Central Notes: Makar, Cogliano, Jones, Vlasic, Kupari
As the Colorado Avalanche are set to take on the Chicago Blackhawks tonight, the team will still be without defenseman Cale Makar and forward Andrew Cogliano, according to Conor McGahey of Altitude Sports. On Makar specifically, with a relatively easy schedule to finish out the calendar year, the Avalanche may keep Makar out for several games for him to comfortably recover from his ongoing lower-body injury.
Nevertheless, without Makar in the lineup since the team’s victory against the Buffalo Sabres on December 13th, Colorado struggled defensively in their game against the Winnipeg Jets only three nights later. Making his case for the best player in the organization, Makar has eight goals and 37 points in 27 games played up to this point, carrying an equally impressive 90.5% on-ice save percentage in all situations.
Cogliano, on the other hand, will be kept out of the lineup tonight after receiving a big hit in the team’s most recent game against the San Jose Sharks. Like Makar, Cogliano has also played in 27 games on the season, scoring three goals and nine points as a part of the forward core’s bottom six.
Other notes:
- Charlie Roumeliotis of NBC Sports Chicago reported that while already on the team’s injured reserve, it is unlikely that defenseman Seth Jones will suit up for the Chicago Blackhawks before the Christmas break. With his injured reserve placement coming just three days ago, Jones would be eligible to return from his shoulder injury on December 23rd. Conversely, in the same report, Roumeliotis mentions that Alex Vlasic is much closer to a return, skating on his own this morning.
- In some positive news for the Winnipeg Jets, Rasmus Kupari was back at practice this morning in a non-contact jersey (X Link). Acquired in the same deal that sent Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Los Angeles Kings over the summer, Kupari has been dealing with a shoulder injury, recording only one assist in 15 games for the Jets.
Cale Makar Out Tonight With A Lower Body Injury
The Colorado Avalanche have announced that star defenseman Cale Makar will not play tonight against the Winnipeg Jets due to a lower-body injury. Not much information was provided about Makar’s ailment, but the 25-year-old just returned to the Avalanche lineup on December 7th after missing two games with a lower-body injury.
Makar played in the Avalanche’s last four games but didn’t quite seem himself as he registered just a goal and an assist during that time. Makar’s status is also up in the air for tomorrow night’s game as the Avalanche take on the San Jose Sharks at home in the second half of their back-to-back.
Makar is second in NHL scoring by a defenseman with eight goals and 29 assists in 27 games thus far this season. He trails the Vancouver Canucks Quinn Hughes by two points, but Hughes has played four more games. If Makar can get back to full health, he would have to be a favorite to win a second Norris Trophy for the league’s best defenseman.
Makar played just 17:21 in the Avalanche’s last game against the Buffalo Sabres which is well off his season average of 24:10. In fact, Makar hasn’t played less than 21 minutes in a game at all this season, except on Tuesday night against Buffalo. It’s not known if Makar suffered the injury in that game or began to feel discomfort, but more information should be available in the coming days.
What Your Team Is Thankful For: Edmonton Oilers
As the holiday season approaches, PHR will be taking a look at what teams are thankful for in 2023-24. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Edmonton Oilers.
Who are the Oilers thankful for?
The more things change, the more they stay the same, and that’s held true for the Oilers’ generational talent. McDavid is currently carrying 34 points through 22 games, tied with Cale Makar for eighth in the league in scoring. He’s reached that mark despite a slow start, scoring just four points in the first eight games of November. But things are clicking for the 26-year-old once more, as McDavid has scored an unbelievable 21 points in his last eight games. That’s an 82-game pace of 215.25 points – and while there’s a very slim chance that he ever breaks the 200-point ceiling, the fact that McDavid has held onto that scoring pace over more than a handful of games is incredible. He’s scored in every game over the eight-game stretch, recording multiple points in six of them, and is sticking to Wayne Gretzky‘s tactic of leaning into assists – with 16 of his recent 21 points coming in the form of helpers. The Oilers have faced a lot of adversity this season but McDavid has made it clear that he won’t let it get him down as he looks to top the 153 points he scored last year.
