Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Miles Wood

Avalanche Activate Miles Wood Off IR, Reassign Jere Innala

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Colorado Avalanche have activated forward Miles Wood off of injured reserve, setting him up to return from a back injury suffered on November 27th. The injury is a nagging one, earning Wood a second placement on IR earlier this season – from November 4th to 14th – and holding him out of games for a week in the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs. He told Corey Masisak of The Denver Post that, based on conversations he’s had with other players, this back injury will likely be one he carries through the rest of his career.

In a corresponding move, Colorado has also reassigned Jere Innala to the minor leagues. Innala has appeared in most of the team’s games through January but averages just under seven minutes of ice time each game. He has no scoring and a -3 through 15 appearances this season.

Wood has spent the better parts of the last nine seasons as an impactful third-line winger across the league. He was originally the 100th-overall selection in the 2013 NHL Draft, hearing his name called in a fourth round that also featured Juuse Saros one pick earlier and Andrew Copp four picks later. Drafted out of high school, Wood went on to play two more seasons with Noble and Greenough before moving to Boston College in 2015. He had a dazzling freshman year, earning 35 points in 37 games and a spot on Team USA’s 2016 World Championship lineup behind the likes of Auston Matthews, Dylan Larkin, and Brady Skjei. That NHL company must have convinced Wood, who jumped to the AHL after his freshman year of college, then earned a full-time NHL call-up after 15 games and eight points with the Albany Devils.

Since then, Wood has been a stout bottom-six forward, routinely rivaling 25 points and making a mark in all three zones. His career year currently stands as the 2017-18 campaign, when he scored 19 goals and 32 points in 76 games – both career-highs. Wood made that mark with the New Jersey Devils for seven seasons – even serving as an alternate captain for two years. But he opted to instead join the Colorado Avalanche in the 2023 summer, signing a six-year, $15MM contract with the club just two years removed from a Stanley Cup win.

Wood has continued to make a consistent impact with the Avalanche, though his 2024-25 campaign started off ice cold. Through the mix of injuries, Wood has only scored two goals and three points in 16 games this season. He’ll now get a chance to buck that trend, returning to a Colorado lineup that looks very different from when he last played. Since late November, the Avalanche have traded away Justus Annunen, Alexandar Georgiev, Nikolai Kovalenko, and Mikko Rantanen. In their place, the Avs have brought in Scott Wedgewood, Juuso Parssinen, Martin Necas, and Wood’s personal friend Mackenzie Blackwood. Wood raved about that latter acquisition to Masisak, comparing it to when an NFL team acquires a strong quarterback. He told Masisak, “I’m not sure why New Jersey traded him. I’m not sure why San Jose traded him. But I’m sure as hell happy he’s here.”

West Notes: Appleton, Fleury, Wood, Silovs, Utah

at CDT | by 14 Comments

The Jets welcomed back a pair of players for their game tonight against Colorado.  The team announced (Twitter link) that winger Mason Appleton and defenseman Haydn Fleury have been activated off injured reserve.  To make room on the roster, center Adam Lowry, who’s set to miss the next few weeks, was moved to IR.

Appleton has missed the last three weeks with a lower-body injury.  The 29-year-old has been a capable depth contributor for several seasons now and has six goals and nine assists through 37 games.  As for Fleury, he missed a little more than three weeks with a knee issue.  The 28-year-old is in his first season with the Jets, picking up six assists in 25 games thus far.  Following the moves, Winnipeg’s roster now stands at the maximum of 23 players.

