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Avalanche Notes: Rantanen, Wood, Kovalenko

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Star Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen has avoided the worst after leaving Friday’s 6-2 loss to the Oilers. He’s entered concussion protocol after taking back-to-back heavy hits from Edmonton blue-liner Mattias Ekholm and is listed as day-to-day, head coach Jared Bednar told reporters (via Meghan Angley of DNVR Sports). Colorado will still be without the Finnish forward in a crucial match against the Stars tonight that will have a major impact on the race for the Central Division title, but it doesn’t appear his absence will stretch into the postseason. Bednar said Rantanen did off-ice workouts yesterday and skated on his own prior to today’s practice. It’s been another banner season for Rantanen, eclipsing the 100-point mark for the second season in a row and leading all forwards in time on ice (23:04/GP). His 62 even-strength points are tied with Oilers center Leon Draisaitl for eighth in the league, and his 62 overall assists are tied for fifth with Draisaitl and Canucks center J.T. Miller.

Other injury notes out of Denver:

  • Middle-six winger Miles Wood is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury, Bednar said (via Angley). He didn’t take the final two shifts of the game against Edmonton with linemates Ross Colton and Zach Parise, although it’s unclear on what play he sustained the injury. He’s provided decent checking-line play in his first season in Colorado, in line with what the Avs expected when they inked him to a controversially lengthy six-year, $15MM deal over the offseason. The 28-year-old has nine goals and 24 points in 72 games, slightly south of his career point-per-game average, but has posted some of the better possession metrics of his career with a +1.7 expected rating and 50.6 CF% at even strength, the latter tying last season’s career-high with the Devils. Former Star Joel Kiviranta will enter the lineup in his place tonight against Dallas.
  • Forward prospect Nikolai Kovalenko still isn’t close to making his Avs debut, per Bednar (via Ryan Boulding of NHL.com). Colorado brought the 24-year-old winger over from the KHL’s Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod after their brief playoff run ended in March, but he’s yet to play for either the Avs or AHL Colorado after playing through an undisclosed injury at the end of the campaign. He’s been skating sparingly and working with the club’s coaching staff in the meantime, but time is running out for the 2018 sixth-round pick to make his NHL debut before the end of the regular season. The son of longtime NHL winger Andrei Kovalenko exploded after a move to Torpedo in 2022, serving as an alternate captain since the transfer and posting 89 points in 98 games. Colorado signed him to an ELC last summer but loaned him back to the KHL for 2023-24.

Avalanche Recall Chris Wagner

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  • The Stars were without veteran forward Tyler Seguin in today’s loss to the Blackhawks, but they’ll get him back in the lineup tomorrow against the Avalanche, Brien Rea of Bally Sports Southwest reports. He’s dealing with a lower-body injury, potentially related to the issue that kept him out for 11 games in February and March. The Stars have been cautious with the 32-year-old’s deployment since he returned a few weeks back, making him a scratch for maintenance/load management reasons against the Sharks early last week. The 2010 second-overall pick is having his best season since missing nearly all of the 2020-21 campaign with a hip injury, potting 23 goals and 50 points in 64 games.
  • After being sent to the minors yesterday, Avalanche center Chris Wagner was recalled back to the NHL roster. The move comes in the wake of an upper-body injury to star winger Mikko Rantanen, who left partway through last night’s 6-2 loss to the Oilers and didn’t return. Wagner gives the Avs 13 healthy forwards without Rantanen, providing additional injury insurance for tomorrow’s all-important clash for divisional playoff positioning against the Stars. He’s got a goal and an assist in 11 games with Colorado this season, his first in the Avs organization.

Taylor Maker Transfers To University Of Maine

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  • After three years at UMass, Avalanche forward Taylor Makar is off to the University of Maine. The 23-year-old, who is Cale’s brother, was Colorado’s seventh-round pick in 2021 (210th overall) but hasn’t had much success so far at the NCAA level and tallied just four goals and five assists in 36 games this season.