What are the Oilers thankful for?
A stretch of home games.
The Oilers have struggled to get things going on the road this season, with a dismal 4-8-0 record when playing in another team’s barn. That fact hasn’t gelled well with their early schedule, which had them on the road for 11 of their first 19 games. Their longest stretch of home games in November was a four-game stretch early in the month when the team was facing an injury to McDavid and swirling questions about then-head coach Jay Woodcroft. Both factors weighed heavily on Edmonton and they fell 1-3-0 before having to get back on the road.
The cycle seemed to be continuing as they lost their first three games of their most recent road trip – a four-game-long trip around the eastern-US. But with a 5-0 win over the Washington Capitals to cap it off, the Oilers found their momentum just in time for their recent stretch of four home games, and one away game at the neighboring Winnipeg Jets. Edmonton has been on fire now that they’re back at Rogers Place, currently on a six-game winning streak that’s seen them outscore their opponents 31-to-11. They’ve been getting everything they could want in their recent outings, scoring an average of roughly five goals each game and seeing their goaltenders post a collective .947 save percentage.
After a dismal start to the season, the Oilers are now truly looking like a team that can challenge the best in the West. They have four more games at home before they embark on a six-game road trip in late-December. New head coach Kris Knoblauch will hope a strong stretch at home will be enough of a boost to amend the Oilers’ current luck on the road.
What would the Oilers be even more thankful for?
Consistent Goaltending.
The story of Edmonton’s early season has been one of underwhelming goaltending. The team has iced three different goalies this season, with all three recording a save percentage below .900. Starting goalie Stuart Skinner has managed a .888 through 19 games, en route to a 10-7-1 record. This is despite the Oilers facing a league-average xGA/60 (expected goals-against per-60) of 2.54, tied with Winnipeg for the 12th-best mark in the league, per Evolving Hockey. And while the former Calder Trophy runner-up Skinner has improved as of late – recording a .911 save percentage and 9-2-0 record in his last 11 games – there’s still reason to be uncertain in Edmonton’s crease. The Oilers are 3-12-1 when they allow three-or-more goals this season, emphasizing that the team is only as good as the goaltending that they receive. If they want to be true Stanley Cup-contenders, they’ll need to make sure their netminders are just as efficient as their scorers.
What should be on the Oilers holiday wish list?
A lucky trade offer.
The Oilers are clearly not far off from being a very scary team. Their top scorers – McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – are mostly performing as expected; the blueline has seen added help through the continued breakout of Evan Bouchard and the addition of Mattias Ekholm; and it seems Skinner is bringing some reliability back into the crease. But there still seems to be something holding back Edmonton from reaching their full potential. The team has six members of their forward group with fewer than eight points through their first 24 games and their defense seems to strike in waves.
But Edmonton has recently made former eighth-overall pick Philip Broberg available for a trade, something that could prove lucrative as many teams around the league look for a spark on defense. While Broberg’s professional career in North America is off to a choppy start, there are still teams around the league with high hopes for the 22-year-old defenseman. It helps that Broberg is on a cost-controlled deal, recording an $863K cap hit this season and set to become a restricted free agent next year. The right trade could be enough to patch one of the Oilers’ holes, whether it’s bringing in another depth-forward, providing more competition on defense, or adding support between the pipes. The NHL is gearing up for an exciting Trade Deadline and the Oilers could emerge from it with the plenty of hope for the future.
West Notes: Burakovsky, Byram, Makar, Athanasiou
Kraken winger André Burakovsky is close to returning from an upper-body injury, head coach Dave Hakstol told reporters Wednesday (via Alison Lukan of Root Sports Northwest). Burakovsky sustained the injury on October 21 during a game against the Rangers, taking a hard hit from maligned defenseman Jacob Trouba. The Kraken announced Burakovsky would miss six to eight weeks shortly thereafter, putting him within the originally projected return window.
