Colorado Avalanche News - NHL (2024)

Stanley Cup notebook: Okposo finally gets shot at Stanley Cup, McDavid back where his career started Kyle Okposo’s first Stanley Cup memory came as an 8-year-old boy, when he watched the Colorado Avalanche defeat the Florida Panthers in the 1996 Stanley Cup Final 4 DAYS AGO • ASSOCIATED PRESS Logan O'Connor - Recovering well from surgery O'Connor (hip surgery) is expected to be ready for the start of training camp, according to Corey Masisak of The Denver Post.Impact 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. MAY 30 • ROTOWIRE Andrei Buyalsky - Headed for KHL Buyalsky signed a one-year contract with KHL club Barys Astana on Wednesday, Brennan Vogt of The-Rink.com reports.Impact Buyalsky spent the last three seasons playing for the University of Vermont but had entered the transfer portal in search of a new team. Instead, it seems the Kazakhstan-born center will make the jump to the professional ranks by joining 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. MAY 29 • ROTOWIRE

Avalanche offseason depth chart: Plenty of question marks, openings to fill with a tricky path forward This core group has reached the mountaintop together, but the Colorado Avalanche faces a challenging offseason where just retooling and retu...

MAY 25 • DENVERPOST.COM

No clarity, little subtlety on Avs' Valeri Nichushkin situation: 'What happens here moving forward, that's up to him' DENVER - Chris MacFarland and Gabe Landeskog spent nearly an hour taking questions from assembled me...

MAY 24 • STAR-TELEGRAM.COM

No clarity, little subtlety on Avalanche's Valeri Nichushkin situation: "What happens here moving forward, that's up to him" There are many questions still about Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin, but it’s clear he has more work to do beyond getting righ...

MAY 23 • DENVERPOST.COM

Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog looking to return next season after missing 2 years with knee injury Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog has missed the last two seasons because of his right knee but he’s making strides and is optimistic he will return next season MAY 23 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Avalanche F Artturi Lehkonen to have shoulder surgery Colorado Avalanche forward Artturi Lehkonen will have a shoulder procedure in the next week, general manager Chris MacFarland confirmed Thur...

MAY 23 • SUNHERALD.COM

Landeskog planning to return to Avalanche next season | NHL.com Forward has not played since winning Cup in 2022 because of knee injury

MAY 23 • NHL.COM

Artturi Lehkonen - Set for shoulder surgery Lehkonen is expected to undergo a shoulder procedure according to general manager Chris MacFarland, Brennan Vogt of The-Rink.com reports Thursday.Impact Lehkonen was red hot during the opening round series against the Jets, scoring a goal in each of the five games, but was relatively quiet against Dallas. In the 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. MAY 23 • ROTOWIRE Gabriel Landeskog - Not ready to retire Landeskog (knee) will not be retiring and is focusing on returning for the 2024-25 campaign, Meghan Angley of DNVR Avalanche reports Thursday.Impact 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. MAY 23 • ROTOWIRE

The Colorado Avalanche Face a Difficult Off-Season After losing in the second round, the Colorado Avalanche have some roster decisions to make if they want to win the Stanley Cup again. Here’...

MAY 22 • KANSASCITY.COM

Trent Miner - Inks one-year contract Miner signed a one-year contract extension with the Avalanche on Tuesday.Impact Miner spent his time in the AHL and ECHL this season, recording a .930 save percentage in the AHL appearing in 18 games. The 23-year-old also registered a .917 save percentage in 11 appearances with the Utah Grizzlies in the ECHL. He will look to make the NHL roster heading into the 2024-25 campaign. MAY 21 • ROTOWIRE Avalanche face hard decisions with Landeskog, Nichushkin in offseason after 2nd round loss to Dallas The biggest factor in the direction of the Colorado Avalanche’s offseason plans may just hinge on trust MAY 20 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Stars eliminate Avalanche with 2OT win in Game 6, reach West Final | NHL.com duch*ene scores at 11:42, Oettinger makes 29 saves for Dallas

MAY 18 • NHL.COM

Jonathan Drouin - Adds power-play helper Drouin logged a power-play assist in Friday's 2-1 double-overtime loss to the Stars in Game 6.Impact 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 games of the postseason with 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. MAY 18 • ROTOWIRE Cale Makar - Garners power-play helper 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.Impact 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. MAY 18 • ROTOWIRE Mikko Rantanen - Nets power-play goal in loss 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.Impact 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 playoffs, 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. MAY 18 • ROTOWIRE Alexandar Georgiev - Takes double-overtime loss Georgiev allowed two goals on 38 shots in Friday's 2-1 double-overtime loss to the Stars in Game 6.Impact 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 duch*ene 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. MAY 18 • ROTOWIRE duch*ene scores winner in 2nd OT, Stars advance to Western Conference final with 2-1 win over Avs Matt duch*ene scored at 11:42 of the second overtime after being involved in a play that led to a goal disallowed for goaltender interference in the first OT and the Dallas Stars ad... MAY 18 • ASSOCIATED PRESS Dallas Stars beat the Colorado Avalanche in six games to advance to the Western Conference final Dallas Stars beat the Colorado Avalanche in six games to advance to the Western Conference final MAY 18 • ASSOCIATED PRESS Alexandar Georgiev - Tending twine Friday Georgiev will get the starting nod for Game 6 at home against the Stars on Friday.Impact 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. MAY 18 • ROTOWIRE