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Logan O'Connor Still Out For Avalanche

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The Colorado Avalanche will be without the services of forward Logan O’Connor tomorrow night, as Meghan Angley of DNVR Avalanche reports the team will hold him out of the lineup so that he can play more continuously when fully healthy. O’Connor has missed the last two games for Colorado as he suffered a lower-body injury in the team’s recent contest against the Florida Panthers.

Amid a career year offensively, the typical bottom-six player for the Avalanche has already reached a career-high total in goals with 13 and is only one point behind his career-high in points with 25. Shaping up to be an integral part of their postseason aspirations, O’Connor still has one year and $1.05MM remaining on his contract after this season.

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Avalanche Recall Chris Wagner

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With Logan O’Connor dealing with a lower-body injury, the Avalanche have made a roster move to bring up some extra depth up front, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled forward Chris Wagner from AHL Colorado.

It hasn’t been a great season for the 32-year-old.  Wagner signed with Colorado with the hopes that he could battle for a spot on the fourth line with 360 career NHL appearances under his belt.  However, he then ruptured his Achilles tendon in training camp, putting an end to those hopes before he even had a chance to suit up for them in the preseason.

Wagner was cleared to return a little over a month ago, clearing waivers which resulted in him being assigned to the Eagles.  To his credit, he has been fairly productive over the last few weeks, notching three goals and four assists in 11 games.

Colorado had an open roster spot so no corresponding move needed to be made to bring Wagner up.  They’re now at the maximum 23-player roster with this transaction.

Zach Parise To Retire After This Season

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As recently as this past offseason, veteran forward Zach Parise was undecided on his playing future, not knowing whether he would be with the New York Islanders, retire, or join a new organization entirely. Ultimately, the answer was uncovered several months later, as Parise decided to join the Colorado Avalanche by way of a one-year contract.

Now in his 19th season in the NHL, Parise has only been to the Stanley Cup Final once, coming back in 2012 with the New Jersey Devils before ultimately losing to the Los Angeles Kings. In joining the Avalanche, Parise joins one of the clear Stanley Cup contenders of the 2023-24 season and has confirmed that this will be his last attempt to win the coveted trophy.

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Central Notes: MacKinnon, Bedard, Gustafsson, Plandowski

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Colorado Avalanche announcer Conor McGahey tweeted that Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon is okay after hitting his face on the ice on Saturday night in a game against the Florida Panthers. The 28-year-old superstar didn’t practice today due to a different minor tweak, but the team is hopeful that he’ll be able to play tomorrow night against the Washington Capitals.

MacKinnon is currently second in NHL scoring with 32 goals and 53 assists in 53 games but has been held pointless in three straight games.

In other Central Division notes:

  • Chicago Sun-Times reporter Ben Pope tweeted that the Chicago Blackhawks expect to get rookie phenom Connor Bedard back into the lineup next week. Bedard has a final imaging appointment a week from today and if the appointment goes well Bedard could be back into action by the middle of next week. Bedard’s return will be a welcome development for himself and the Blackhawks as the 18-year-old hasn’t played since January 5th and has 15 goals and 18 assists in 39 games this season.
  • The Winnipeg Jets have activated forward David Gustafsson off the injured reserve and loaned him to their AHL affiliate the Manitoba Moose for conditioning purposes. The 23-year-old has missed the previous 18 games with a lower-body injury and hasn’t dressed since December 22nd. He has just two assists in his last 21 games and hasn’t scored a goal since October 30th. In 27 games this season the native of Tingsryd, Sweden has just two goals and two assists.
  • The Arizona Coyotes have extended the contract of Director of Amateur Scouting Darryl Plandowski. No terms of the deal were released, but the extension will keep Plandowski with the Coyotes for the foreseeable future. Plandowski was a big part of the Tampa Bay Lightning as he spent 12 years with the organization and was part of the club during their two Stanley Cup championships. He worked his way through the Lightning organization into the role of Assistant Director of Amateur Scouting before eventually joining Arizona in 2020.

Kraken Receiving Interest In Jordan Eberle, Alexander Wennberg

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The Kraken are receiving interest from multiple teams regarding winger Jordan Eberle and center Alexander Wennberg ahead of the March 8 trade deadline, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports.

Both players are again top-six fixtures for Seattle, who have yo-yoed their way in and out of a wild-card spot in the Western Conference all season long. They’re pending UFAs with hefty cap hits of $5.5MM and $4.5MM, respectively, but the Kraken have all three salary retention spots open and could keep money on the books for the rest of the season to facilitate a deal if they do intend on selling at the deadline.

The Oilers have already been linked to Eberle in their pursuit of a complementary top-six winger, with Pagnotta reporting another one of his former teams, the Islanders, as well as the Maple Leafs, have demonstrated interest. The Bruins and Avalanche have called about Wennberg, who’s one of the few quality centers remaining on the deadline rental market.

