Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Avalanche Rumors

Cale Makar Wins The 2022 Norris Trophy

at CDT | by 16 Comments

On Tuesday, the final five NHL awards are being handed out.  The second-last award of the night was the James Norris Memorial Trophy, handed out to the NHL’s best defenseman.  This year’s winner is Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar.  The other finalists were Predators blueliner Roman Josi and Lightning rearguard Victor Hedman.

Makar led all defensemen in goals this season with 28, becoming just the fifth blueliner in the last 30 years to get that many goals.  He also finished second in points (86) to Josi, who had 96.  While thought of as an offense-first defender, Makar took a regular turn on Colorado’s penalty kill this season as well which helped him average 25:40 per contest.  While this voting doesn’t cover his playoff performance, the 23-year-old has been dominant in the postseason as well, picking up 26 points in 17 games while his ATOI has jumped up to a little under 27 minutes a night.

Interestingly enough, Makar actually finished second to Josi in first-place votes, 98-92.  However, Makar had 22 more second-place selections (98-72) which helped him garner 25 more voting points to secure the victory.  He was also the only player to appear on all 195 ballots with Josi not being put on one of them.  It’s the closest vote for this award since the 2011-12 campaign when Erik Karlsson edged Shea Weber for the award.  Only one other blueliner, Boston’s Charlie McAvoy, received a first-place vote.

The full results of the voting can be found here.

Final Notes: Kucherov, Toews, Point

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Tampa Bay Lightning were able to respond with a strong effort in game three last night to pull closer in their series against the Colorado Avalanche, but it wasn’t without a cost. Nikita Kucherov and several others left the game at various points with injuries, though it seems they may have escaped without too much issue. Today, head coach Jon Cooper explained to reporters including Joe Smith of The Athletic that though it is not yet certain, he expects Kucherov to play in game four.

Here are a couple of other notes from the Stanley Cup Final:

  • Devon Toews, whose cross-check was the reason Kucherov left the game in the first place, is not expected to receive any supplementary discipline from the league. Smith notes that the league felt the play was properly penalized by the on-ice officials, who gave Toews a two-minute minor. It was not the only borderline play in the game but since the Department of Player Safety has not yet issued any hearings, it’s safe to say that there aren’t any suspensions expected from last night.
  • Brayden Point, who missed game three and was replaced by Riley Nash, is doubtful for game four. The 26-year-old forward played in both of the first two games of the series but is still dealing with the injury that took him out of round one against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Point recorded just one shot through those first two games and was a shadow of the dominant player he can be at full strength.

Burakovsky, Kadri Out For Stanley Cup Final Game Three

at CDT | by 6 Comments

Just across the ice, the Colorado Avalanche are going to be without forwards Nazem Kadri and Andre Burakovsky for Game Three. Both players were also listed as day-to-day, Kadri still recovering from a hand injury, and subsequent surgery, suffered in Game Four of the Western Conference Finals when he was boarded by the Edmonton Oilers’ Evander Kane. Burakovsky, who sustained an upper-body injury at the start of the second period of Game Two against Tampa Bay, did not travel with the team to Florida, but has since joined the rest of the group, so his status for Game Four is still up in the air it would appear. Forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel will take Burakovsky’s place in the lineup.

Kadri, Burakovsky Listed As Day-To-Day

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Colorado Avalanche had Nazem Kadri back on the ice today, doing some light stickhandling and shooting following his thumb surgery earlier in the playoffs. The pending free agent center has been out since game three against the Edmonton Oilers and is now listed as day-to-day by head coach Jared Bednar.

Avalanche Notes: Nichushkin, Burakovsky, Kadri

at CDT | by 7 Comments

The Colorado Avalanche lead the Tampa Bay Lightning two-to-nothing in the 2022 Stanley Cup Final, and a major reason for their lead has been the play of winger Valeri Nichushkin. The Russian winger, who once went 91 straight games without scoring a goal, scored two goals last night on top of a goal and an assist in Game One to raise his total to four points in the first two games of the series. Nichushkin has been a revelation in Colorado since returning to the NHL after a two-year KHL stint, and the former Dallas Stars top-ten pick had 25 goals and 52 points in 62 games. That performance has led many to believe that Nichushkin, a pending unrestricted free agent, will earn a long, lucrative contract this summer.

