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Joel Kiviranta

How Will The Colorado Avalanche Re-Tool This Summer?

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After one of the busiest trade deadlines since their run to a Stanley Cup championship in 2022, the Colorado Avalanche fell short this spring, losing in Round One to the Dallas Stars. Last week, Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette analyzed six pending unrestricted free agents that the team could look to keep for next year’s iteration of the roster.

Despite shedding Mikko Rantanen’s $9.25MM salary and not retaining him beyond this season, Rawal correctly points out that Colorado only has $8.7MM in salary cap space heading into the summer with 18 players already signed. Given their financial flexibility, it’s unlikely the Avalanche will re-sign Brock Nelson, Jonathan Drouin, Ryan Lindgren, Joel Kiviranta, Jimmy Vesey, and Erik Johnson.

If Colorado doesn’t bring back Nelson, they’ll again peruse the trade and free agent markets for a second-line center. He performed mildly well upon joining the Avalanche, scoring six goals and 13 points in 19 games, with another four assists in seven postseason contests. However, Nelson reportedly spurned a three-year, $22.5MM offer from the New York Islanders, meaning he’d leave Colorado with very little wiggle room if he were to sign a similar contract.

Being a limited center class in the free-agent market, the Avalanche would likely turn to the trade market to fill the gap. Unfortunately, after trading away several assets at the 2024-25 trade deadline, they’ll have little to offer other teams for a true second-line middleman.

It is unlikely that Colorado will re-sign Lindgren beyond this season unless he agrees to a significantly lower salary than his current $4.5MM. Lindgren’s future with the team could tie together with the health status of defenseman Josh Manson, who missed a large chunk of the 2024-25 season due to injury. If the Avalanche are confident Manson will open the 2025-26 season on the team’s long-term injured reserve, they may be interested in retaining Lindgren and his similar playstyle.

The last player Rawal believes the Avalanche will shy away from is Kiviranta. It’s not so much that Kiviranta wasn’t valuable to Colorado during the 2024-25 season, but because it’ll be hard to predict which player they’re getting. Kiviranta exploded for 16 goals in 79 games this season with a 19.0% shooting percentage, offering the Avalanche flexibility to move him up and down the lineup. Still, it may be unwise to significantly raise Kiviranta’s salary, considering he averaged an 8.1% shooting percentage over 219 games from 2019 to 2024.

The trio Rawal believes will likely stay in Colorado for at least the next season includes Drouin, Vesey, and Johnson. Drouin spurned longer-term offers last summer to re-up on a one-year, $2.5MM deal with the Avalanche this year. There’s a good chance Drouin’s injury history will drive other teams away from offering long-term deals this summer, meaning Colorado could re-sign him again on a below-market deal.

Vesey and Johnson should be available at a low price, but they might choose to leave on their own accord. Vesey was very outspoken about his discontent with the New York Rangers for lack of playing time, and none of that changed in Denver. Meanwhile, although Johnson has spent much of his career in Colorado and has publicly shown his admiration for the organization, he’s a prime retirement candidate this offseason.

Central Notes: Manson, Kiviranta, Sissons, Schenn, Määttä

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The Colorado Avalanche will have one injured member back for their road trip through the Midwest, but no more. Forward Joel Kiviranta has fully recovered from his lower-body injury and will return for the road trip, but defenseman Josh Manson will stay in Denver due to an upper-body injury, according to Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette.

Kiviranta has missed Colorado’s last three games, with the team managing a 1-1-1 record in his absence. Despite being in his second year with the organization, he’s offered extraordinary flexibility to the Avalanche’s forward core this season. Kiviranta has demonstrated the ability to play up and down the lineup, putting up a career-high 16 goals in 72 games this season while averaging 12:30 of ice time per game.

Meanwhile, Manson has been continuously plagued by a lower-body injury for much of the 2024-25 campaign. Given that Colorado only has seven games remaining on their schedule, there’s a decent chance Manson may not play another regular season contest for them this season. If that’s the case, he’ll finish the year with one goal and 15 points in 48 games, averaging 18:02 of ice time per game.