Whether the Kraken will decide to sell off assets at the deadline is an entirely different question. A recent 3-6-1 stretch now has them six points out of playoff position, but there’s still a shot for Seattle to squeak in for their second consecutive playoff appearance. With a quickly aging group still comprised primarily of expansion draft selections, however, they’d likely do well to recoup value for some veterans and retool around Vince Dunn, Matthew Beniers, and Jared McCann.

Eberle would presumably fetch more value than Wennberg, and rightfully so. He’s having a down season in the goals department – just nine in 49 games, but his 28 points are fifth on the team, and he leads all Kraken players in even-strength Corsi share. He’s been their best two-way skater this season – not just forward – and with eight 20-goal seasons under his belt, he carries immense breakout potential if paired with the skill level of a contending team’s top six.

Thus, a reunion with Edmonton makes the most sense out of the three teams listed. There’s no better breakout potential for Eberle at right wing than alongside Leon Draisaitl on the Oilers’ second unit, and he could do wonders for Draisaitl-anchored lines that have struggled defensively without Connor McDavid.

Wennberg is more of a depth add than an impact pickup for a contender – he’s likely not suited for anything above a third-line role on a team with contending aspirations. He has leveraged major minutes since joining Seattle, logging 18:23 per game over the last three seasons.

Like Eberle, he’s struggled on the scoresheet with eight goals and 21 points in 51 games. Unlike Eberle, he’s shooting above his career average and has some of the worst possession metrics on the Kraken – only Brandon Tanev has a worse Corsi share at even strength among full-time members. His expected -3.6 rating is the worst on the team, and he’s won less than 50% of his faceoffs for the 10th time in 10 NHL seasons. As such, he’s likely a complement to the Bruins’ and Avs’ cast of middle-six centers that lack punch, not a significant upgrade. Even at a half-retained $2.25MM cap hit, his disappointing season might be too much to swallow and a third team may need to retain another 50% of his salary to facilitate a trade.

Despite Having Most Goals, Could Avs Stand To Benefit From Adding More Scoring?

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  • The Avalanche lead the NHL in goals scored with 196, an average of 3.7 per game. Despite that, Corey Masisak of The Denver Post suggests that adding more scoring might be a good way for them to go at the trade deadline.  With the status of Valeri Nichushkin moving forward in doubt while he’s in the Player Assistance Program and the fact that the bulk of their scoring is coming from two lines, adding someone to help deepen their attack could certainly be beneficial when the checking tightens up in the playoffs.  However, cap space is quite limited and if they do opt to go that route, it could prevent them from shoring up their backup goalie spot as well.

Sam Malinski Assigned To AHL

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  • Following their loss to Florida, the Avalanche announced (Twitter link) that they’ve returned defenseman Sam Malinski to AHL Colorado. The 25-year-old was recalled on Tuesday and played that night but was scratched for their past two games.  Malinski has 10 points in 23 games with the Avs so far while logging a little over 14 minutes a night and will likely be brought back up again in the coming days.

Colorado Avalanche Recall Sam Malinski

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  • The Colorado Avalanche have announced that the team has recalled defenseman Sam Malinski from their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles. Signing with the team as an undrafted free agent last season, Malinski’s first full season with the organization has been productive. In 22 games for the Eagles, Malinski has scored four goals and 13 points in 22 games, sitting third on the team in scoring among defensemen. In the exact amount of games played for the Avalanche, Malinski has put up three goals and 10 points while averaging a touch over 14 minutes of ice time per game.

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Trade Deadline Primer: Colorado Avalanche

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With the All-Star break in the rearview, 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 Avalanche are near the top of most people’s lists of Stanley Cup favorites in 2024. It’s understandable – Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar playing like the best players in the world at their respective positions heading out of the All-Star break. This core is also less than two years removed from one of the most dominant championship runs in recent memory.

However, they also boast one of the most flawed rosters on paper in this year’s contending class. They lack a true second-line center behind MacKinnon, no active forward outside the top line has cracked 30 points, and their goaltending has been only slightly above average. Alexandar Georgiev ranks 14th out of 32 starters in goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck. Their forward depth could be buoyed by the returns of captain Gabriel Landeskog from a knee cartilage replacement that was previously thought to be season-ending and Valeri Nichushkin, who is receiving treatment in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, but both players still have a muddy path to a return with no clear timeline. Assuming at least one of Landeskog or Nichushkin returns in time for postseason play, does GM Chris MacFarland believe this team is a top-six center and a backup goaltender away from winning their second championship in three years?

Record

32-14-13, 1st in the Central

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$1.24MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 47/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2024: COL 1st, COL 4th, SEA 5th, COL 6th, COL 7th
2025: COL 1st, COL 3rd, COL 4th, COL 5th, COL 6th, COL 7th

Trade Chips

Colorado’s cap space and draft pick cupboard are typical of a team that’s been in contention for a half-decade. However, their cap situation is likely to improve dramatically by March 8. The team isn’t accumulating any space with Landeskog and backup netminder Pavel Francouz on LTIR for a combined $9MM in relief, but Nichushkin’s $6.125MM cap hit still counts while he’s in the PAP and is taking a significant chunk out of their LTIR pool. Nichushkin is eligible for LTIR if he’s expected to meet the minimum absence requirements of 10 games and 24 days, which he will satisfy if he doesn’t return by Feb. 8 against the Hurricanes. If the Avalanche expect him to remain in treatment through the deadline, they could add him to LTIR and have nearly $7.4MM in space on deadline day, enough to execute any move they’d like.

