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Avalanche's Jonathan Drouin: Set to miss next few games
Head coach Jared Bednar said Friday that Drouin is dealing with an upper-body injury and will miss "the next few games," Ryan Boulding of NHL.com reports.
Drouin will at least be sidelined for Saturday's game against the Blue Jackets and Monday's game against the Islanders before being re-evaluated. He logged 21:25 of ice time during Wednesday's regular-season opener against the Golden Knights and finished with a minus-1 rating. It's not yet clear who could be called up to fill the void left by Drouin's absence.
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Avalanche's Kaapo Kahkonen: Claimed by Colorado
Kahkonen was claimed off waivers by the Avalanche on Friday, according to Chris Johnston of The Athletic.
Kahkonen was placed on waivers by the Jets on Thursday, as they wanted to send him to AHL Manitoba, but the Avs put in a claim for the Finnish netminder. Kahkonen will provide depth as Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen are currently the top two goaltenders in the organization. Kahkonen was a combined 7-24-2 with a 3.64 GAA and an .898 save percentage in a season split between San Jose and New Jersey in 2023-24.
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Avalanche's Nikolai Kovalenko: Back in bigs
Kovalenko was recalled from AHL Colorado on Friday.
Kovalenko played in Wednesday's season opener versus Vegas and was sent down to the Eagles on Thursday for salary cap reasons. He saw 14:57 of ice time, with two shots on goal and one hit. Look for Kovalenko to see third-line minutes versus Columbus on Saturday, alongside Ross Colton and Logan O'Connor.
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Avalanche's Ivan Ivan: Recalled from AHL
Ivan was recalled from AHL Colorado on Friday.
Ivan played Opening Night against Vegas on Wednesday and was returned to the minors Thursday in what was a paper move for salary cap reasons. The fourth liner saw 9:44 of ice time against the Golden Knights and managed one hit.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Earns 200th career point
Girard logged two assists in Wednesday's 8-4 loss to the Golden Knights.
Girard's first helper was the 200th point of his career, a milestone he reached in his 476th game. The 26-year-old blueliner is locked into a top-four role for the Avalanche, though he'll also be limited to the second power-play unit. He's topped the 30-point mark four times in his career, but he was held to 18 points in 59 regular-season outings in 2023-24 after a stint in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. Girard has reached the 70-game mark in just four of his first seven seasons, so fantasy managers should expect him to sit out with injuries on occasion.
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Avalanche's Casey Mittelstadt: Scores in Wednesday's loss
Mittelstadt scored a goal on three shots in Wednesday's 8-4 loss to the Golden Knights.
Mittelstadt had the only other goal aside from Mikko Rantanen's hat trick for the Avalanche in this loss. The 25-year-old center put up 57 points over 80 regular-season games between Colorado and Buffalo last year, which was enough to earn him a three-year contract to fill the No. 2 center spot in Denver. If he can stay on the top power-play unit, Mittelstadt has a chance to surpass the 60-point mark for the first time in his career, though the Avalanche's shaky wing depth could hinder his even-strength production.
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Avalanche's Cale Makar: Pair of helpers in loss
Makar provided two assists in Wednesday's 8-4 loss to the Golden Knights.
Makar saw 26:15 of ice time in Wednesday's loss, by far the most of any skater in the contest. The right-shot blueliner is coming off a career-high 90 points last season, and that number should be within reach again this year playing alongside superstars such as Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Makar's ceiling is sky high, and the 25-year-old, health permitting, will be in the conversation to win the Norris Trophy in 2024-25.
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Avalanche's Nathan MacKinnon: Two apples in loss
MacKinnon picked up two assists in Wednesday's 8-4 loss against Vegas.
MacKinnon fired four shots on net and went minus-2 in 21:33 of ice time Wednesday. The superstar center is coming off his most productive season in the NHL -- he racked up 140 points while skating in all 82 regular-season games in 2023-24. MacKinnon's role and usage is like few other players in the league, so if you have the three-time All-Star, enjoy the ride.
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Avalanche's Mikko Rantanen: Records Opening Night hat trick
Rantanen recorded a hat trick in Wednesday's 8-4 loss to the Golden Knights.
One of Rantanen's markers came with the man advantage, and he added six shots with a minus-1 rating in 20:44 of ice time. The first-line right winger should challenge for the 100-point mark for a third consecutive season, especially given the talent around him. Rantanen racked up 104 points in 2023-24, just one less than his career high of 105 in 2022-23.
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Avalanche's Justus Annunen: Makes relief appearance Wednesday
Annunen allowed two goals on four shots after replacing Alexandar Georgiev in the third period of Wednesday's 8-4 loss to the Golden Knights.