Other notes from the Central Division:

  • After sustaining a leg injury a few days ago against the Vegas Golden Knights, Nashville Predators’ forward Colton Sissons’ season may have already ended. According to general manager Barry Trotz (and publicized by Nick Kieser of 102.5 The Game), the second-year front office leader said a decision regarding Sissons’ status is coming relatively soon. Kieser quoted Trotz saying, “I would probably say he’s close to not being back for the rest of the season.“
  • Winnipeg Jets’ analyst Mitchell Clinton reported earlier that defenseman Luke Schenn is a game-time decision against the Los Angeles Kings. Clinton didn’t allude to the specifics regarding Schenn, but he did mention that Schenn left early from the team’s morning skate. Should he miss tonight’s contest, the Jets will likely contextualize Schenn’s absence after the game.
  • Joining Schenn as a game-time decision will be Utah Hockey Club’s Olli Määttä (Tweet Link). Määttä had been dealing with a lower-body injury, which kept him out of the team’s recent matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday. However, even if he doesn’t feature in tonight’s game, it shouldn’t keep him out of the lineup much longer. The Finnish blueliner has scored two goals and 15 points in 63 games for Utah since being acquired from the Detroit Red Wings in late October.

Minor Free Agent Signings: Central Division

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With over 180 deals signed during the first day of free agency yesterday, some smaller names may have gotten lost in the shuffle. Here’s a list of names that have inked two-way deals with Central Division clubs since the market opened yesterday, per CapFriendly. Some of these may have been included in our main coverage yesterday, while others went under the radar. All contracts carry the league-minimum $775K cap hit unless stated otherwise). Those listed here are likely to begin 2024-25 with each team’s AHL affiliate.

Chicago Blackhawks

none

Colorado Avalanche

F Joel Kiviranta (one year)

Dallas Stars

D Kyle Capobianco (two years)
F Cameron Hughes (one year)
F Kole Lind (one year)

Minnesota Wild

F Travis Boyd (one year)
D Joseph Cecconi (one year)
D Cameron Crotty (one year)
F Brendan Gaunce (two years)
G Troy Grosenick (one year)
F Ben Jones (two years)
F Devin Shore (one year)
F Reese Johnson (one year)

Nashville Predators

D Nick Blankenburg (two years)
F Vinnie Hinostroza (two years)
F Jake Lucchini (two years)
G Matt Murray (one year)

St. Louis Blues

none

Utah Hockey Club

D Kevin Connauton (two years)
F Miko Matikka (three years, $870K entry-level cap hit)

Winnipeg Jets

none

Avalanche Sign Joel Kiviranta, Calvin De Haan, Jacob MacDonald, Chase Bradley

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The Avalanche are re-signing Joel Kiviranta to a one-year deal, per a team announcement. They’ve also agreed to terms with UFA defenseman Calvin de Haan on an undisclosed deal, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports. Per The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta, de Haan’s deal is worth $800K. Additionally, they’ve brought defenseman/winger Jacob MacDonald back into the organization on a two-year, two-way deal worth $775K NHL/$525K AHL each season, per PuckPedia.

They’ve also signed forward Chase Bradley to a two-year, entry-level deal with an $872.5K cap hit, per PuckPedia. Bradley, 22, was a 2020 seventh-round pick of the Red Wings but became a free agent earlier today after leaving his school with one year remaining of eligibility, something he was eligible to do since it has been four years since he was drafted.

Kiviranta joined Colorado last season, inking a one-year deal in mid-November after playing with the Eagles before that.  The 28-year-old played in 56 games, primarily on their fourth line where he picked up three goals, six assists, and 78 hits in a little under nine minutes per game.  He suited up in eight playoff contests, recording a goal and an assist in just under 12 minutes per contest.  He’ll have a shot to battle for a fourth-line spot again with the Avs next season.

As for de Haan, he’s joining his fourth team in as many years.  The 33-year-old had a depth role with Tampa Bay last season, playing in 59 games with the Lightning.  He picked up 10 points along with 82 blocks and 96 hits along the way while averaging 16:38 per game, up by more than three minutes a night compared to his average the year before with Carolina.  At the moment, de Haan projects to have more of a regular role with Colorado but that could change depending on what other depth options are brought in.

MacDonald, meanwhile, spent parts of five seasons between the Avalanche and Eagles before being moved to San Jose in January 2023.  The 31-year-old spent last season with the Sharks but battled multiple injuries which helped limit him to just 34 games where he had seven goals and two assists in just over 12 minutes a game.  He also cleared waivers back in February, resulting in six AHL appearances with the Barracuda before being recalled at the trade deadline for the rest of the season.  He could be in the mix for a depth spot on the back end as things stand.