That could be a tricky dance, though, as Nichushkin could return before the end of the regular season. The Avalanche would still need space to activate him from LTIR when he’s ready to go. Landeskog being ready to play before the postseason is much less likely, but as he’s begun on-ice work in his return from knee surgeries that have kept him out of the lineup for almost 20 months, it’s not impossible.

Colorado’s bottom six is fine for what it is. It’s the top nine that needs some fiddling, so they could stand to make a money-in, money-out move with some draft picks attached to necessitate an upgrade. That puts Ryan Johansen and his half-off cap hit of $4MM at the top of the Avs’ trade bait list. The 31-year-old’s stint in Denver hasn’t worked out, recording 11 goals and seven assists for 18 points in 49 games. He has below-team-average possession metrics and is now averaging less than 14 minutes per game. Nothing about his stat line this season is representative of a second-line center on a contending team, although he would carry value in a trade to a rebuilding team as a nearly 900-game veteran with years of top-six experience in his past. His deal expires at the end of the 2024-25 season, so he wouldn’t saddle a rebuilder with a long-term cap commitment if they anticipate spending big soon.

It’s a seller’s market on centers this year, as evidenced by the Canadiens recouping a first-round pick for the services of Sean Monahan as a rental from the Jets. That will require Colorado to attach one of their upcoming first-round picks in a deal, especially given they’ve traded away their upcoming second-round picks in back-to-back deadline deals for Artturi Lehkonen (2022) and Lars Eller (2023).

Team Needs

1) Second-Line Center: The gaping void down the middle behind MacKinnon’s electric performance (84 points in 49 games at the All-Star break) is perhaps the most glaring need for any contender in the league. If Johansen’s contract is going the other way to facilitate a swap, and the team has first-round picks (and some other lesser assets) to spare, is there a fit with the Ducks as a trade partner for Adam Henrique? The 33-year-old veteran is third on the Ducks on scoring with 15 goals and 33 points in 49 games and is one of the best options left on the market with Monahan and Elias Lindholm already off to new teams.

2) Experienced Backup: The Avalanche are no stranger to injuries between the pipes. Their 2022 Stanley Cup win wouldn’t have happened without the services of Francouz, who stepped in admirably when then-starter Darcy Kuemper was out for stretches of the First Round and Conference Final. After waiving Ivan Prosvetov last weekend, 23-year-old Justus Annunen and his five games of NHL experience are now firmly ensconced as Georgiev’s backup for the stretch run. His numbers aren’t great – a .871 SV% and 3.94 GAA over the past three seasons – but he has a respectable .908 SV% and 2.65 GAA in 23 minor-league showings with AHL Colorado this year. Still, MacFarland and head coach Jared Bednar would surely prefer a lower-risk option at the most important time of the year should Georgiev exit the lineup.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Avalanche Assign Ivan Prosvetov To AHL

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Feb. 4: Prosvetov cleared waivers Sunday and can be assigned to AHL Colorado, per Friedman. The Avalanche executed the reassignment shortly after he cleared, a team announcement states.

Feb. 3: The league is largely shut down this weekend for the All-Star break but waiver activity continues.  Today, the Avalanche placed goaltender Ivan Prosvetov on waivers, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link).

Colorado claimed the 24-year-old off waivers from Arizona in training camp with backup Pavel Francouz dealing with a groin injury.  With Francouz since being ruled out for the season, Prosvetov has become the full-time backup for the Avs this season.  However, his performance has been inconsistent as he has played to a 3.16 GAA and a .895 SV% in 11 appearances so far.  The end result has been starter Alexandar Georgiev leading the league in appearances by a goaltender at the break, hardly an ideal situation for someone whose career high in games played heading into last season was 34.

Prosvetov’s placement suggests that a change on that front is coming.  Barring a trade on the horizon, the change should be in the form of prospect Justus Annunen.  The 23-year-old has spent most of the year with AHL Colorado, posting a 2.65 GAA and a .908 SV% in 23 games while also making one start for the Avs.  Annunen only has five career appearances at the top level under his belt but he is in his final season of waiver exemption so he’ll now get his chance to prove he’s worthy of the full-time second-string role.  Otherwise, GM Chris MacFarland will have no choice but to turn to the trade market.

With goalie depth hard to come by, it wouldn’t be shocking to see someone claim Prosvetov on Sunday.  If that team is the Coyotes and they’re the only team to do so, Arizona would then be able to send him to AHL Tucson.  If the Coyotes aren’t the only team to put in a claim, they’d then be forced to re-waive him or keep him on the NHL roster.

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