- The Avalanche welcomed back defenseman Samuel Girard tonight against Winnipeg as NHL.com’s Tracey Myers relayed (Twitter link). The 25-year-old suffered a concussion late in the regular season against the Jets and hadn’t played since then. Girard had a bit of a down year for Colorado as he was limited to 18 points in 59 games, the lowest output of his career while his ATOI dipped to 19:23, the lowest since his rookie season. Still, as a top-four blueliner, his return was certainly a welcome one.
Avalanche Rumors
Avalanche Recall Arvid Holm
The Colorado Avalanche have brought goaltender Arvid Holm back to the NHL lineup after sending him down on Monday (Twitter link). Holm served as the backup to Ivan Prosvetov in the Colorado Eagles first game of the AHL’s Calder Cup Playoffs – a 4-2 loss against the Abbotsford Canucks. This loss puts the Eagles on the brink of elimination, which could be why the Avalanche are recalling the AHL backup for added depth ahead of their own Game Three.
Prosvetov and Holm are two of the six goaltenders who have played games with the Eagles this season. Prosvetov has managed a solid 11 wins, .921 save percentage, and 2.33 goals-against-average in 21 AHL appearances, while Holm is the only routine starter with a sub-.900 save percentage, posting an .887 and six wins in 12 games. Holm has also spent time in the ECHL this season, recording two wins and a .907 in four appearances.
Holm has yet to receive his NHL debut, despite now six call-ups to the NHL in the last two years. All but two of those came before this season when Holm was a member of the Winnipeg Jets. Winnipeg drafted the Swedish netminder in the sixth round of the 2017 NHL Draft but chose not to extend him a qualifying offer last summer. That left him open to sign a one-year, two-way, $775K contract with the Avalanche. He joined a crowded goalie room and has since been competing with Prosvetov, Justus Annunen, and Trent Miner for NHL opportunity behind starter Alexandar Georgiev. Holm seems to be closer to the bottom of the depth chart, though he’s set to once again serve as the Avalanche’s emergency third-string goalie this postseason.
Sean Walker Clears Concussion Protocol
- Avalanche blue-liner Sean Walker was limited to 16:48 of ice time in yesterday’s Game 2 win, missing most of the third period. Head coach Jared Bednar confirmed today that he won’t carry an injury designation moving forward, as his absence was due to being pulled from the game by a concussion spotter (via NHL.com’s Ryan Boulding). He’s cleared protocol and will take his normal spot in the lineup in Friday’s Game 3. Walker is without a point in his two playoff appearances with Colorado thus far after being picked up from the Flyers ahead of the trade deadline.
Avalanche Reassign Three Players
The Avalanche have assigned defenseman Brad Hunt, forward Chris Wagner and goaltender Ivan Prosvetov to AHL Colorado, according to a team announcement.
None of the three played in last night’s 5-2 win in Game 2 of their first-round series against the Jets to tie the series. Hunt and Wagner were scratched, while Prosvetov served as the backup to starter Alexandar Georgiev. Rookie Justus Annunen, Georgiev’s backup for much of the last few months, has missed both postseason contests so far due to illness.
They’ll provide significant reinforcements to the Eagles, who begin their best-of-three First Round series against the Abbotsford Canucks tonight. Hunt, 35, spent all of the regular season there, leading the offensively challenged club in points with 49 (16 goals, 33 assists) in 70 games. It marked the undersized blue liner’s first regular season without NHL action since 2012-13. He suited up in 47 games for the Avs last season, notching 10 points despite averaging only 11:13 per game. The British Columbia native is wrapping up a two-year, two-way deal worth $1.525MM that he signed with Colorado in 2022 and will be a UFA in July.
Wagner heads back to the minors after being placed on waivers yesterday, meaning he’s cleared. The 32-year-old played sparingly for the Avs down the stretch, notching a goal and an assist in 13 appearances while averaging 7:27 per game. He has 14 points in 21 AHL contests this season, held out of the lineup until January due to an Achilles tear sustained during training camp. A former fourth-line fixture with the Bruins and Islanders, Wagner has played primarily in the minors for the third year in a row. He inked a one-year, two-way extension ($775K/$400K) early this month that will keep him with the Avs or Eagles through next season.
Prosvetov, 25, has likely dressed for his last game in Colorado if Annunen can suit up for Game 3 on Friday. A report out of Russia late last week indicated he’ll sign a three-year deal with CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League this offseason. He made a career-high eight starts and three relief appearances for the Avs in the regular season after the club claimed him off waivers from the Coyotes, posting a 4-3-1 record with a .895 SV% and 3.16 GAA. The Arizona 2018 fourth-round pick will likely get the start for the Eagles tonight after going 11-7-2 with a .921 SV% in 21 games down the stretch.