Avalanche Reassign Chris Wagner

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The Avalanche have sent veteran forward Chris Wagner to AHL Colorado, the team announced. The move comes in anticipation of Valeri Nichushkin and Yakov Trenin both returning from multi-game absences due to injuries tonight against the Oilers.

Wagner signed a two-way deal with the Avs over the offseason after completing a three-year, seven-figure deal with the Bruins, most of which was spent in the minors. After registering five points in 41 games in 2020-21, the first season of his contract, he played just one NHL game in each of the following two campaigns and instead settled into a middle-six role with AHL Providence. He sustained an Achilles injury in training camp with Colorado, delaying his debut with the organization until January, and he’s since registered a goal and an assist in 11 major league games while averaging a minimal 7:39 per game.

He’s also done decently well in the minors, posting eight points and a +3 rating in 17 games with the Eagles. His all-around versatility and plug-and-play ability convinced the Avs to ink him to a one-year, two-way extension Wednesday, which is now confirmed to carry a $775K cap hit and $400K minors salary. He’s been recalled twice since returning to play with the Eagles in January, both coming under emergency conditions. His initial emergency loan was converted to a standard recall and carried him through the March 8 trade deadline, making him ineligible to play in the AHL postseason. As such, expect Wagner to return to the Avalanche as an extra when the Stanley Cup Playoffs kick off later this month.

Yakov Trenin Not Playing Tonight

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Boston Bruins rookie forward Justin Brazeau will be out week-to-week after suffering an apparently upper-body injury. Not many details are available yet, but Brazeau flew back to Boston yesterday to meet with doctors and more information will be available in the coming days regarding the severity and the timeline of the injury.

Brazeau was hurt in the first period of the Bruins game on Tuesday night against the Nashville Predators and did not return. He was stood up by Luke Schenn on the play and appeared to be favoring his arm or his shoulder while he received attention from the Bruins staff on the bench. In 19 games this season the 26-year-old rookie has five goals and two assists and has played predominantly in Boston’s bottom six.

In other evening notes:

  • Ottawa Sun reporter Bruce Garrioch tweeted that he expects Ottawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot to return to the lineup this weekend. The 27-year-old has battled injuries throughout the season with the most recent ailment keeping him out of the lineup since March 27th. Chabot’s absence was caused by a lower-body injury that was called a nagging injury by Senators staff. Chabot has dressed in just 44 games this season for Ottawa and has posted good offensive numbers with eight goals and 20 assists.
  • Matthew Tkachuk was back in the Florida Panthers lineup tonight as they routed the Senators 6-0. Tkachuk had a goal and two assists in 12:56 of ice time. Tkachuk didn’t dress for the Panthers on Tuesday in Montreal as he battled an illness but showed no ill effects of it tonight in Ottawa. With his three points this evening, Tkachuk now has 24 goals and 59 assists on the season in 75 games and is unlikely to eclipse the 100-point plateau for the third consecutive season.
  • Corey Masisak of The Denver Post tweeted that Colorado Avalanche center Yakov Trenin did not dress tonight for the game against the Minnesota Wild due to an undisclosed injury. Trenin was acquired at the trade deadline from the Predators and has dressed in 10 games with the Avalanche posting two goals. Colorado’s head coach Jared Bednar did tell reporters that Trenin could play tomorrow night when the Avalanche head to Edmonton to take on the Oilers.

Avalanche Sign Chris Wagner To One-Year Extension

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The Avalanche have signed veteran forward Chris Wagner to a one-year contract extension, the team announced. Financial terms were not disclosed but CapFriendly reports that it’s a two-way deal worth $775K in the NHL and $400K in the minors. Considering his current deal carries a $425K guarantee, it’s actually a small step back in terms of guaranteed pay. He’ll remain in the running for a fourth-line role next fall.