Burakovsky, who’s now missed 20 games with the injury, played just six contests this season after a groin tear kept him out for the back half of the 2022-23 regular season and the playoffs, during which the Kraken defeated the Avalanche for their first-ever series win and took the Stars to seven games in the Second Round. The missed time showed in his play to start the season, going without a point and recording a -4 rating through his first four contests. He showed signs of life in his fifth game, though, notching two assists and a +1 rating in nearly 18 minutes of ice time against the Hurricanes two days before sustaining his upper-body injury.
With such a rich recent injury history, Hakstol signaled the Kraken are being cautious with Burakovsky’s return. He’s been skating in a non-contact jersey for nearly two weeks. Since signing a five-year, $27.5MM deal with the Kraken in the summer of 2022 after hoisting the Stanley Cup as a member of the Avalanche, Burakovsky has 13 goals and 41 points in 55 contests. If he can return to the lineup Thursday against the Devils, he’s projected to play a second-line role alongside Jared McCann and Alexander Wennberg.
More from the Western Conference in this mid-week update:
- Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar informed media today that defenseman Bowen Byram is “hopefully” healthy enough to play tomorrow after leaving yesterday’s win over the Ducks with an upper-body injury. Bednar had confirmed earlier that Byram’s injury is not head-related, a sigh of relief considering his well-documented history of concussions at just 22 years old. Even if Byram can’t play, Bednar said superstar blueliner Cale Makar is an option to return tomorrow against the Jets after missing the last two games with a lower-body injury. Overall, it’s positive news for an Avalanche defense that remains without Samuel Girard for the foreseeable future as he undergoes treatment in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. Byram has played in all 25 Avalanche contests this season, logging five goals, three assists, and a -3 rating in 20:09 of average ice time.
- Injured Blackhawks forward Andreas Athanasiou aims to return to practice by the end of this week as he recovers from a groin injury, head coach Luke Richardson tells NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis. The 29-year-old has missed 12 games with a groin injury sustained on November 9 against the Lightning and is listed as week-to-week. Athanasiou recorded 20 goals for the second time in his career last season in Chicago, but offense had been harder to come by through 11 games this year, recording four assists, no goals, and seeing his ice time drop to under 13 minutes per game. He signed a two-year, $8.5MM extension last summer to remain in the Windy City.
Central Notes: Avalanche, Olausson, Bogosian, Heinola
After the team’s practice this morning, head coach of the Colorado Avalanche, Jared Bednar issued several roster updates before the team takes on the Anaheim Ducks tonight. Most notably, after missing Colorado’s last game, Bednar asserted that defenseman Cale Makar is doubtful to return tonight (X Link).
Aside from Makar being doubtful, Bednar also mentioned that forward Andrew Cogliano would not be in the lineup due to a lower-body injury, and although Valeri Nichushkin missed practice due to being sick, he is expected to play tonight. Although they will be missing several key players in their lineup, this is exactly the situation the Avalanche were hoping to weather as they spent the entire offseason with a primary goal of addressing the team’s depth.
Of all three, Makar is by far the most important player to be missing out of the lineup. Arguably the most important part of Colorado’s lineup, Makar continues to make his case for the best player in the entire league, as he has seven goals and 34 points in 23 games, while also maintaining some of the best defensive metrics among all defensemen.
Other notes:
- Before Bednar had spoken to reports about the lineup tonight, the Avalanche announced they had recalled forward Oskar Olausson for tonight’s game. Colorado’s first-round selection in the 2021 NHL Draft, Olausson has yet to play for the Avalanche this season, after playing in one game last year. Playing for their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, Olausson has five goals and eight points in 20 games, sitting seventh on the team in scoring.
- Michael Russo of The Athletic is reporting that Minnesota Wild defenseman, Zach Bogosian, is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning to provide more defensive prowess into the lineup, Bogosian has one assist in nine games for the Wild, averaging just over 13 minutes of ice time per night.