As for Bradley, he spent the last three years at the University of Connecticut, setting new personal bests with 11 goals and 11 assists in 31 games.  A report from April suggested he didn’t want to sign with Detroit and instead wanted to test free agency; he didn’t waste much time finding a new home as Colorado adds to their prospect pool with his signing.

Injury Notes: Pesce, Drouin, Kiviranta

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There’s no update on a timeline for Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce’s return to the lineup as they try and climb out of a 2-0 series hole against the Rangers. He remains out indefinitely with his lower-body injury and has still yet to resume skating, head coach Rod Brind’Amour told Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News and Observer on Wednesday.

Pesce has now played just three games in the last month. He was scratched for rest for two of Carolina’s final three games of the regular season before exiting their first-round victory over the Islanders in Game 2. The 29-year-old had an assist and a +2 rating in nearly 20 minutes of ice time in the Canes’ Game 1 victory. It was a down year offensively for the pending unrestricted free agent blue-liner, logging a career-low 13 points in 70 games, but he remained a top-four fixture alongside Brady Skjei on Carolina’s second pairing. Tony DeAngelo has replaced him in the lineup, logging an assist in five games after sitting as a healthy scratch for most of the regular season.

Other injury updates as the second round chugs on:

  • Like Pesce, there’s still no timetable for Avalanche winger Jonathan Drouin’s return, but he is making progress. He’s back skating with the team and has made “really good progress” over the last few days, head coach Jared Bednar said to The Denver Gazette’s Kyle Fredrickson. However, he won’t be making his playoff debut tonight and remains ruled out for Game 2 against the Stars. The 29-year-old sustained a lower-body injury in the final game of the regular season after posting a career-high 37 assists and 56 points in 79 games.
  • The Avalanche may be getting their other injured forward back in the fold, as Bednar told Fredrickson that depth winger Joel Kiviranta is “hopefully” an option to slot in for Game 2. The midseason signing would be playing his first game in nearly two weeks, last suiting up in Game 3 against the Jets on April 26. After beginning 2023-24 on a tryout and subsequent minor-league contract, Kiviranta had nine points in 56 regular-season games for the Avs and had recorded one assist through three postseason contests. Veteran Chris Wagner will likely sit to make room for Kiviranta after making his first appearance of the playoffs in Game 1’s come-from-behind win over Dallas.

West Notes: Toffoli, Brossoit, Hague, Kiviranta

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The Jets don’t have a ton of pending unrestricted free agents, but enough to lead to some significant depth turnover after failing to win a playoff series for the third year in a row. Two players who could opt not to re-sign and test the open market are veteran winger Tyler Toffoli and backup netminder Laurent Brossoit, Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe of The Winnipeg Free Press posit.

Brossoit’s return to the Jets last summer for his second stint with the club was a surprise. The 31-year-old’s stock was at an all-time high after posting a .927 SV% in 11 games down the stretch for the Golden Knights after returning from injury, and he was serviceable in eight playoff appearances as Vegas won the Stanley Cup. Some believed he would be able to land a role as a tandem netminder and eclipse his previous career-high of 24 appearances, but he instead opted to return to a familiar role backing up Connor Hellebuyck on a one-year, $1.75MM deal.

It worked out as well as it possibly could for Brossoit, who was excellent with a .927 SV% and three shutouts in 22 starts and one relief appearance. Back-to-back strong seasons after a rather roller-coaster career now have him fully primed to look for more starts on the UFA market in a couple of months.

Toffoli, meanwhile, was underwhelming after the Jets paid a second and third-round pick to acquire him at 50% salary retention from the Devils at the trade deadline. He posted seven goals and 11 points in 18 games down the stretch in the regular season but saw his ice time dip in the postseason, averaging only 14:05 per game against the Avs while scoring twice with a -2 rating in the five-game loss.