More from out West:

  • While the Avalanche got some bad news about a key winger today, there’s some good news on the horizon for another one. In an appearance on Altitude Sports Radio (audio link), GM Chris MacFarland indicated that they’re hoping to get winger Miles Wood back within the next week or so, potentially at some point on their upcoming road trip.  The 29-year-old suffered an upper-body injury in late November and hasn’t played since.  Through 16 games this season, he has two goals and one assist in a little over 12 minutes a night of playing time.
  • After bringing him up on an emergency basis last night, the Canucks announced (Twitter link) that goaltender Arturs Silovs has been sent back to AHL Abbotsford. The 23-year-old started the season as Vancouver’s backup but struggled considerably, posting a 4.11 GAA and a .847 SV% in seven games, resulting in his demotion once Thatcher Demko returned.  In the minors, Silovs has fared a lot better, putting up a 2.53 GAA and a .906 SV% in eight outings with Abbotsford.
  • Utah’s efforts to find its full-time team name has run into some challenges. Their trademark applications for several team names was rejected by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, per KSL’s Ryan Miller.  The presumptive favorite, Yeti (or Yetis) was rejected due to a “likelihood of confusion” as were Blizzard and Venom.  Interestingly enough, their current moniker Hockey Club was also rejected though filing some additional paperwork would clear that one up.  The franchise is hoping to have its permanent name in place for next season but based on this news, they’re still a while away from that happening.

Avalanche Issue Multiple Injury Updates

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The season has brought a never-ending string of injuries for the Colorado Avalanche. They’re facing absences to five different players – including Gabriel Landeskog and Ross Colton, who are each on injured reserve, and Jonathan Drouin, who is week-to-week. Unfortunately, their injury list is only going to grow longer – with Meghan Angley of Guerilla Sports sharing that Oliver Kylington is day-to-day, Josh Manson is week-to-week, and Miles Wood is month-to-month. All three players are dealing with upper-body injuries.

Manson’s injury is the most pressing of the new set. The top-four defender left the team’s Friday loss to Dallas in the second period after falling awkwardly into the boards. He dropped his gloves immediately and seemed to be favoring his wrist or hand. Manson has been a key piece of the Avalanche blue-line with reliable depth injured around him. He averaged nearly 20 minutes of ice time through five games before injury, recording one assist and seven shots on net in the role. Manson’s season-long stat line sits at six points, 16 penalty minutes, and a team-leading 51 hits in 24 games. He was replaced on Saturday by John Ludvig, playing in just his sixth game of the season. Ludvig has two points and 11 hits this season – putting him on pace to rival Manson’s stats across 24 games, if he keeps up this pace of points and hits.

Kylington’s injury is also new. Kylington seemed to sustain the injury in Colorado’s Wednesday win over Vegas. He didn’t play in either game this weekend, and is now confirmed as needing a bit more time until he’s back to full health. Kylington has two points, four penalty minutes, and a -2 through eight appearances this season. He’s been a depth defender at-best when the lineup calls on him, but Manson joining the list of injuries could open more of a role if Kylington returns soon.

The injuries to the forward group are old news by this point. Drouin’s upper-body injury is technically new, suffered on November 27th, though it returns him to an inactive list that he’s already spent three weeks on this season. Drouin suffered what’s believed to be a separate upper-body injury in Colorado’s season opener, and was placed on injured reserve from October 20th to November 14th. He’s only played in five games this season, but has managed an impressive four points – split evenly – while averaging over 20 minutes of ice time. Miles Wood is in a similar spot, headed to IR from October 28th to November 14th – then reinjuring himself and moving back to the reserve just two weeks later. He’ll now be out for the long-term, depriving Colorado of an impactful depth forward who had three points in 16 games this season.

Colorado already recalled Nikita Prishchepov in response to new injuries, but could also look into a depth defenseman with Manson now out for the foreseeable future. Their best options would likely be veteran depth defenders Jacob MacDonald and Calle Rosen – though both players, and the rest of the Eagles blue-line, are left-handed; the opposite side of right-shot Manson.

Avalanche Place Miles Wood On IR, Recall Chris Wagner

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Colorado Avalanche won’t have forward Miles Wood for at least a week. The organization announced that Wood has been placed on IR and that they’ve recalled forward Chris Wagner from their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, in his stead.

It’s the second time Wood has landed on the injured reserve this season. He missed seven games from late October to mid-November and was only on his sixth game back from his previous activation.

The injury to Wood may be a re-aggravation of the upper-body injury that kept him out of the lineup a few weeks ago. He tried to deliver a hit in last night’s contest against the Vegas Golden Knights and was visibly in pain after missing his mark. Wood had scored one goal and two points in his six games back from injury with another goal in 10 games prior.