- Suffering an ankle injury during this year’s preseason, the rehab for Winnipeg Jets’ defenseman Ville Heinola was expected to be between two and three months. In an update on his progression, reports are confirming that Heinola has returned to skating, although he is still not skating in full equipment (X Link). The timeline should still be accurate to project his return, but it is nonetheless a positive that he has not experienced a setback in his recovery process.
Cale Makar Will Not Play Tonight
Peter Baugh of The Athletic is reporting that Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar will miss tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Kings with a lower-body injury. Baugh relayed the news from Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar who said that Makar is out for tonight and that was all he knew for now.
Makar is currently one of the frontrunners for the Norris Trophy as his seven goals and 27 assists in 23 games have him tied for fourth in NHL scoring with Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes. He has finished in the top-3 in Norris Trophy voting in each of the past three seasons and is making a strong case for it to be four years in a row. He won the award back in 2022 and was also the Conn Smythe Trophy winner in the same year.
Makar left the Avalanche game last night against the Anaheim Ducks just before the end of regulation. He was unavailable during the overtime period and the shootout, which the Avalanche eventually lost.
If he is out for any length of time it would be a big blow to a Colorado club that currently sits atop the Central Division with a 15-6-2 record. They were on a hot streak having won seven of eight prior games to dropping their last two to the Ducks and Arizona Coyotes.
With Makar sidelined, it appears that rookie Sam Malinski will dress in his second career NHL game. The 25-year-old signed as an undrafted free agent this past March after playing four years at Cornell University. In 17 AHL games this season with the Colorado Eagles, Malinski has three goals and six assists.
Snapshots: Oilers, Nylander, Three Stars
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman spoke about the Edmonton Oilers goaltending situation on the most recent episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast, sharing that the team is in search for a new netminder with Jack Campbell struggling in the AHL. Specifically, Friedman reported that the Oilers recently got a good look at the three goalies with the Montreal Canadiens and could be interested in acquiring either Cayden Primeau or Sam Montembeault.
Montembeault has yet to sign his anticipated contract extension with the Canadiens, and Friedman adds that this extension could be a barrier for Montreal in any trade talks. The 27-year-old goaltender is in his third season with Montreal, joining the team via waivers ahead of the 2021-22 season. He’s performed well for the team since, recording a .908 save percentage through eight games this season and a .901 save percentage in 40 games last year. Edmonton is looking for a goaltender to support sophomore Stuart Skinner, rather than finding one to replace him, per Friedman. Montembeault could be a budget-friendly option if Montreal is willing to part with him.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun has shared that the Toronto Maple Leafs are being deliberately tight-lipped about star winger William Nylander‘s looming contract extension, but that both sides remain committed to finding a deal before he hits free agency. One exec that LeBrun spoke with compared the negotiations to David Pastrnak‘s extension negotiations, and another estimated that the winger could make $10.5 to $11 million on his next deal. Nylander recently forced his way into the spotlight again by scoring five points in Toronto’s pair of Global Series matchups.
- The NHL has announced its Three Stars of the Week, with Sidney Crosby taking Third Star, Nylander winning Second Star, and Cale Makar being awarded First Star. Crosby won on the back of a five goal, seven point performance through four games this week; Nylander’s Global Series performance earned him a nomination despite playing just two games; and Makar amassed an impressive eight points in three games this week to top the list.
Avalanche Release Multiple Injury Updates
Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar has released an update on a slew of players in preparation for the team’s Wednesday night matchup against the St. Louis Blues. Bednar shared that newcomers Jonathan Drouin and Tomas Tatar are likely to miss the matchup, while Cale Makar and Bowen Byram are game-time decisions. Drouin and Tatar were the last two skaters on the practice ice for Colorado, hinting that they could be leaning towards sitting out. If they do miss time, Bednar hinted at Kurtis MacDermid drawing into the lineup.
