Avalanche's Logan O'Connor: Recovering well from surgery
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O'Connor (hip surgery) is expected to be ready for the start of training camp, according to Corey Masisak of The Denver Post.
O'Connor underwent surgery in March and missed the rest of the season. O'Connor had 13 goals and 25 points in 57 appearances for the Avalanche, giving them secondary scoring from an unexpected source, as his previous career high was nine goals in 82 games during the 2022-23 campaign. Look for O'Connor to compete for a spot on the third line in 2024-25.
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Avalanche's Andrei Buyalsky: Headed for KHL
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Buyalsky signed a one-year contract with KHL club Barys Astana on Wednesday, Brennan Vogt of The-Rink.com reports.
Buyalsky spent the last three seasons playing for the University of Vermont but had entered the transfer portal in search of a new team following the 2023-24 season. Instead, it seems the Kazakhstan-born center will make the jump to the professional ranks by heading to the KHL. Selected by the Avs in the third round of the 2021 NHL Draft, Buyalsky underwhelmed at Vermont last season with a mere 11 points in 25 contests. His NHL rights will remain with Colorado.
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Avalanche's Artturi Lehkonen: Set for shoulder surgery
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Lehkonen is expected to undergo a shoulder procedure according to general manager Chris MacFarland, Brennan Vogt of The-Rink.com reports Thursday.
Lehkonen was red hot during the Avalanche's opening-round series against the Jets, scoring a goal in each of the five games, but he was relatively quiet against Dallas in the second round. In six games versus the Stars, the 28-year-old winger tallied just one goal to go with two assists and 14 shots. At this point, the expectation is that Lehkonen will be ready for the start of training camp in the fall.
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Avalanche's Gabriel Landeskog: Not ready to retire
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Landeskog (knee) will not be retiring and is focusing on returning for the 2024-25 campaign, Meghan Angley of DNVR Avalanche reports Thursday.
Landeskog's future was understandably in doubt considering he hasn't played in an NHL game since June of 2022. If given the all-clear ahead of next season, the 31-year-old winger should be in contention for a top-six role and should still be capable of putting up 25-30 goals as long as he's able to remain healthy.
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Avalanche's Trent Miner: Inks one-year contract
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Miner signed a one-year contract extension with the Avalanche on Tuesday.
Miner spent his time in the AHL and ECHL this season. He recorded an impressive .930 save percentage through 18 appearances during his time in the AHL as well as a .917 save percentage through 11 ECHL appearances. Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen are both under contract through 2024-25, so Miner will likely spend most, if not all, of next season in the minors.
Avalanche's Jonathan Drouin: Adds power-play helper
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Drouin logged a power-play assist in Friday's 2-1 double-overtime loss to the Stars in Game 6.
Drouin had a helper in all three of his playoff appearances, including two on the power play. The 29-year-old missed the first eight contests of the postseason due to a lower-body injury, but that was his only extended absence of the campaign. Drouin had a career-high 56 points in 79 regular-season outings while playing on a one-year, $825,000 contract. It's safe to assume his next deal will be at a higher cap hit, though it's unclear if the Avalanche will have the space to bring him back in 2024-25. If not, he should have a significant audience in free agency.
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Avalanche's Cale Makar: Garners power-play helper
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Makar logged a power-play assist, two shots on goal and three blocked shots in Friday's 2-1 double-overtime loss to the Stars in Game 6.
Makar finished the postseason with five goals, 10 assists, 36 shots on net and 23 blocks over 11 contests. The 25-year-old defenseman also had a career-high 90 points in 77 regular-season outings. Makar's brilliance on the blue line remains elite, and he's a finalist for the Norris Trophy once again after a stellar campaign. Makar should continue to be a top-three fantasy defenseman in 2024-25 with an Avalanche team that will have its core intact despite going into the offseason with nine pending unrestricted free agents among the team's skaters.
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Avalanche's Mikko Rantanen: Nets power-play goal in loss
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Rantanen scored a power-play goal on five shots, added two hits and went minus-2 in Friday's 2-1 double-overtime loss to the Stars in Game 6.
Rantanen opened the scoring in the second period, but Jake Oettinger slammed the door for the rest of the game. With four goals and 10 assists over 11 playoff outings, Rantanen was his usual productive self in the postseason, but the Avalanche will go no further. The 27-year-old has earned back-to-back 100-point campaigns and could take his offense even higher in 2024-25, which is his contract year.
