Avalanche Activate Jonathan Drouin, Place Ivan Ivan On IR
Dec. 31st: As expected, the Avalanche have officially activated Drouin from the injured reserve for today’s matchup. On the flip side, the team has also placed Ivan on the injured reserve with multiple reports indicating he’ll be out for the next few weeks.
Dec. 30th: The Colorado Avalanche are expected to activate forward Jonathan Drouin off the injured reserve tomorrow, meaning that the 29-year-old would be back in the lineup tomorrow night against the Winnipeg Jets (as per Corey Masisak of The Denver Post). Drouin has been dealing with an upper-body injury that caused him to miss 16 games, and it was his second extended absence of the season.
Drouin has been good when healthy, dressing in just five games this year for Colorado, posting two goals and two assists while averaging 20:40 of ice time. The former third-overall pick was terrific for Colorado last year with 56 points in 79 games but was unable to secure a long-term deal in free agency this past summer, opting instead to return to the Avalanche on a one-year deal worth $2.5MM. Drouin will have roughly half the season to prove his worth before hitting free agency once again next summer.
In other Avalanche news, forward Ivan Ivan has an upper-body injury and may miss some time, although he is still being evaluated. The 22-year-old was likely coming out of the lineup with the return of Drouin and could be scratched tomorrow regardless of his health. Ivan probably wasn’t ready to be thrust into an NHL role this season, but circumstance has allowed him to dress in 37 games for the Avalanche where he has played just over ten minutes a night, chipping in five goals and three assists.
Minor Transactions: 12/11/24
As has been the case throughout the season, there have been a bunch of minor moves around the NHL, primarily for roster management purposes. Here’s a rundown of those that haven’t already been covered.
- The Kraken announced (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled forward Ryan Winterton from AHL Coachella Valley. The 21-year-old has been shuffled back and forth multiple times in the early going this season. Winterton has played in six games with Seattle, picking up an assist while averaging 10:45 per game of ice time. With the Firebirds, Winterton has been quite productive, recording seven goals and eight assists in 16 games so far.
- The Canucks announced (Twitter link) that they’ve returned defenseman Mark Friedman to AHL Vancouver. The 28-year-old was recalled in late November but only got into one game while on recall. After clearing waivers in training camp, Friedman got into eight games with Abbotsford, notching a goal and three assists.
- The Avalanche continued their trend of near-daily transactions. Colorado assigned forward Ivan Ivan, defenseman Keaton Middleton, and goalie Trent Miner to the minors, per the AHL’s transactions log. Ivan has played exclusively with the Avs this season and has eight points in 30 games so it’s safe to say this is another paper move for salary cap reasons. The others aren’t as certain. Middleton has seen limited action in his three games and with the Avs having seven other healthy blueliners, they could opt to keep him down. Miner, meanwhile, was brought up with newcomer Mackenzie Blackwood being sick so his assignment could mean that Blackwood is ready to make his debut with Colorado in which case Miner would stay with the Eagles.
- After being named to Czechia’s preliminary World Junior roster yesterday, the Kings have loaned defenseman Jakub Dvorak to the national team, per the AHL’s transactions log. Considering that he’s seeing regular action with the Reign, it’s likely that he’s going to make the team so Los Angeles could have tried to see if they could keep him a little longer before loaning him out like Seattle intends to do with winger Eduard Sale but instead, Dvorak will join the Czechs for their full training camp.
Avalanche Place Ross Colton On LTIR, Recall Four From AHL
The Avalanche made a series of roster moves today as they continue their trend of making close to daily transactions. PuckPedia notes (Twitter link) that forward Ross Colton has been placed on LTIR. With the extra cap space, the team announced (Twitter link) that forwards Chris Wagner, Ivan Ivan, Nikita Prishchepov, and defenseman Keaton Middleton were all recalled from AHL Colorado.
While Colton’s LTIR placement might imply that he’s not close to returning, that isn’t the case. Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now relays (Twitter link) that the 28-year-old will accompany the team on its five-game road trip and that when he does return, he’ll start on the wing even though he’s a natural center. What the placement does is open up one extra roster spot, allowing them to have a bit more depth on their roster heading into the start of that trip.