According to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, the Avalanche are hoping he can find a contract he likes in Colorado. Per Friedman, Colorado has “made him a priority” and have indicated to Nichushkin that they “would like to keep him.” The Avalanche have to hope that Nichushkin values his incredible fit in Colorado more than making the absolute most amount of money he can on his next deal. With Nathan MacKinnon’s inevitable mega-extension on the horizon and potential long-term deals for Nazem Kadri, Darcy Kuemper, Andre Burakovsky, and Artturi Lehkonen to consider this offseason, the Avalanche may not be in a position to offer Nichushkin the sort of money he could be offered from elsewhere. So while we don’t yet know exactly what Nichushkin is looking for this summer, we know the Avalanche are going to try their absolute best to keep him.

Now, for some other notes regarding Colorado:

  • Another important pending UFA in Colorado is winger Burakovsky, and like Nichushkin he has also had a strong start to the Stanley Cup Final. Burakovsky, who was once a healthy scratch in these playoffs, has three points against the Lightning so far, including two points last night despite missing a solid chunk of the game due to an injury. Avalanche coach Jared Bednar issued an update on Burakovsky’s injury today, saying that the winger did not travel with the team to Tampa, is undergoing further evaluation, and will join the team in Tampa tomorrow. While the Avalanche have a commanding lead in the series, the team is already without crucial players in Kadri and Samuel Girard, so they have to hope that whatever Burakovsky is dealing with won’t keep him out for long.
  • Speaking of Kadri, while it was once believed that he would be out for a period that would in all likelihood stretch past the end of the Avalanche’s season, that may no longer be the case. Bednar said today, per Joe Smith of The Athletic, that Kadri flew with the team to Tampa and is “hopeful” that he’ll play in the series. He said that he considered Kadri out “day-to-day” as well. The Avalanche are looking to capture the Stanley Cup for the first time since 2001, and are getting closer. But they have to know that the Lightning, the back-to-back defending champions, won’t go down without a fight. Getting Kadri back would go a long way towards giving the Avalanche the unshakeable confidence they’ll need to finish the job and end the Lightning’s time at the top of the league.

Andrew Cogliano Could Return Tonight

at CDT | by 4 Comments

Colorado might get a veteran back in the lineup tonight as head coach Jared Bednar told reporters including NHL.com’s Amalie Benjamin that winger Andrew Cogliano could be an option to return.  The 35-year-old underwent hand surgery to repair an injury sustained during the Western Conference Final but returned to practice on Friday and participated in the morning skate today.  Cogliano, who leads all Colorado players in terms of the number of playoff games played, has two goals and an assist in 11 games so far this postseason while logging a little more than nine minutes a night of action.  If Cogliano is able to return, Nicolas Aube-Kubel may be the one to cede his spot.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • In an appearance on ESPN’s The Point on Friday (video link), commissioner Gary Bettman acknowledged that former Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville has expressed a desire to return to the NHL though not for a specific job opening. At the time of Quenneville’s resignation following the findings of the Kyle Beach investigation being released, Bettman indicated that he would “require a meeting in advance in order to determine the appropriate conditions under which such new employment might take place”.  That meeting probably won’t be coming soon as Bettman added during his appearance that he doesn’t believe that this is the right time to discuss the potential of Quenneville returning to work for a team.
  • In his latest reader chat, Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggests that winger Klim Kostin is a likely trade candidate for the Blues this summer. Alexey Toropchenko plays a very similar style as Kostin and is someone that head coach Craig Berube is a fan of, giving Torochenko a leg up for that spot on the lineup.  A 2017 first-round pick, Kostin is waiver-eligible next season but could still carry some value after picking up nine points and 90 hits in 40 games with St. Louis this season while also playing a key role for AHL Springfield as the Thunderbirds get set to start the Calder Cup Finals tomorrow.

Poll: Who Wins The 2022 Stanley Cup Final?

at CDT | by 3 Comments

With the only multi-day break in the 2022 Stanley Cup Final occurring between Games 1 and 2, both the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning have plenty of time to process the events of a tight first game and adjust for the rest of the series. The Colorado Avalanche took a crucial overtime win at home to kick off the series, but both teams had their own flashes of brilliance to open the series.

As the Lightning have shown so far in these playoffs, though, no series lead against them is safe. One thing they can count on is the improvement of two important players: Brayden Point and Andrei Vasilevskiy. Point had an assist in 17:59 of ice time in Game 1, his first game in over a month and first game since the First Round. As he gets back to game speed, his ice time and compete level will only go up throughout the series, making the matchups tougher for the Avalanche and Jared Bednar. Vasilevskiy was also noticeably off his game at points on Wednesday, having issues tracking some pucks early in the game. He settled in, though, and as he has throughout these playoffs, will only get better as the series goes on.