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Avalanche's Alexandar Georgiev: Takes double-overtime loss
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Georgiev allowed two goals on 38 shots in Friday's 2-1 double-overtime loss to the Stars in Game 6.
The Avalanche caught a break in the first overtime when a potential Stars goal was overturned for goaltender interference. There would be no rescue for Georgiev after Matt Duchene came back to haunt one of his former teams with a tally 11:42 into the second overtime. Georgiev went 6-5 with a 2.85 GAA and an .897 save percentage over 11 playoff contests, numbers roughly in line with his regular-season performance. After playing 143 games between the regular season and playoffs over the last two years, the Avalanche may be motivated to make sure the 28-year-old sees a smaller workload in 2024-25, though he should still be the primary starter entering the final year of his current contract.
Georgiev will get the starting nod for Game 6 at home against the Stars on Friday.
Georgiev wasn't very sharp in Game 5 but still managed to earn a win despite allowing three goals on 26 shots. He's registered an unsightly .880 save percentage through five games this series. Georgiev owns a 3.09 GAA and an .886 save percentage in 10 postseason appearances.
Trenin (upper body) will not be in the lineup for Game 6 versus Dallas on Friday. Coach Jared Bednar told reporters, "He won't be available tonight. He's on the shelf for tonight's game. Still classify him as day-to-day," per Kyle Fredrickson of The Denver Gazette.
Trenin has produced just one point in 10 postseason contests, so his absence from the lineup is unlikely to have a significant impact on fantasy players. Without Trenin in the lineup, the Avs will likely turn to Chris Wagner to fill a fourth-line center role, though Fredrik Olofsson could also be in the mix.
Parise notched an assist and two hits in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Stars in Game 5.
Parise snapped a six-game point drought with the helper on a Casey Mittelstadt tally in the third period. The 39-year-old Parise continues to play a limited role -- he hasn't exceeded 15 minutes of ice time in any of the last seven games, and he's done so just twice in 10 playoff outings. He has three points, 18 shots on net, 27 hits and an even plus-minus rating in a middle-six capacity.
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Avalanche's Josh Manson: Garners helper in win
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Manson provided an assist, five shots on goal and eight hits in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Stars in Game 5.
Manson's offense has slowed in the second round -- he has two helpers across five games against the Stars after racking up two goals and three assists over five contests versus the Jets in the first round. The 32-year-old defenseman continues to occupy a top-four role for the Avalanche, providing solid defense in addition to his surprising offense. Through 10 playoff appearances, he has 23 shots on net, 35 hits, 19 blocked shots, 10 PIM and a plus-8 rating.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Pockets assist in win
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Girard logged an assist in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Stars in Game 5.
Girard helped out on Casey Mittelstadt's go-ahead goal early in the third period. The helper was Girard's third in eight playoff appearances, and he hasn't scored a goal this postseason. The defenseman has added a modest eight shots on net, 20 blocked shots, 10 hits and a plus-4 rating while skating in a second-pairing role since he recovered from a concussion that cost him four contests in mid-April.
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Avalanche's Jonathan Drouin: Registers power-play assist
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Drouin notched a power-play assist, four hits and two PIM in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Stars in Game 5.
Drouin has a helper in each of his first two playoff contests this year. He was moved up to the top line Wednesday, though his helper was a primary assist on the first of Cale Makar's two goals in the game. Drouin should continue to see significant minutes as the Avalanche once again try to fend off elimination in Game 6 on Friday.
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Avalanche's Mikko Rantanen: Helps out on power play
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Rantanen logged a power-play assist, three shots on goal and two PIM in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Stars in Game 5.
Rantanen helped out on a Cale Makar tally late in the second period, which tied the game at 2-2. After posting one goal over the Avalanche's previous three contests, head coach Jared Bednar moved Rantanen down to the second line at even strength, a switch that could negatively impact the winger's offense. He's at 13 points (four on the power play) with 27 shots on net, 19 hits, 12 blocked shots and a plus-1 rating over 10 playoff appearances.
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Avalanche's Casey Mittelstadt: Nets go-ahead goal
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Mittelstadt scored a goal in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Stars in Game 5.
Mittelstadt put the Avalanche ahead for the first time in regulation in this series with his goal at 1:12 of the third period. The center has scored in back-to-back games and has three points over five second-round contests. For the playoffs, he's racked up three goals, six assists, 21 shots on net, 13 hits and a plus-1 rating over 10 appearances in a second-line role.