Elsewhere out West:

  • The Golden Knights won’t get defenseman Nicolas Hague back for Game 7 against the Stars tomorrow, head coach Bruce Cassidy said (via The Athletic’s Jesse Granger). The bottom-pairing fixture sustained a lower-body injury in Game 1 and hasn’t yet returned to practice. Hague, 25, also missed eight games with a lower-body injury early in the season. He finished the regular season with two goals, 10 assists, 12 points and a -5 rating in 73 games while averaging 18:33 per contest.
  • Avalanche depth winger Joel Kiviranta is working his way back to full health while Colorado awaits the winner of tomorrow’s Dallas/Vegas game. He returned to practice yesterday for the first time since sustaining an undisclosed injury in Game 3 against Winnipeg, Colorado Hockey Now’s Evan Rawal reports. He had one assist before exiting their first-round win, averaging 10:14 per game with a +2 rating.

Evening Notes: Martin, Kiviranta, Sharks

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Andrew Gross of Newsday is reporting that the New York Islanders will be without the services of forward Matt Martin for game 5 tomorrow night. Martin missed game 4 and didn’t practice today with the team. Martin has dressed in three games this postseason going scoreless while registering seven hits, 16 PIM and three blocked shots. Martin’s lower-body issue is the fourth time he’s dealt with injury this season and the fifth time this season he’s missed time due to a health issue.

Islanders head coach Patrick Roy told reporters that Martin is still day-to-day and will travel with the team for game 5 but won’t play. He added that he has not decided on who will skate in Martin’s place. The Islanders have a couple of options to replace the 34-year-old Martin as one of Simon Holmstrom or Ruslan Iskhakov could replace him in the lineup for game 5.

In other evening notes:

  • Mile High Sports reporter Aarif Deen tweeted that Colorado Avalanche forward Joel Kiviranta will travel with the club to Winnipeg ahead of game 5 against the Jets. The 28-year-old missed game 4 yesterday because of a lower-body injury but could make his return tomorrow night. Kiviranta has a single assist through the first three games of the Jets series after posting three goals and six assists in 56 regular season games. The Avalanche called up Chris Wagner earlier today as a precaution in case Kiviranta is unable to play tomorrow night.
  • On today’s edition of 32 Thoughts, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman discussed the San Jose Sharks’ search for a new head coach. Friedman believes that general manager Mike Grier is looking at potentially bringing people back who had a previous connection to the Sharks. Friedman went through a list of four potential candidates for the Sharks head coaching vacancy, beginning with former Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft who was an assistant in San Jose for seven seasons. The second name Friedman discussed was former Sharks player Marco Sturm who spent eight seasons with the team. Jay Leach was another name Friedman believes could be on the shortlist, Leach was a runner-up for the Sharks head coaching job previously when David Quinn was hired. The final name was Jeff Halpern who was a teammate of Grier’s back in their playing days, Friedman couldn’t find Halpern’s connection to the Sharks but believes that he is ready to be an NHL coach.

West Notes: DeSmith, Namestnikov, Kiviranta, Hague

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Casey DeSmith isn’t on the game roster for Canucks in today’s Game 4 against the Predators, forcing Vancouver to turn to third-string Arturs Silovs for his first playoff start with Thatcher Demko already hurt. It doesn’t appear the Canucks expect DeSmith out for long, however, as he was only termed day-to-day with a lower-body injury. There was further evidence to the fact shortly after the game started, as The Athletic’s Thomas Drance reports DeSmith was still the Canucks’ designated emergency backup for today’s game.

The 32-year-old would only be eligible to play if Silovs and backup Nikita Tolopilo suffered in-game injuries. Otherwise, holding DeSmith out of game action points to his absence as being more precautionary than anything else, hoping to avoid aggravating whatever he’s dealing with. Assumedly, he’ll be back in action for elimination games later in the series after putting up a .911 SV% in two postseason games thus far.

Elsewhere in the Western Conference:

  • Jets forward Vladislav Namestnikov left today’s Game 4 loss to the Avalanche after a Nate Schmidt slapshot hit him in the side of the head in the middle of the third period. He remained on the ice for nearly a minute and was able to skate off with the assistance of trainers, not requiring a stretcher. He’s still been transported to a Denver hospital for evaluation, reports Guerilla Sports’ Jesse Montano. Winnipeg head coach Rick Bowness had no update on Namestnikov’s health postgame other than confirming he was taken to a hospital. The 31-year-old had a goal and a -2 rating in the first three games of the series, which the Jets now trail 3-1.
  • The Avalanche were without winger Joel Kiviranta in today’s win, paving the way for 24-year-old Nikolai Kovalenko to make his NHL debut after being recalled from the AHL less than an hour prior to puck drop. Speaking with reporters postgame, Avs head coach Jared Bednar confirmed Kiviranta’s absence was injury-related, calling him day-to-day with a lower-body issue (via NHL.com’s Ryan Boulding). The 28-year-old had worked his way into a third-line role, a domino effect due to Jonathan Drouin being out for the series. He started the season on a PTO and subsequent AHL contract but inked a major-league deal with Colorado in November. He has one assist and a +2 rating in three games against the Jets this postseason.
  • The Golden Knights expect to be without defenseman Nicolas Hague again in tomorrow’s Game 4 against the Stars, head coach Bruce Cassidy said (via the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Danny Webster). He sustained a lower-body injury in the third period of Vegas’ Game 1 win and has yet to return to practice. The 25-year-old’s third-pairing duties have been assumed by veteran Alec Martinez, who began the postseason on the outside looking in after the Golden Knights’ trade deadline acquisition of Noah Hanifin pushed him down the depth chart. Hague made 73 appearances in the regular season, accumulating two goals and 12 points.

Colorado Avalanche Recall Jean-Luc Foudy

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The possibility of the Colorado Avalanche being without forwards Valeri Nichushkin and Joel Kiviranta tonight has come to pass, as Megan Angley of DNVR Avalanche reports that Nichushkin is out with a lower-body injury and Kiviranta is out with an illness. Carrying an open roster spot left to fill, the team recalled Jean-Luc Foudy on an emergency loan.

It will mark Foudy’s second emergency loan recall of the season, with the first coming on March 6th after Colorado’s flurry of trade deadline activity. Over that recall, Foudy played in one game for the Avalanche against the Detroit Red Wings, scoring one goal in almost 11 minutes of ice time.

Unfortunately, Foudy has not been able to accrue much playing time at the AHL level this season, as a lower-body injury suffered in training camp kept him off the ice until mid-January. Due to the injury, Foudy has registered only 18 games with Colorado’s AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, scoring three goals and nine points overall.

Nevertheless, with the Avalanche having the ability to clinch a playoff spot this evening, it will be a valuable matchup for Foudy to be a part of. As Foudy will undoubtedly return north to Loveland by the end of the regular season, he will be a factor in the Eagles’ pursuit of a playoff position, as well.

Avalanche Notes: Nichushkin, Girard, Kiviranta

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The Avalanche have listed winger Valeri Nichushkin as questionable for Thursday’s game against the Rangers, head coach Jared Bednar said (via Aarif Deen of Mile High Sports). It’s a lower-body injury that’s not anything long-term but “could possibly keep him out,” said Bednar. Nichushkin has missed extensive time this season, but not due to injury. He missed a splattering of games with illness before missing 21 games while in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program from mid-January to earlier this month. It hasn’t impacted his performance when healthy, as he’s passed the point-per-game threshold for the first time in his career. He’s posted a career-high 26 goals, 24 assists and 50 points in 48 games while averaging 21:36 per game, another career-high for the two-way dynamo.

Other updates from Denver:

  • Nichushkin may not be the only minutes-munching skater out of the lineup tomorrow. The Avs could also be without blue-liner Samuel Girard, who missed today’s practice with an illness and is accordingly questionable against the Blueshirts, per Brennan Vogt of The Rink Colorado. The 25-year-old has only 18 points in 51 games, his worst offensive showing in quite some time. He’s made up for it with some improved defensive and possession play after an iffy few seasons, rebounding for a 55.1 CF% at even strength and +6.2 expected rating, his best numbers in three years despite seeing the most defensive-zone usage of his career. Joel Kiviranta and Caleb Jones would draw into the lineup if both Nichushkin and Girard are unavailable…
  • …except Kiviranta is dealing with an illness of his own, per Vogt, which may prompt the Avs to recall a forward from AHL Colorado before tomorrow’s contest. They’d be eligible to do so under emergency conditions, as Kiviranta is the only extra forward available on the roster and they’d only be able to dress 11 if he and Nichushkin are sidelined. After beginning the season on a minor-league deal after attending Avs camp on a PTO, the depth winger has three goals and nine points in 52 games while averaging 9:56 per game.

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