Colton got off to a particularly strong start for the Avs this season, tallying eight goals and an assist while averaging 18:38 per game, well above his career average of under 13 minutes a night. However, he suffered a foot injury in late October and only resumed skating recently.
The three forwards have been shuffled back and forth on a frequent basis this season in an effort to bank cap space and were papered down to the minors on Sunday. Ivan has been the most successful by far, tallying five goals and three assists while playing in all 25 games. Meanwhile, Wagner has a goal in 14 outings while Prishchepov, a seventh-round pick back in June, has been held off the scoresheet in his first seven career NHL appearances.
As for Middleton, it’s his first NHL recall since 2021 when he got into three games with the Avalanche. Since then, the 26-year-old has played exclusively in the minors with the Eagles. After putting up 15 points and 136 penalty minutes in 71 games last season, Middleton has four assists and 11 penalty minutes in 17 AHL appearances in 2024-25. He’ll be eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer.
West Notes: Avalanche, Wild, Ehlers
The Colorado Avalanche have assigned forwards Ivan Ivan, Nikita Prishchepov, and Chris Wagner to the minor leagues in what appears to be a paper transaction. The move will help Colorado accrue morsels of salary cap before their next game on Tuesday. Injuries have continued to pile up in Colorado, pushing all three players into Saturday’s loss to Edmonton.
Ivan stamped his spot on the third line with a two-goal game last week, but he hasn’t managed any more scoring in the three games since. Still, he’s received far more attention than Wagner and Prishchepov, who respectively recorded a measly five and six minutes of ice time in Colorado’s last game. The trio make up the bulk of Colorado’s bottom-six ice time, and the Avalanche will now take advantage of their waiver exemption status to bank some daily cap space.
In other Western Conference notes:
- Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin reportedly did not want to include defenseman Daemon Hunt in the trade package the was used to pluck David Jiricek from the Columbus Blue Jackets yesterday (as per Dylan Loucks of The Hockey News). The Wild sent Hunt and four draft picks to Columbus to acquire Jiricek and a fifth-round pick, and Guerin told the media that he hated including Hunt in the deal but felt that the price he paid to acquire the former sixth-overall pick was fair. The Wild paid a heavy price to acquire the 21-year-old Jiricek, but if he develops into the defenseman the Wild expect, he and current Wild defender Brock Faber will give the team a solid core to build around for years to come.
- Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers missed today’s game against the Dallas Stars and is day-to-day with a lower-body injury (as per Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press). Jets head coach Scott Arniel didn’t have much in the way of an update after today’s game but did tell the media that Ehlers will see the team doctors in Winnipeg tomorrow. Ehlers is in the final season of a seven-year $42MM contract and will become an unrestricted free agent next July. The 28-year-old has had a fantastic start to the season with nine goals and 16 assists in 24 games.
Avalanche’s Jonathan Drouin Out Week-To-Week
10:06 a.m.: With Drouin set to miss extended time once again, the Avalanche announced they’ve recalled first-year pro Chase Bradley from AHL Colorado. Bradley, 22, has three goals and an assist in 17 games after signing an entry-level deal with the Avs over the summer. Drafted in the seventh round by the Red Wings in 2020, Detroit decided to forego his signing rights after Bradley opted to turn pro after his junior year with the University of Connecticut.
Paper transactions demoting Nikolai Kovalenko and Ivan Ivan were also reversed, bringing them back up to the NHL roster ahead of tonight’s game against the Golden Knights. The Avs had an open roster spot for Bradley, so Drouin doesn’t need to land on injured reserve to accommodate his recall.
9:29 a.m.: Avalanche winger Jonathan Drouin will be out week-to-week with an upper-body injury, head coach Jared Bednar said on 92.5 FM Altitude Sports Radio on Wednesday (via Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette).
Drouin, 29, missed Monday’s 8-2 defeat at the hands of the Lightning with the ailment. It’s unclear when he sustained the injury and if it’s related to the upper-body issue he suffered in the season opener that cost him 16 games.
