All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — August 25.

Colorado Hockey Now

What an unexpectedly fun experience it was at Magness Arena. The Avalanche and DU Alumni both embraced what ended up being a pretty entertaining day all around. From the moment the puck dropped, you can tell many of those guys were having fun. Peter Forsberg still enjoys strapping on the skates. Milan Hejduk looks the same way on the ice as he did 15 years ago. And of course, nobody has more fun doing anything in life than Dan Hinote does playing hockey.

Catch my full recap of the experience below.

READ MORE: Good Vibes and Memorable Moments at the Avalanche’s Alumni Game

Johnson didn’t participate in the game but he was in the booth for Altitude TV. At the end of the game, he shared his thoughts on what he’s hoping to accomplish in the coming weeks. EJ is a free agent, but he’s not ready to walk away from the game.

READ MORE: UFA Erik Johnson Still Wants to Play in the NHL

Around The NHL

Vegas Hockey Now: Like Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel became eligible for a contract extension on July 1. Why hasn’t he signed yet?

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Was the original plan in 2022 for Evgeni Malkin to sign elsewhere as a free agent?

Detroit Hockey Now: The Red Wings didn’t add much after acquiring goalie John Gibson. But in free agent James Van Riemsdyk, they like the versatility he brings.

Florida Hockey Now: Evan Rodrigues had quite the day with the Stanley Cup over the weekend.

The post Deen’s Daily: Successful Avalanche Alumni Game; Erik Johnson Wants to Keep Playing appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

I didn’t really have expectations going into this thing. But I’ll admit, it was a lot of fun.

The Pioneers won 8-7 in an entertaining back and forth contest that ended in a shootout.

The Avs were always one of the newer teams in the league growing up. And they still technically are. But it’s nice to see they’ve actually got 30 years of history to celebrate now. They have three Stanley Cups, a long list of Hall of Famers, local legends, and several generations of fans. All of that was present at Magness.

Hearing the roar of the crowd for Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg’s introductions was really nice to see. They’ll forever be legends around here. But it was also great to see how well represented DU was in the crowd — how Denver has very much become a great college hockey town with a storied Pioneers club that has become one of the best in the nation. Matt Davis got an incredible cheer from the crowd when he was introduced. That was cool.

READ MORE: New CBA Changes Likely Won’t Affect Cale Makar’s Next Contract with Avalanche

As for the game, there were quite a few things that stuck out.

Dan Hinote was having so much fun. I mean the guy smiled when he was introduced before the opening puck drop and didn’t lose that smile for the entire game. You could see it from every seat in the house. Even when he was dropping guys behind the Avs net in a no-contact Alumni Game.

Andrew Cogliano still looks like he loves playing hockey. He scored the Avs’ first goal and did an overexaggerated celebration. It felt like he was out there for more than 20 minutes, which was probably good for some of the older guys. He was, of course, reunited with Darren Helm. But he got to play with Milan Hejduk and Forsberg.

Speaking of which, Hejduk with pads on looks like he did 15 years ago. He truly hasn’t aged. Forsberg on the other hand, has aged, but it’ll never not be fun to watch him skate. He was getting more competitive as the game went on. Davis stopped him on the breakaway during the second period.

The jumbotron was doing tributes to some of the team’s legends all throughout the game during commercial breaks. When they did Forsberg’s, the crowd erupted and celebrated the legend. It was much deserved.

I enjoyed seeing John-Michael Liles and Tyson Barrie out there. Those are two guys who played similar games, wearing the same number, for different eras.

Peter Mueller recently retired from professional hockey and he was here to be part of this thing. That was honestly one of my favorite random appearances. He’ll always be a story of what could have been. But in his short time with the Avs, he became a fan favorite from the moment he took off after the trade from Phoenix.

It was also funny that he wore No. 8 instead of No. 88. That was a mistake by whoever had the jerseys made.

If this is a sign for what’s to come this year, I’m excited to see what the team has in store when it comes to celebrating 30 years of Colorado Avalanche hockey.

The post Good Vibes and Memorable Moments at the Avalanche’s Alumni Game appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — August 23.

Colorado Hockey Now

Peter Forsberg is in town. So is Milan Hejduk. And Adam Foote. And of course, the Avalanche’s president of hockey operations Joe Sakic.