The Avalanche are still waiting on Nazem Kadri to return to the lineup, who continues to practice and improve as he battles a thumb injury. Even if/when Kadri returns, he won’t be at 100%, and with how well the unit of Valeri Nichushkin, J.T. Compher, and Andre Burakovsky performed in Game 1, it might be better to try Kadri in a more limited role regardless. That would surely help the matchup game for Bednar, who would suddenly have a huge weapon to throw out with his depth forwards. Andrew Cogliano was also a full participant in today’s practice and could return for Game 2 on Saturday.

The question remains: will the Avalanche be able to hold onto their series lead and end the Tampa Bay run of championships despite their injuries and disadvantage in the crease? We ask you, PHR readers, to give us your take. Vote who you think will win the 2022 Stanley Cup Final in the poll below.

[Mobile users, click here to vote!]

Snapshots: Tortorella, Panthers, Avalanche

at CDT | by 14 Comments

When ESPN’s Kevin Weekes broke the news late Tuesday night that the Philadelphia Flyers had offered their head coaching vacancy to John Tortorella, there were plenty of mixed reactions surrounding the team’s potential hire of the controversial coach. Those in opposition likely hoped that the final set of negotiations required to complete the deal would fall through, and the Flyers would go in another direction.

According to The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor, those hopes are all but gone. O’Connor notes that the negotiations between the Flyers and Tortorella are indeed “in the final stages,” and that an official announcement on the hire is expected to come tomorrow. It will be extremely interesting to learn what the terms of Tortorella’s contract are (if they’re released), considering the Flyers are still on the hook for $5MM to Alain Vigneault through 2024.

  • Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman notes on today’s 32 Thoughts podcast he believes that the Florida Panthers have been “talking to people” over the phone regarding their head coaching vacancy, and gauging their interest in the role. While it’s not a sure thing that they’ll move on from interim head coach Andrew Brunette, it shows that the team is at least interested in examining other options. It’s a bit surprising the team isn’t more committed to keeping Brunette around, especially considering how locked in the Edmonton Oilers are on extending Jay Woodcroft, who’s in a very similar situation to Brunette.
  • During a radio appearance this morning, Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar noted that both Nazem Kadri and Andrew Cogliano have “gotten better,” saying that it’s a possibility at least one of them will return during the Stanley Cup Final. It’s a positive assessment, and while they are both still labeled as day-to-day, Kadri has yet to even practice while holding a stick after his thumb injury. Colorado will be watching their health closely, as they’re two incredibly important pieces to their forward depth that could help swing the series in their favor.

Kadri, Cogliano Scratched For Game One Of Stanley Cup Final

at CDT | by 3 Comments

  • After being listed as day-to-day with speculation about when either could return, Colorado Avalanche forwards Nazem Kadri and Andrew Cogliano are now officially listed as scratches for tonight’s Game One of the Stanley Cup Finals, confirms ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski. Though not particularly surprising, being without either player is a tough blow for Colorado who is tasked with defeating the reigning two-time Cup Champions in the Tampa Bay Lightning, who appear to be icing their regular lineup, which includes for the first time since Game Seven of the first round, playoff standout Brayden Point. Brandon Hagel, who’s status for Game One was questionable and considered a game-time decision is in the lineup tonight, taking the place of Riley Nash.

Avalanche Notes: Kuemper, Burakovsky, Kadri

at CDT | by 6 Comments

The goaltending uncertainty surrounding the Colorado Avalanche entering the Stanley Cup Final appears to be resolved. Darcy Kuemper, who is now 100% healthy after leaving Game 1 of the Western Conference Final with an injury, took the morning skate today in the starters’ crease for the Avalanche. While head coach Jared Bednar declined to officially name Kuemper the starter, all signs at this juncture point to Kuemper regaining the starter’s net for Colorado tonight.

Kuemper has struggled somewhat in the playoffs up until this point, but despite his .897 save percentage, he still boasts a 6-2 record in the postseason in 10 starts. Backup Pavel Francouz, in four starts and six games played, has yet to lose a game this postseason with a 6-0 record and .906 save percentage. Kuemper’s shown the ability to elevate his game more consistently than Francouz though, and with Kuemper hopping in and out of the playoff lineup due to injury, it’s been hard to make a real judgment call on his playoff performance. With such a close margin separating the two goalies right now with Francouz’s undefeated record, expect Colorado not to hesitate to make a switch if Kuemper’s goaltending performance is subpar in Game 1. However, the 32-year-old Kuemper has had a fantastic season as a whole and has earned the right to keep his net.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top