The Quebec native had just recently returned to action from that previous upper-body issue on Nov. 15. His most recent appearance, a 7-4 win over the Panthers on Saturday, was easily the best performance of his five showings this season. He played a season-high 23:37 and scored twice on four shots, his first two goals of the campaign.
The 11-year veteran now faces another longer-term absence in an injury-riddled 2024-25 campaign for the Avs. They’ve had at least three regular forwards out of the lineup for most games this season, including a brief stretch around Halloween where they were without four of their top five wingers. They were down to just captain Gabriel Landeskog and Ross Colton being unavailable for the past few games, but they’ll again be without a trio of top-nine pieces for the next couple of weeks. Colton isn’t due back until the middle of December after sustaining a broken foot late last month.
Drouin has almost exclusively served as Colorado’s top-line left wing alongside former major junior teammate Nathan MacKinnon in his brief action this season, although he has seen a few reps on the second line alongside Casey Mittelstadt and Valeri Nichushkin. He had four points in five games while averaging a career-high 20:40 per game, on pace for the best year of his career if not for his upper-body injuries.
The third overall pick in the 2013 draft is coming off a career-best 2023-24 campaign, his first in Colorado. He recorded a career-best 37 assists, 56 points, a +12 rating, and 33 blocks en route to receiving a one-year, $2.5MM deal to return to the Avs on July 1.
Rookie Ivan Ivan slid into a top-six role alongside Mittelstadt and Nichushkin with Drouin out on Monday and could continue to do so on a trial basis. The 22-year-old has been passable, with eight points in 22 games to pair with strong possession numbers (54.3 CF%, 52.0 xGF%).
Avalanche To Reassign Chris Wagner
Nov. 15: Wagner has cleared waivers and will be assigned to the AHL, according to Friedman. Ivan and Kovalenko were also recalled earlier today as expected.
Nov. 14: The Avalanche placed forward Chris Wagner on waivers Thursday for the purpose of assignment to AHL Colorado, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. The club also papered forwards Ivan Ivan and Nikolai Kovalenko down to the minors, but they’re expected back tomorrow.
Wagner, 33, cleared waivers already at the beginning of the season but has made 12 appearances for the Avs, so he needs to clear them again to return to the minors. The veteran has played in Colorado’s last 10 games but is projected to be a healthy scratch tomorrow against the Capitals with Jonathan Drouin, Valeri Nichushkin and Miles Wood all returning to the lineup.
Now in the second season of his second stint with the Avalanche organization, Wagner has one goal and a -5 rating in 12 showings with the club this season. The 2010 fifth-round pick of the Ducks also made one appearance for AHL Colorado earlier in the year after clearing waivers.
After spending a brief chunk of the 2015-16 campaign with the Avalanche between a waiver placement and waiver claim by the Ducks, Wagner returned to Denver in 2023 when he signed a two-way deal in free agency. Wagner totaled 14 points in 21 AHL games last season and also had a goal and an assist in 13 appearances for the Avs down the stretch, his most games played in a season since appearing in 41 with the Bruins in 2020-21. He signed a two-way extension back in April to keep him off last summer’s unrestricted free agent market, now set to be a UFA in 2025.
With a league minimum cap hit on an expiring deal, there is a fair amount of risk of Wagner being claimed if a team decides they’re in need of short-term help among their depth forwards. The Predators are currently last in the league by points percentage and thus have first dibs, with the Canadiens, Sharks, Ducks, Blue Jackets, and Blackhawks next in line.
Avalanche Place Miles Wood On IR, Valeri Nichushkin Cleared To Practice
The Avalanche announced today that they’ve summoned forwards Ivan Ivan, Nikolai Kovalenko and Nikita Prishchepov back up from AHL Colorado after papering them down yesterday. They only had two open spots on the active roster after activating Artturi Lehkonen from injured reserve, so winger Miles Wood was placed on IR retroactive to Oct. 28 in a corresponding transaction to open the extra spot. Additionally, the team confirmed that Valeri Nichushkin has been cleared to practice with the team as he enters the final few days of his participation in Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program and corresponding suspension.