The Avs’ Game 3 coincides with the Eagles’ Game 2 of their respective series, so Colorado is unlikely to reverse these transactions if they can help it. If the AHL squad is eliminated, though, expect all three to come back to the NHL roster as Black Aces for the remainder of their stay in the postseason.
Avalanche Place Chris Wagner On Waivers
The Colorado Avalanche placed forward Chris Wagner on waivers today (as per CapFriendly) after he was called up from the AHL just three days ago. The 32-year-old played 13 NHL games with Colorado this season as he split time between the Avalanche and the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. Wagner served as Colorado’s healthy scratch for Game 1 of their first-round series against the Jets. and will serve in the same capacity for Game 2 despite being on waivers.
Wagner signed a two-way contract with Colorado on July 1st of last year and proved to be a decent call-up option for the Avalanche, filling in during absences and injuries. In 21 AHL games this season, Wagner posted eight goals and six assists while he registered a goal and an assist in the NHL with the Avalanche. He averaged just 7:27 of ice time in his limited NHL action while posting a +3 rating.
The native of Walpole, Massachusetts, hasn’t been a full-time NHLer since the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season with the Bruins when he played in 41 games and tallied two goals and three assists. That season was the first year of an ill-advised three-year $4.05MM extension in Boston, as Wagner would spend the final two seasons of that contract playing in the AHL with the Providence Bruins.
In 373 career NHL games, Wagner has posted 38 goals and 27 assists, along with a -24 rating and a 204 PIM. His best NHL season came in 2018-19 with the Bruins when Wagner put up 12 goals and seven assists in 76 games.
Girard Practices, Status For Game 2 Remains Unknown
Seattle Kraken general manager Ron Francis told reporters today (via Sound of Hockey) that he intends to start talking with restricted free agents Matty Beniers and Eeli Tolvanen and fully expects that the sides will be able to come to agreements. Beniers is the reigning Calder Trophy winner but suffered a dramatic drop in his offensive production, posting just 15 goals and 22 assists in 77 games after posting 57 points in 81 games last season. While his play dropped off this season, he should still receive a sizeable raise on his $897,500 cap hit. Tolvanen was acquired off waivers by the Kraken back in December 2022 and developed into a solid depth scorer posting 16 goals and 25 assists in 81 games this season. He is also due a raise on his $1.45MM cap hit.
Francis added that the Kraken will have to decide whether or not to qualify forward Kailer Yamamoto, who suffered through another difficult offensive season posting just eight goals and eight assists in 59 games. While a $1.5MM qualifying offer seems steep for a player who tallied just 16 points this season, Yamamoto’s age and previous production could be enough to entice Francis to roll the dice one more time and qualify the 25-year-old.
In other Western Conference notes:
- Winnipeg Jets color analyst Mitchell Clinton is reporting that forward Morgan Barron has yet to begin skating as he deals with a lower-body injury and will be out of the lineup for at least another week. The 25-year-old reportedly suffered the injury in the Jets second-last game of the regular season back on April 16th and it will likely keep him out of the first four games of their series against the Colorado Avalanche. The Halifax, Nova Scotia native just completed his fourth NHL season and set career highs in games played with 80 and goals with 11. He posted 122 hits while averaging 10:30 of ice time per game.
- Meghan Angley of DNVR Avalanche tweeted that Colorado Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard was a full participant in practice today, but Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar would not confirm his availability for Game 2 tomorrow. The 25-year-old hasn’t played in over a week and skated for just 3:26 in a 7-0 loss to the Jets on April 13th. In his last 28 games, the native of Roberval, Quebec has just three assists.
Avalanche Recall Ivan Prosvetov, Assign Arvid Holm
The Colorado Avalanche have swapped third-string goaltenders, recalling Ivan Prosvetov and assigning Arvid Holm (Twitter link). These moves come after backup Justus Annunen sat out of the team’s Monday morning skate, with head coach Jared Bednar sharing that the goaltender is “still sick”, per DNVR’s Meghan Angley (Twitter link). Annunen wasn’t available for Game One against the Winnipeg Jets yesterday, with Holm stepping in as the backup. Starter Alexandar Georgiev would go on to allow seven goals on 23 shots in the eventual 7-6 loss. Prosvetov was playing in his own game while Holm filled in, saving 28 of 31 shots in a 6-3 AHL win.