Replacing Wood in the lineup will be a frequent recall of the Avalanche this season. Wagner has already played in 12 games for Colorado this season, one game shy of his total mark from a year ago. With the number of injuries Colorado has had in their forward group, Wagner should easily eclipse that total for the most games he’s played since the 2020-21 NHL season.

Wagner has spent most of his two-year stint with the Avalanche organization just north on I-25 with the Eagles. Since returning to the Avalanche last year, he’s scored nine goals and 15 points in 26 games for AHL Colorado.

Avalanche Activate Jonathan Drouin, Miles Wood From IR

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Avalanche have taken wingers Jonathan Drouin and Miles Wood off injured reserve ahead of tomorrow’s game against the Capitals, the team announced. They reassigned forwards T.J. Tynan and Nikita Prishchepov to AHL Colorado early Thursday morning to create roster space.

Colorado, as previously reported, is also getting Valeri Nichushkin back in the lineup now that he’s served his six-month suspension as dictated by Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. That means three regular forwards – two of them top-six pieces – are coming in to aid an Avalanche group that’s been absolutely decimated by injuries so far in 2024-25.

Drouin, 29, sustained an upper-body injury in the season opener and hasn’t played since. The winger was initially only ticketed to miss a few games but ended up missing over five weeks with the ailment.

Signed as an unrestricted free agent in 2023, Drouin has thrived in Colorado while playing alongside former major junior teammate Nathan MacKinnon. After initially inking a one-year, $825K pact, he recorded career-highs in assists (37), points (56), rating (+12), and ATOI (18:11) in 2023-24. He then signed a one-year, $2.5MM deal shortly after free agency opened this past summer to return to Denver.

For most of the campaign to date, the Avs had been without all of Drouin, Nichushkin, Gabriel Landeskog, and Artturi Lehkonen – leaving them without four of their top five wingers. Now, just Landeskog remains unavailable as he continues to attempt a comeback from the multiple knee surgeries that have kept him out of action since the 2022 Stanley Cup Final. Lehkonen returned to action earlier this month after offseason shoulder surgery and already has six points in five games.

Drouin is expected to make his second appearance of the season on Colorado’s top line alongside MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Nichushkin will return in a second-line role alongside Lehkonen and Casey Mittelstadt.

Meanwhile, Wood makes his return to the lineup after missing the last seven games with an upper-body injury. The 29-year-old is in his second season with the Avalanche after inking a six-year, $15MM commitment in free agency in 2023. He had just one goal in 10 games before exiting the lineup but was averaging 13:40 per game, deployment that will allow overtaxed youngsters like Ivan Ivan and Nikolai Kovalenko to face some easier competition along with Drouin’s and Nichushkin’s returns.

After all of today’s moves, the Avs’ active roster stands at the maximum 23 players. They have about $1.185MM remaining in their LTIR pool with Landeskog and Tucker Poolman still on the shelf, so they’ll still need to clear some significant salary if Landeskog and his $7MM cap hit are cleared to return.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Avalanche Reassign T.J. Tynan, Nikita Prishchepov

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Avalanche returned forwards T.J. Tynan and Nikita Prishchepov to AHL Colorado on Thursday, according to a team announcement.

Tynan and Prishchepov have been subject to numerous paper transactions since the beginning of the month, often being sent to the AHL without actually reporting to the minors purely to maintain maximum roster flexibility and, in Tynan’s case, delay his temporary waiver exemption. However, with Valeri Nichushkin set to make his season debut on Friday against the Capitals after serving his six-month suspension and Jonathan Drouin and Miles Wood potentially returning from their respective injuries, Tynan’s and Prishchepov’s demotions may be more permanent.

Tynan, 32, cleared waivers without incident to begin the season. He posted four assists in six AHL games before getting his first recall of the season on Oct. 30.

