat risky, considering the early struggles Blackwood faced in his career, but the Avalanche are betting that last year’s version of Blackwood is the one they’ll see moving forward. It’s a significant gamble; some might say they are staking their Stanley Cup hopes on him because if he falters, they won’t have much cap space left to find a suitable replacement. While that might be a bit of hyperbole, Blackwood’s play could indeed be a key factor in where the Avalanche finish the season.

How will Gabriel Landeskog perform full-time?

It’s been four years since Landeskog began the regular season in October, having missed three full seasons before returning last year for the playoffs. The 32-year-old played well in five games, scoring a goal and adding three assists before the Dallas Stars eliminated the Avalanche in the first round. It was an incredible comeback, one that seemed impossible at one point. Now, with the calendar turned back to the regular season, it will be interesting to see how many games Landeskog plays this year and how effective he will be as the season goes on. He’s off to a slow start this season, but if Landeskog has taught us anything, it’s not to underestimate his grit.

Photo by Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

Joel Kiviranta Out Indefinitely; Avalanche Assign Jack Ahcan To AHL

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The Avalanche will be without a veteran winger as they take on Boston tonight.  The team announced (Twitter link) that winger Joel Kiviranta is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury.  In a separate move, the club also announced (Twitter link) that defenseman Jack Ahcan has been reassigned to AHL Colorado.

Kiviranta is coming off a career showing in 2024-25.  After only reaching the double-digit plateau once before (an 11-point effort in 2020-21), the 29-year-old potted 16 goals last season along with seven assists while also averaging a career-high 12:31 per game of ice time.  That helped him eventually earn a new contract with a small raise as he re-signed a one-year, $1.25MM deal back in August.

However, he has been quieter in the early going so far this season.  Through five games, Kiviranta has been held off the scoresheet and has managed just three shots on goal while his playing time has dipped by nearly two minutes a night despite still taking a regular turn on their penalty kill.  Now, he’ll be waiting a while to put up his first point on the season as head coach Jared Bednar clarified to reporters including Aarif Dean of Colorado Hockey Now that Kiviranta will be out several weeks at a minimum.

As for Ahcan, he was recalled from the Eagles on Sunday following a strong start that saw him put up four points in his first two AHL appearances.  However, he didn’t see any action during this recall, keeping his career NHL total at 11.

With these moves, the Avs have just a dozen healthy forwards and six healthy blueliners.  While that’s optical from the perspective of accruing as much cap space as possible, it’s a strategy that certainly carries some risk as well when it comes to injury exposure.  Accordingly, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the team make at least one recall from the minors before too long.

Avalanche Recall Mackenzie Blackwood From Conditioning Loan

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Oct. 17: Blackwood’s conditioning stint is over, the team announced. He didn’t get into game action with the Eagles; instead, he was only there to face shots in practice with a more consistent schedule there this week than in Colorado. Blackwood was never on IR, so the recall suggests he should be available for tomorrow’s game against the Bruins.

Oct. 13: The Colorado Avalanche should be getting a big reinforcement between the pipes in a few days. The team announced that they’ve loaned netminder Mackenzie Blackwood to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles on a conditioning stint. Additionally, the team has activated defenseman Sean Behrens from the season-opening injured reserve and reassigned him to AHL Colorado.

Colorado’s reasoning behind the conditioning stint this early in the campaign is fairly simple. Blackwood is continuing to recover from a procedure performed in May and didn’t participate in any preseason games for the Avalanche or any training camp activities. Since Colorado can leave Blackwood on the conditioning stint for up to 14 days, it’ll be treated as a pseudo training camp to prepare him for the regular season.

Blackwood was phenomenal for the Avalanche last year. After being acquired from the San Jose Sharks, Blackwood took on a heavy workload, managing a 22-12-3 record in 37 games with a .913 SV% and 2.33 GAA. Unfortunately, he couldn’t help Colorado avoid another first-round exit in last year’s playoffs, registering a 3-4-0 record in seven contests with a .892 SV%.

Still, despite being without Blackwood, the Avalanche have gotten stellar goaltending out of the gates this season. Their backup, Scott Wedgewood, has a 2-0-1 record through Colorado’s first three games with a .925 SV% and 1.95 GAA. Even though it’s a small sample size, Wedgewood has already played the most minutes of any netminder this year.

Meanwhile, Behrens will return to competitive hockey for the first time in two years. After winning the National Championship with the University of Denver in 2024, Behrens signed with the Avalanche, skating in one game with the Eagles to finish the year, with one additional appearance in the postseason.

Unfortunately, a knee injury suffered during last year’s training camp cost Behrens the entire 2024-25 season. He appeared in a few games for the Avalanche’s rookie tournament, though his upcoming time with the Eagles will mark his true return to professional hockey.

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