Georgiev’s struggles in Game One seemed to set up a perfect chance for Annunen to challenge the starting role. He was able to wrestle it away from Georgiev at the end of the regular season, ultimately recording eight wins and a .928 save percentage in 14 games. But with Annunen still questionable for the lineup, the Avalanche are instead turning to Prosvetov to challenge Georgiev’s role.
Prosvetov has appeared in 11 NHL games this season, recording four wins and a .895 save percentage. He’s been much better in the AHL, where he’s managed 11 wins and a .921 in 21 appearances. Prosvetov has made spot NHL starts throughout each of the last four seasons but hasn’t yet found his way into a full-time role in the league. He’s also never played in a Stanley Cup Playoff game, likely decreasing his chances of making a surprise appearance. That is, if Georgiev can rebound from a disappointing Game One.
Samuel Girard Returns To Full Practice Following Concussion
- Colorado Avalanche defender Samuel Girard has returned to full practice, wearing a regular jersey at the team’s Sunday morning skate per Colorado Hockey Now’s Evan Rawal (Twitter link). Girard has been battling a concussion that held him out of the team’s final two regular-season contests. They seem to have benefited from taking their time with the defender, who is now possible for Sunday’s Game One – though nothing has been confirmed. Girard has once again provided stout depth for Colorado, scoring 18 points in 59 games and averaging over 19 minutes of ice time.
Avalanche Notes: Landeskog, O’Connor, Girard
While there has been plenty of speculation over the last calendar year that the Colorado Avalanche may see the return of their captain Gabriel Landeskog by the beginning of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, it appears this theory may have legs. In a report today from Colleen Flynn of The Hockey News, Landeskog will be traveling with the team to Winnipeg to start their first-round series against the Jets.
Infamously, Landeskog’s last game came on June 26th, 2022, the same date that the Avalanche unseated the Tampa Bay Lightning at the top of the hockey world, claiming their third Stanley Cup Championship in franchise history. After the Stanley Cup celebration, however, Landeskog underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and has missed every game since.
Being that a return is unlikely given that it has never been done in the NHL prior, Landeskog’s drive and determination have at least produced non-zero odds of a potential return. As the Avalanche look to make it beyond the first found of the Stanley Cup playoffs this spring, the return of their captain would certainly help their cause.
Other Avalanche notes:
- In the same report from Flynn, forward Logan O’Connor will also be joining the team on their flight to Manitoba. Nevertheless, there has been no indication that O’Connor is close to returning in time for the start of Round One, as he continues to recover from hip surgery that has kept him out of the lineup since the first week of March.
- Unlike O’Connor, one player who is close to a return is defenseman Samuel Girard once again according to Colleen Flynn of The Hockey News. Girard has been out with a concussion for about a week and remains questionable to return for the first game of the series against the Jets. If the Avalanche are able to get a few players back at the beginning of the series, the hockey world saw not all that long ago how dangerous a fully healthy Colorado lineup can be.
Jonathan Drouin Ruled Out For Opening Round Due To Injury; Avalanche Recall Three Players
The Avalanche will be without a key part of their forward group for the opening round against Winnipeg. The team announced today (Twitter link) that winger Jonathan Drouin will miss the first-round series due to a lower-body injury.
The 29-year-old suffered the injury in the second period of Colorado’s regular season finale against Edmonton and did not return. It was a game where Edmonton elected to sit as many of its key players as possible while the Avs elected to dress pretty much their intended playoff lineup, a decision that clearly wound up not working out for them.
After a rough finish to his time with Montreal, Drouin elected to take a low-cost one-year deal with Colorado in the hopes of boosting his value for next summer. After a slow start, he certainly did just that. Drouin produced at nearly a point-per-game level over the final two months of the season, earning himself a full-time promotion to the top line in the process. All told, his first year with the Avalanche ended with 19 goals and 37 assists in 79 games; his 56 points rank eighth among all pending unrestricted free agents.
Colorado only has two extra forwards on their active roster at the moment. One is winger Joel Kiviranta, who had just nine points in 56 games this season. The other is Chris Wagner, who Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now reports (Twitter link) has been recalled from AHL Colorado. Both are better suited as fourth-line depth players so some line reshuffling certainly will be happening before their series gets underway on Sunday.
Not long after the injury, the team confirmed Wagner’s recall while also announcing (Twitter link) that Brad Hunt and Arvid Holm have also been recalled. Hunt, a defenseman, had a very productive year, notching 16 goals and 33 assists in 70 games. Holm, meanwhile, will serve as Colorado’s third-string emergency netminder. The 25-year-old, who will become a Group Six free agent this summer, posted a 2.97 GAA with a save percentage of just .887 in a dozen games with the Eagles this season.