The Avalanche are playing Denver University in an Alumni Game on Sunday at Magness Arena to kick off celebrations for their 30th season since relocating from Quebec City.

I’ll be there, and I’m excited to see what they have in store.

Also, it’s pretty cool to see that Peter Mueller is also here.

READ MORE: Peter Forsberg is in Town! — Avalanche Prepare for Alumni Game at Magness Arena

Around The NHL

Florida Hockey Now: It’s felt for months like things were heading in this direction, but it appears that Matthew Tkachuk has reportedly opted to have surgery. If this is confirmed, he’ll definitely start the year on LTIR to keep the Panthers cap compliant while he’s absent.

Boston Hockey Now: The Bruins are in uncharted territory heading into the new season. They’re not the same Cup contenders they’ve been in past years.

NYI Hockey Now: The Islanders season will be decided by two key players, Russ Macias writes.

New Jersey Hockey Now: Aging goaltending, a defense core that needs to step up, and the health of Jack Hughes. These are just some of the storylines that could make or break the Devils season. How concerned should they be?

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Here’s a nice stroll down memory lane. The five worst Penguins trades in the Sidney Crosby era.

The post Deen’s Daily: Avalanche Alumni Game on Sunday; Surgery for Matthew Tkachuk appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

None bigger than Peter Forsberg.

The two-time Stanley Cup champion, Olympic gold medalist, 2003 Hart Trophy winner, and Hall of Famer is going to take the ice on Sunday, lining up alongside Milan Hejduk and Steven Reinprecht for the Avs’ alumni team.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Colorado Avalanche (@coloradoavalanche)

Other participants include Joe Sakic, Adam Foote, John-Michael Liles, Darren Helm, Kyle Quincey, Tyson Barrie, Mark Rycroft, and Troy Terry.

The event kicks off at 3 p.m. with a pre-game festival outside the arena, followed by a 5 p.m. scheduled puck drop.

My colleague Colleen Flynn and I will both be there covering the event. I’ll admit, it’s nice to have some bit of hockey in August.

The post Peter Forsberg is in Town! — Avalanche Prepare for Alumni Game at Magness Arena appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

On Tuesday, MacKinnon was announced as one of three finalists for the Hart Memorial Trophy, presented annually “to the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team.” The award is voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association at the end of the regular season.

This is the fourth time he has been named a finalist for the award, and first time since the 2020-21 season. However, MacKinnon has never won the award before, despite many believing he should have been the winner in 2017-18. The award that year went to New Jersey Devils forward Taylor Hall.

If you didn’t think MacKinnon would be one of the nominees, I just have one question – where have you been? The Avalanche superstar finished second in the NHL in scoring with 140 points, behind only Tampa Bay Lightning star Nikita Kucherov. It was a season to remember for the 28 year old, who set career highs in points (140), goals (51), and assists (89). His 92 even strength points led the NHL, and at 5-on-5, he led the league with 79 points. His 140 points also set a franchise record for points in a season, besting the previous mark set by Peter Stastny back in 1981-82.

MacKinnon becomes the second Avalanche player to be nominated for a major award, as Cale Makar finds himself up for the Norris Trophy (again).

If the center does happen to win the Hart Trophy, he’ll become just the third Avalanche player to take home the award. Joe Sakic won it back in 2001, and just two years later, Peter Forsberg took home the award.

Connor McDavid and Nikita Kucherov are also up for the award.

The winner of the Hart Trophy, as well as all the other major awards, will be announced at the NHL Awards show on June 27 in Las Vegas. Colorado Hockey Now will be there to see if MacKinnon does take home the trophy. For now, he’s focused on bringing another Stanley Cup back to Denver.

The post Nathan MacKinnon A Finalist For The Hart Trophy appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

One day after the Chris Tanev trade, word came out that the Avalanche were one of the teams interested in him. We took a look at what Colorado’s trade board might look like ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline.

That Tanev move did kick-start things just a little bit, as the Maple Leafs added a defenseman, although not exactly a very good one if you ask me. Guess they felt like they missed out and had to do something.

All that and more in this Friday edition of Evan’s Daily.

Colorado Hockey Now

It would be a major surprise if Colorado didn’t make a move before the NHL Trade Deadline. What does their trade board look like right now?