The 5’8″, 160-lb pivot made seven appearances for the Avs over three different recalls, posting an assist and four shots on goal while averaging 7:47 per game. Tynan, who has led the AHL in assists for three seasons in a row and was named the league’s MVP in 2020-21 and 2021-22, is on one of the richest two-way deals in the league with a $535K guarantee and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. He re-joined the Colorado organization this summer after spending the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons there.

Meanwhile, the 20-year-old Prishchepov returns to the minors for much-needed development time. Selected in the seventh round of the 2024 draft less than six months ago, Prishchepov became the first player selected in the final round since 2020 to make his NHL debut.

The Russian center played in each of the Avalanche’s last six games. Like Tynan, he was used sparingly and averaged only 7:18 of ice time per game. Head coach Jared Bednar deployed him exclusively on the wing, where he failed to record his first NHL point but managed four shots on goal, one block and nine hits.

Prishchepov, who stands at 6’1″ and 194 lbs, now returns to the AHL, where he had one goal and three assists through his first six professional games. Last season, he posted 67 points in 63 games for the QMJHL’s Victoriaville Tigres in his third and final season of major junior hockey.

The Avalanche now have three open roster spots. That’s enough space to activate Drouin, Nichushkin and Wood from their respective non-roster designations before tomorrow’s game. Clearing Tynan’s and Prishchepov’s combined $1.582MM cap hit also gives them enough space in their LTIR pool to activate Nichushkin.

Snapshots: Avalanche, Olofsson, Bennett, Sprong

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Avalanche could be close to getting a pair of veteran wingers back in their lineup.  Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette relays that Miles Wood and Jonathan Drouin both took part in practice today with a regular jersey, not a non-contact one.  Wood has missed the last two weeks with an upper-body injury while Drouin sustained an upper-body injury in the season opener last month and hasn’t played since.  Wood has struggled this season with just one goal in ten games while Drouin is coming off a career year that saw him record 56 points in 79 games.  Head coach Jared Bednar was unsure about their availability for Wednesday but it appears they’re back soon; those two along with Valeri Nichushkin (returning on Friday) will give their forward group a sizable boost.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • Golden Knights winger Victor Olofsson has turned a corner in his recovery, head coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters including Jesse Granger of The Athletic (Twitter link). However, he won’t suit up on their two-game road trip that begins on Wednesday.  Olofsson has been dealing with a lower-body injury for the last four weeks, pausing what was a strong start to his first season with Vegas as he had three goals in his first four games.
  • The Panthers announced (Twitter link) that forward Sam Bennett missed tonight’s game against New Jersey due to an upper-body injury. The 28-year-old is having a very strong start to his walk year, collecting nine goals and six assists through the first 15 games of the season, a pace that would have him easily eclipse his career bests of 28 tallies and 24 helpers respectively.  The two sides reportedly began extension talks last month.
  • Recently acquired winger Daniel Sprong has not yet reported to the Kraken as he works through visa issues, notes Kate Shefte of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). While he counts against their salary cap while waiting to be cleared, he is not currently taking up an active roster spot.  Sprong has a goal and two assists in nine games this season, those coming with Vancouver before his trade last week.

Central Notes: Colorado Injury Updates, Blackwood, Stankoven, Joseph

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Colorado Avalanche continue to inch closer toward a healthy roster. Play-by-play announced Conor McGahey reported earlier that Valeri Nichushkin and Gabriel Landeskog were present on the ice during the team’s morning skate while Miles Wood and Jonathan Drouin skated in non-contact jerseys.

The jury is still out on whether Landeskog can return this season but the expectation is that Nichushkin, Wood, and Drouin will return to the lineup over the coming weeks. This would leave Landeskog and Ross Colton as the only formidable top-six talents left on the injured reserve making the deepest rendition of Colorado’s lineup up to this point in the 2024-25 campaign.

Colorado has stayed afloat in the Western Conference thanks to the team’s usual suspects. Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Cale Makar are all well over a point-per-game production this season, and the Avalanche could start to generate rapid success should the team get closer to fully healthy.