Wood would be eligible to come off IR as soon as tomorrow’s game against the Kraken, but that won’t happen. Head coach Jared Bednar said on Oct. 30 that Wood was set to miss around seven to 10 days with the upper-body injury that’s kept him out of Colorado’s last two contests. That pushes his return to the lineup to Thursday against the Jets or the Hurricanes next weekend.
The 29-year-old’s absence adds to a laundry list of injuries at forward for the Avalanche, although they’ll certainly take a swap of him for Lehkonen coming off IR. The checking winger hadn’t been much of a factor for the Avs yet this season, limited to one goal on 19 shots and no assists through 10 games. He had averaged 13:40 per game, one second lower than last season, despite Colorado being without Lehkonen, Nichushkin and Gabriel Landeskog throughout the entire campaign to date.
With Lehkonen back and the aforementioned trio recalled, the Avs may be able to dress 12 forwards tomorrow for the first time since Wood’s injury. Defenseman Oliver Kylington had suited up on the wing in back-to-back games with Wood out and no roster flexibility for an additional recall from the AHL.
Ivan and Kovalenko each have four points through 12 games this season, both their first regular-season contests in the NHL. Ivan had no previous major-league experience, while Kovalenko suited up twice for the Avs in last year’s playoffs. Meanwhile, all signs point to Prishchepov playing his second NHL game tomorrow. The 20-year-old was selected 217th overall just a few months ago in the 2024 draft and logged 13:30 in his debut against the Predators on Saturday, registering two shots and three hits.
For Nichushkin, his being cleared to practice indicates that he’s fulfilled all the requirements of his Stage 3 placement so far. His corresponding six-month suspension was handed out on May 13, 2024, while the Avalanche were amid their Second Round series against the Stars. He’s eligible to return to the lineup on Nov. 13 against the Kings, and with a nine-day run-up to practice, it’s looking likelier than not that he’ll play.
While a separate stint in the Player Assistance Program limited Nichushkin to 54 games last season, he’s coming off the best campaign of his nine-year NHL career. The 6’4″, 210-lb Russian winger notched 28 goals and 53 points for a career-high 0.98 points per game, also averaging a career-high 21:21 per night. Despite the extended absence, he also led the club with 16 power-play goals.
Nichushkin has six years remaining on the eight-year, $49MM extension he signed in 2022 to keep him off the open market. Many speculated the Avs would try and move that contract given Nichushkin’s struggles to stay in the lineup since the deal began (he’s only played in 107 of 164 possible regular-season games). But given their bevy of injuries and correspondingly underwhelming 5-7-0 record, it makes little sense to part ways with a player who’s been an invaluable part of their top six when healthy.
Avalanche Reassign Chris Wagner, Ivan Ivan, Nikolai Kovalenko
11:12 a.m.: The Avs have also papered forward Nikolai Kovalenko down to the AHL, the team announced Tuesday. That does get them out of LTIR for the time being and will allow them to accrue a little bit of cap space before all three players likely return to the roster tomorrow.
8:46 a.m.: The Avalanche announced that forwards Chris Wagner and Ivan Ivan have been assigned to AHL Colorado. Freeing up their combined $1.62MM cap hit isn’t enough to get them out of LTIR and have them accumulate cap space for now, so it’s a bit of an odd move. Regardless, expect both to be re-added to the roster before tomorrow’s game against the Bruins to give the Avs 12 healthy forwards.
It’s a quick turnaround for Wagner, 33, who played in the Avalanches’ last two games after being recalled Saturday. The veteran can return to the Eagles without clearing waivers after doing so during the end of preseason, but he’s now used up two of his 10 games or six of his 30 days on the active roster before he needs them again for an AHL assignment.
Wagner averaged just 6:36 through Colorado’s two losses against the Blue Jackets and Islanders, which currently stands at a career low. The versatile depth forward went 3-for-6 in the faceoff dot and posted a -1 rating along with three shots on goal and three hits, but failed to get on the box score aside from a minor penalty. He has a goal and an assist in 15 combined contests since landing with the Avs organization as a free agent in 2023.
Ivan, at 22 years old, is significantly Wagner’s junior. He has been demoted for a third time since cracking Colorado’s NHL opening night roster. They’ve all been paper transactions, though, and he’s appeared in all three of the Avs’ losses to start the regular season. The undrafted free agent signing out of QMJHL Cape Breton has an assist and a -1 rating to kick off his NHL career, averaging 9:22 per game.