Wagner, 32, has played in parts of 10 NHL seasons but hasn’t been a full-timer since 2020-21 with the Bruins (two goals, three assists, five points in 41 games). Boston, who had him locked in for two more seasons at a $1.35MM cap hit at the time, placed him on waivers to begin the following season and assigned him to AHL Providence, where he spent the overwhelming majority of the remainder of his contract. He played just once for the Bruins in each of the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns and was not re-signed when his contract expired last summer.

The Avs signed Wagner to a two-way deal once free agency opened, but he ruptured his Achilles tendon shortly after training camp began and began the season on IR. He was activated, waived, and promptly assigned to AHL Colorado in mid-January, and he’s since split the season between levels. Through 10 NHL games, he’s contributed a goal and an assist while logging a minuscule 7:39 per game. His poor possession metrics (48.6 CF% at even strength, -6.6 CF% rel, 40.7 xGF%) haven’t given head coach Jared Bednar much motivation to play him more. He’s seen more action in the minors, where he has four goals and four assists for eight points in 17 games with the Eagles.

Major turnover is coming to Colorado’s bottom six, with Andrew Cogliano, Brandon Duhaime, Joel Kiviranta, Zach Parise, and Yakov Trenin all on expiring deals. Extending Wagner now is a good indication the Avs expect him to take on some of those minutes next season, even in a limited 13th/14th forward role. He’ll also compete for minutes with youngsters looking to break into full-time roles next season, like Jean-Luc Foudy and Nikolai Kovalenko. In 370 career games with the Avs, Bruins, Ducks, and Islanders, the 2010 fifth-round pick has 38 goals and 27 assists for 65 points with a -24 rating and 202 PIMs.

Valeri Nichushkin Joining Road Trip, Could Return Friday

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Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin will join the team on their road trip and could return Friday against the Oilers, head coach Jared Bednar said today on Altitude Sports Radio (via Altitude’s Conor McGahey). The 29-year-old has carried a day-to-day designation since sustaining a lower-body injury against the Canadiens on March 26. Bednar said Nichushkin will meet the team in Minnesota ahead of tomorrow’s matchup against the Wild, which will mark his fourth straight absence.

Taylor Makar Enters Transfer Portal

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  • In more movement at the NCAA level, Taylor Makar, brother of Colorado Avalanche phenom Cale Makar, will be transferring away from the University of Massachusetts (X Link). Being the 220th overall pick of the 2021 NHL Draft, Taylor has not lived up to the standard set by his brother. In 36 games for Massachusetts this past season, Taylor scored four goals and nine points in total.

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Sean Walker In The Lineup Tonight

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Mike McIntyre of The Winnipeg Free Press is reporting that Winnipeg Jets forward Tyler Toffoli won’t dress tonight when the Jets take on the Los Angeles Kings. Toffoli missed practice this morning and was dealing with an illness according to Jets head coach Rick Bowness. Another game-time decision, Cole Perfetti will dress and could slide in alongside Sean Monahan and Kyle Connor. Since joining the Jets at the trade deadline, the 31-year-old Toffoli has posted four goals and two assists in 11 games. Perfetti on the other hand has 15 goals and 17 assists in 66 games this season.

In other Central Division notes:

  • Colorado Avalanche defenseman Sean Walker is in the lineup tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets after he was deemed questionable on Saturday. The 29-year-old played just 11:15 two nights ago against the Nashville Predators because of an upper-body injury but doesn’t appear to be feeling any ill effects tonight. Walker was also a trade deadline acquisition and has three goals and one assist in ten games since joining the Avalanche.
  • Joe Smith and Michael Russo of The Athletic are reporting that Minnesota Wild prospect Charlie Stramel is considering entering the transfer portal now that his season is over with the University of Wisconsin. The 2023 first-round pick has struggled with the Badgers and posted just three goals and five assists in 34 games this season. A league source has said that Stramel likely isn’t thrilled with his development, and it sure seems plausible given that he saw very little time on specialty teams and was relegated to fourth-line duty for much of the season.
  • Scott Powers of The Athletic is reporting that Chicago Blackhawks Colin Blackwell and Nikita Zaitsev are back at practice today. The 31-year-old Blackwell has missed the last five games as he’s been dealing with an upper-body injury. The center has eight goals and four assists in 39 games this year. Zaitsev will also be a game-time decision tomorrow and he too has been dealing with an upper-body injury. The veteran defenseman has just two goals and five assists in 36 games this season and hasn’t played since March 28th against the Ottawa Senators.