Drouin and Tatar have both played in all eight games for Colorado this season, with very different results. Drouin is off to a slow start, netting a sole assist on the season while averaging just over 13 minutes of ice time per game. Tatar has served in a similar role to Drouin – averaging 12 minutes of ice time each game – but has managed four assists. The duo are two of three Colorado forwards that haven’t scored a goal yet this season – Andrew Cogliano being the other.
Bednar said yesterday that one of Byram or Makar would likely sit out of the team’s Wednesday outing. Which defender may miss time is, unfortunately, unclear. While Byram has made an impact through the early going, he doesn’t bring the takeover ability that Makar can.
The Avalanche are now faced with the decision of whether to ice 12 forwards and six defensemen, or 11 forwards and seven defensemen – given the injuries to two top-nine forwards. MacDermid is likely to play regardless of what decision Colorado makes here – either slotting in on offense or defense depending where they need support. If Colorado decides to ice 11 forwards, Caleb Jones will draw in as the seventh defender. If they ice 12 forwards, Riley Tufte is expected to make his Avalanche debut. Both players were recalled to the NHL lineup yesterday.
Avalanche Provide Injury Update On Makar, Byram
Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar shared that Cale Makar and Bowen Byram are both banged up, but one of the two will play in the team’s Wednesday matchup.
Makar was on the receiving end of a dangerous play by the Buffalo Sabres’ Kyle Okposo and left the ice briefly. He was able to return for the third period but is still banged up enough to bring his availability into question. Makar has continued his dominant career into this season, netting three goals and nine points through eight games so far this season. The former Norris Trophy winner is undeniably one of the best defenders in the NHL, making even one game without him something tough to stomach.
Byram hasn’t carried the same esteem as Makar this season, though he’s still managed to make impacts through eight games on the season. He’s tallied two points, 14 penalty minutes, and a +2 on the year. Byram’s next game will be his 100th NHL game – an impressive milestone for the former fourth-overall selection. The 22-year-old has managed 45 points and 87 penalty minutes in the 99 career games he’s played so far.
This announcement brings some clarity to Colorado calling up Caleb Jones earlier today. The veteran of 217 NHL games failed to establish himself in Colorado’s training camp, although he has managed four points in eight AHL games this season. It’s the first time that Jones has played in the AHL since 2019-20, when he tallied 11 points in 14 AHL games. He will likely serve as the top fill-in option for an Avalanche team that isn’t currently carrying any other extra defenders. If Jones does slot in, Colorado will become the third NHL team that he’s played for.
Avalanche Notes: Toews, Makar, Holland
Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews is one of the top names headlining the 2024 unrestricted free agent class. The 29-year-old has emerged as a legitimate top-pairing player since being acquired in 2020 and has seen his production take off the last couple of years as he reached the 50-point mark. However, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link) that the industry thought is that Colorado doesn’t want to give Toews more than five years. If he gets to the open market, it stands to reason that seven-year max-term offers would be on the table while the Avalanche could go as high as eight. A long-term structure like that might allow for the AAV to be a bit lower than a medium-term agreement would be but would also carry some risk in the later years between his workload and age.
More from Colorado:
- Cale Makar skated with the main group at practice today as he works his way back from a lower-body injury, relays Peter Baugh of The Athletic (Twitter link). However, the defenseman stated that while the injury hasn’t gotten any worse, it “hasn’t really gotten much better” With the regular season still two weeks away, it stands to reason that the Avs will take their time with their star blueliner.
- Peter Holland’s tryout appears to have been a somewhat successful one as the team confirmed to Colorado Hockey Now’s Evan Rawal (Twitter link) that they have made the forward a contract offer, one that also includes a reassignment to the AHL level. Whether the offer is a two-way deal with the Avalanche or a one-way AHL proposal remains to be seen. Holland didn’t play anywhere last season and last played at the minor league level back in 2018-19 where he was quite productive with 65 points in 73 games. Colorado shuffled through depth players frequently last season looking for the right fit so even though Holland won’t be making the roster now, he could get an opportunity down the road.