Annunen could have a chance to be Colorado's No. 1 netminder if Alexandar Georgiev continues to struggle. Georgiev has appeared in at least 62 games in each of the last two seasons and posted a 3.02 GAA and .897 save percentage in 2023-24. Annunen has only 19 regular-season games of NHL experience, but he sports a career record of 10-5-2 with a 2.68 GAA and a .911 save percentage.
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Avalanche's Alexandar Georgiev: Pulled in Wednesday's loss
Georgiev allowed five goals on 16 shots in Wednesday's 8-4 loss to the Golden Knights.
Georgiev played the first two frames before being replaced by Justus Annunen in net for the third period. Georgiev looked off starting with the first goal -- he cheated off his post and was beaten cleanly on a short-side shot by Victor Olofsson. Georgiev is an unrestricted free agent after this season, so he should have a lot to prove in order to secure a long-term contract. The Bulgarian netminder's next chance to rebound will come Saturday against Columbus.
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Avalanche's Nikolai Kovalenko: Returned to minors
Kovalenko was sent down to AHL Colorado on Thursday.
Kovalenko made his NHL debut against the Golden Knights on Thursday, registering two shots, one hit and a minus-1 rating in 14:57 of ice time. With the Avs hard up against the cap, don't be surprised to see the 24-year-old winger frequently shifting between levels in what amount to paper transactions. As such, Kovalenko figures to be called back up ahead of Saturday's matchup with the Blue Jackets.
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Avalanche's Ivan Ivan: Sent down Thursday
Ivan was reassigned to AHL Colorado on Thursday.
Ivan logged 9:44 of ice time in the season opener against Vegas on Wednesday, registering one hit. This figures to be a temporary shift to the minors as a cap-saving measure, and fantasy players should expect Ivan to be recalled ahead of Saturday's matchup with Columbus.
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Avalanche's Alexandar Georgiev: Slated to guard road goal
Georgiev is slated to start on the road against Vegas on Wednesday, per Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette.
Although Georgiev got 38 wins in the 2023-24 regular season, that was largely thanks to Colorado's offensive might, as the goaltender struggled with a 3.02 GAA and an .897 save percentage across 63 appearances. The 28-year-old will look to do better this campaign, but facing the Golden Knights in Vegas is a tough opening assignment. The Golden Knights went 27-12-2 at home while averaging 3.29 goals per game during the 2023-24 regular season.
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Avalanche's Chris Wagner: Drops to AHL
Wagner was reassigned to AHL Colorado on Tuesday.
Wagner cleared waivers Sunday and remained on the roster an extra day. He'll now head to the minors, but the veteran forward could be back with the NHL club if Ivan Ivan struggles to adjust in a fourth-line role.
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Avalanche's Valeri Nichushkin: Not in Denver yet
Nichushkin (suspension) is expected to arrive in Denver in late October, according to Aarif Deen of Colorado Hockey Now on Tuesday.
Nichushkin should be back on the ice with his teammates at some point in November. He was placed in Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program in May for violating the treatment plan and suspended for at least six months. Nichushkin is eligible to apply for reinstatement in November. He produced 28 goals and 53 points in 54 regular-season contests with the Avalanche in 2023-24.
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Avalanche's Sean Behrens: Season officially over
Behrens will miss the entirety of the 2024-25 campaign with a knee injury, the Avs announced Tuesday.
Behrens was unlikely to play in the NHL this year, considering it would have been his first season in the professional ranks. Selected by Colorado in the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft, the blueliner spent three seasons with the University of Denver where he racked up 10 goals and 71 assists in 112 collegiate contests. Given the long-term recovery, Behrens will likely start next season in the minors as well.
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Avalanche's Ivan Ivan: Recalled from minors
Ivan was summoned from AHL Colorado on Tuesday.
Ivan could make his NHL debut Wednesday on Opening Night against Vegas. He notched 12 goals and 31 points in 67 games with AHL Colorado during the 2023-24 regular season. The 22-year-old forward will play in the bottom six of the Avalanche.
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Team Statistical Rankings
| GF AVG | GA AVG | Power Play | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 4.00 | 8.00 | 33.3 |
Injuries
| Player | Injury |
|---|---|
| A. Lehkonen LW Artturi Lehkonen LW | Shoulder |
| V. Nichushkin RW Valeri Nichushkin RW | Suspension |
| J. Drouin LW Jonathan Drouin LW | Upper Body |
| G. Landeskog LW Gabriel Landeskog LW | Knee |
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