Poll: Who’s Going To Win The Presidents’ Trophy?

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Nearly half of the current playoff field has clinched postseason berths, so attention is quickly turning to playoff positioning battles and who can finish atop the regular-season standings with just over two weeks left in the campaign. The field is crowded at the top, with seven teams within five points of first place.

The Rangers currently hold the edge as the only 50-win team and 104 points (.703 points percentage), ranking among the top six teams in both goals for and goals against. Leading them across the board offensively is winger Artemi Panarin, who should get some outside Hart Trophy consideration with a career-high 44 goals and 107 points. Season-ending injuries to Filip Chytil and Blake Wheeler have damaged their forward depth, but early returns on their trade deadline replacements, Jack Roslovic and Alexander Wennberg, have been positive. With top-five defenseman Adam Fox leading their blue line and one of the better goalie duos in the league this year with Jonathan Quick and Igor Shesterkin, the Rangers are looking to win the Presidents’ Trophy for only the fourth time in their 98-year history and the first since 2014-15.

Moving over to the crowded Central Division, the Stars are keeping pace at the top of the division with an 8-2-0 record in their last 10. Their 103 points and .687 points percentage are both second in the league, but they’ll need some help to catch the similarly hot Rangers, who’ve played one less game. Fuelled by an incredibly deep forward corps and a breakout season from 22-year-old Thomas Harley alongside Miro Heiskanen on the team’s top defense pair, Dallas is chasing its first division title since 2016, when Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Jason Spezza all had 30-goal years and powered the league’s best offense. After shoring up their blue line with deadline pickup Chris Tanev and boosting their third line with the promotion of rookie Logan Stankoven from the minors, the Stars are hoping to make back-to-back Conference Final appearances for the first time since appearing in three straight from 1998 to 2000.

Hot on Dallas’ tails for guaranteed home-ice advantage through Round Three are the breakout Canucks, whose jump from 24th to fourth in goals against has fuelled their first trip to the postseason (sans the 2020 bubble) in nine years. A franchise record-breaking season from Quinn Hughes on the blue line, plus a rebound from Thatcher Demko in the crease, have created the core for what Vancouver hopes is a lengthy era of contention with J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson centering their top two lines. Some view them as the NHL’s flukiest team with a league-high 9.8% shooting percentage and 102.8 PDO at 5-on-5, a narrative they’ll look to dispel by extending their season into May and June.

The new-look Avalanche went big-game hunting at the trade deadline and remain in contention for division and league titles, tied with Vancouver with a .676 points percentage (100 points in 74 games). With new faces Brandon Duhaime, Casey Mittelstadt, Yakov Trenin, and Sean Walker providing reinforcements in the absence of captain Gabriel Landeskog for a second straight season, Colorado will look to stay hot down the stretch and avenge last year’s first-round upset at the hands of the Kraken.

Over in the East, the Bruins, Hurricanes and Panthers remain in the hunt for the regular-season title, but at three or more points behind the Rangers with no games in hand, it seems unlikely with New York on a hot streak. MoneyPuck awards each of them less than a 4% chance at capturing the first-overall crown.

Tell us – who’s your pick to win the Presidents’ Trophy and aim to become the first regular-season champion since 2013 to hoist the Stanley Cup?

Mobile/app users, use this link to vote.

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