Avalanche Recall Nikolai Kovalenko, Ivan Ivan
Oct. 11: Ivan and Kovalenko are back up with the Avs this morning, the team announced.
Oct. 10: The Avalanche have shed two names from the active roster, reassigning forwards Ivan Ivan and Nikolai Kovalenko to AHL Colorado after last night’s 8-4 loss to the Golden Knights. It’s likely a paper transaction to accrue cap space, as shedding their combined $1.74MM cap hit gets them out of LTIR for now and allows them to accrue cap space before their next game on Saturday. Both players should be recalled by then, as they’re down to 10 forwards on the active roster without them.
Ivan made his NHL debut last night after cracking the opening night roster. While Vegas held him off the scoresheet, his line with Parker Kelly and Joel Kiviranta fared well defensively. Ivan logged 9:44 of ice time and managed to control 78.6% of shot attempts at even strength in heavy shutdown usage. An undrafted free agent signing out of QMJHL Cape Breton, the Czech forward posted 31 points (12 G, 19 A) in 67 games with the Eagles last season.
Kovalenko, meanwhile, made his regular-season debut after making his NHL debut in last year’s playoffs. The 24-year-old played nearly 15 minutes in a top-six role on the left wing alongside Casey Mittelstadt and Calum Ritchie, posting a -1 rating, two shots on goal, and a hit. The 2018 sixth-round pick may be papered between leagues often this year due to his waiver-exempt status, but the expectation is for him to remain with the Avs for most of the season if not all of it. The son of longtime NHLer Andrei Kovalenko already has seven years of professional experience in Russia’s KHL, where he scored 142 points (59 G, 83 A) in 257 games. He averaged nearly a point per game over the last two years with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod before arriving in North America at the end of last season.
Colorado has precisely $9,746,250 in cap space after making the transactions, more than their LTIR pool of $8,937,500, per PuckPedia. Since the league calculates cap space daily and teams don’t accrue additional spending power while using LTIR, getting out of the pool whenever possible helps create additional spending flexibility later in the season.
Avalanche Recall Nikolai Kovalenko, Ivan Ivan
The Avalanche have made a pair of opening night transactions, recalling forwards Nikolai Kovalenko and Ivan Ivan from AHL Colorado.
At least one of them will make their NHL debut tomorrow against the Golden Knights. Due to cap constraints and in an attempt to maximize their potential LTIR capture, the Avalanche only had 11 forwards on the opening night roster they submitted yesterday. Kovalenko and Ivan were sent down yesterday, just hours before Colorado’s initial roster was due, and were both expected to rejoin the club today.
If Kovalenko draws in, it’ll only be his regular-season debut. He made his NHL debut in last year’s playoffs, skating in Games 4 and 5 of their first-round win over the Jets and failing to get on the scoresheet. Still, it would be a nice early birthday present for the 2018 sixth-round pick, who turns 25 next week. The pending restricted free agent has spent the last two seasons playing a pivotal role for the KHL’s Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, erupting for 89 points in 98 games there while serving as an alternate captain. After arriving in Colorado to end last season, he also tallied three points in four AHL games.
It would be a true debut for the 22-year-old Ivan, though. The Czech pivot went undrafted after recording 177 points in 191 games over three seasons with the QMJHL’s Cape Breton Eagles, settling for an AHL deal with Colorado’s affiliate last summer. He had a solid showing, totaling 31 points (12 G, 19 A) in 67 games en route to landing an entry-level NHL deal with the Avs in March. He was viewed as a potential call-up option this season, but even with the Avs’ multiple top-six forward absences in Gabriel Landeskog, Artturi Lehkonen, and Valeri Nichushkin, he was a long shot to make the roster. It’s clear he’s made a good chunk of headway on Colorado’s depth chart with a strong camp.
The Avs had the roster space but not the cap space to execute this transaction, so it’s fair to assume either Landeskog, Lehkonen, or newly-acquired defenseman Tucker Poolman has been placed on long-term injured reserve in a corresponding transaction.