Other Central notes:

  • Staying in Colorado — one of the most disappointing factors for the team this season has been its goaltending. Avalanche netminders have combined for a .868 SV% over 15 contests leading many pundits to believe Colorado will trade for a goaltender. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman spoke about the issue in his latest episode of ’32 Thoughts’ and reiterated that the Avalanche have circled back on San Jose Sharks’ netminder Mackenzie Blackwood. Colorado’s interest in Blackwood, which reportedly spanned back to last season, could have been reignited by the netminder’s recent 44-save shutout against his former team last night.
  • Senior draft writer of the NHL, Mike G. Morreale, recently surveyed the top rookies in the NHL’s Central Division and it’s no surprise that Logan Stankoven of the Dallas Stars is leading the pack. Stankoven currently leads the 2024-25 rookie class with two goals and 12 points in 13 games while averaging top-six minutes. Morreale quoted Stars head coach Peter DeBoer saying, “Anybody you put him with, he complements. Good players want to play with a guy like that because he’s competitive, he’s on pucks, he recovers pucks, he can make a play.”
  • Expect forward Mathieu Joseph to be in the lineup tomorrow night for the St. Louis Blues after missing the team’s last six games (X Link). Joseph, who had been nursing a lower-body injury, hasn’t played since October 26th. In his first year with the Blues organization, Joseph has collected two goals and four points in nine contests while averaging just over 13 minutes of ice time per night.

Avalanche Place Miles Wood On IR, Valeri Nichushkin Cleared To Practice

at CDT | by 9 Comments

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.

Central Notes: Wood, Heinola, Anderson-Dolan, Lipkin

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Even after recalling T.J. Tynan from AHL Colorado earlier today, the Avalanche won’t have a full complement of healthy forwards for tonight’s game against the Lightning. That’s because winger Miles Wood has been ruled out with the undisclosed injury he’s been playing through for the past few days, head coach Jared Bednar said on Altitude Sports Radio this morning (via Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet).

With Wood out but not headed for injured reserve, the Avalanche don’t have a roster spot for another recall. They’ll dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen tonight, but not in the traditional sense. Instead of rotating in on different defense pairs, Oliver Kylington will pinch-hit as a winger in his first appearance since Oct. 16. He’ll skate on the fourth line with Matthew Stienburg and Chris Wagner while Tynan makes his season debut as a third-line left wing with Parker Kelly and Joel Kiviranta, Daily Faceoff projects. Meanwhile, rookie Nikolai Kovalenko slides up to play top-line duties alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen in relief of the injured Ross Colton, who himself had been playing top-six minutes in place of the injured Jonathan Drouin.

Wood’s injury means Colorado will be without a remarkable six regular forwards for tonight’s matchup, joining Colton, Drouin, Gabriel Landeskog, Artturi Lehkonen, and Valeri Nichushkin as unavailable impact pieces for the Avs. With that kind of poor injury luck and a nightmare start to the season for starting goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, it’s remarkable Colorado has been able to tread water with a 5-5-0 record. The 29-year-old Wood had one goal, a -2 rating, 19 shots, and eight hits in 10 appearances to start the season for the Avs.

More from the Central Division:

  • The Jets relayed good news on a pair of injured skaters today. Head coach Scott Arniel told Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press that defenseman Ville Heinola has returned to skating on his own the past few days at home while the team is on a road trip, as has forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan. Heinola, 23, hasn’t played since the beginning of training camp due to an infection in his ankle that he had surgically repaired last season. The 2019 first-round pick was expected to build on his 11 points in 35 career NHL games this season after the Jets lost a few pieces on the blue line but has remained on IR. Anderson-Dolan, meanwhile, has been out since the beginning of the month after blocking a shot in a preseason game against the Flames. The 25-year-old had four points in 31 games last season, split between the Kings and Predators.
  • Utah left-wing prospect Sam Lipkin suited up for AHL Tucson last night, indicating he’s been quietly activated off season-opening injured reserve and assigned to the minors. Lipkin, 21, had missed the first few weeks of the campaign with an undisclosed injury. The 2021 seventh-round pick of the Coyotes turned pro after a standout pair of collegiate seasons with Quinnipiac, where he had 78 points in 78 games and won a national championship in 2023.

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

scroll to top