The Avalanche were in on Chris Tanev, but the Flames didn’t want to take a disappointing contract back from Colorado to make the deal happen.

On the ice, Justus Annunen posted his first career shutout, making things a little more complicated for Chris MacFarland.

MacKinnon Milestone

Nathan MacKinnon became the second NHL player to hit 100 points this season with his third period snipe past Petr Mrazek. It’s the second straight year MacKinnon has crossed the century mark, and if not for injuries, we know he would have hit that number a few more times earlier in his career.

By hitting 100 points, he became the first player in Avalanche history to have back-to-back 100 point seasons. A crazy stat when you consider the likes of Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg played here for several years.

MacKinnon is the 1st @Avalanche player to post back-to-back 100-point campaigns (4th franchise player)
 
Surpasses 100 points in his 61st game, the fastest @Avalanche player to reach century mark. 2nd fastest franchise player to 100, one game behind Peter Stastny (60) in 1981-82

— Brendan McNicholas (@bmcnich) March 1, 2024

KHL Playoffs

Both Mikhail Gulyayev and Nikolai Kovalenko will start their playoff runs over in the KHL on Friday. I’ll try to watch both and report back.

In the meantime, Kovalenko’s teammates played a joke on him Thursday, knowing that he’s headed to the NHL soon to play with Nathan MacKinnon.

Looks like Nikolai Kovalenko’s teammates decided to mess with him today.

Torpedo’s Instagram pic.twitter.com/EdapTjfu5f

— Evan Rawal (@evanrawal) February 29, 2024

Around The NHL

The Maple Leafs missed out on Chris Tanev, so they decided to settle for…Ilya Lyubushkin. Yes, the same guy they traded for two years ago. He wasn’t exactly good then, and he’s not great now.

Ilya Lyubushkin has been pulled from the Ducks lineup due to his involvement in trade talks. #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/uU2jbSAQz1

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) March 1, 2024

In order to get Lyubushkin, the Leafs had to give up a third round pick to Anaheim, and a sixth round pick to the Hurricanes, who helped by taking 25% of his cap hit. Fascinating that the Hurricanes would be willing to help, considering they may face the Leafs in the playoffs at some point, but maybe they also know Lyubushkin isn’t very good.

Speaking of the Hurricanes, apparently they were deep in talks with the Vancouver Canucks to acquire…Elias Pettersson?!? Just an absolutely crazy story when you consider where the Canucks sit in the standings. Alas, the deal fell through, and now it appears a Pettersson extension is close with the Canucks. Could you have imagined the chaos if they had dealt him while sitting in first place?

National Hockey Now

Now that it’s all public, Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney is talking about the “gap” in negotiations with Jake Debrusk.

The post Evan’s NHL Daily: MacKinnon Milestone, Trade Deadline Prep appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

They’re looking to change that, though.

On Monday, two of the first skaters on the ice were Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. Both were on separate sheets of ice, but both were working on their own to sharpen their skills a little bit. Stuff like that gets noticed by the rest of the team. Soon enough, everyone trickled onto the ice

Well, not everyone.

Jared Bednar was not at practice, and therefore, not available to the media afterwards, as he’s currently sick. If he’s not feeling well on Tuesday, one of his assistants, either Nolan Pratt or Ray Bennett, will speak to the media.

Also missing was Fredrik Olofsson, who is currently day-to-day with an upper body injury. The Avalanche recalled Ondrej Pavel in his place, and assuming Olofsson can’t play on Tuesday, Pavel may make his NHL debut. Pavel was not available to the media after practice because he was recording video for a team sponsor.

Mikko Rantanen WAS available, and spoke to the media about the recent struggles of the team after practice.

“We play pretty well, at times, and then we give up a chance, usually a breakaway, or tap-in, or a guy’s alone in the slot,” Rantanen said. “I think we defend at times, but then all of the sudden, it’s 4-0. We gave up Grade ‘A’s’ a lot, so I think that’s a mental issue.”

Rantanen went on to explain a little bit more.

“It’s the chemistry, it’s the little details that we’re lacking a little bit,” he said. “Execution hasn’t been good the last four games. We’ve got to execute the gameplan better.”

Colorado will likely have new lines (again) on Tuesday, but no matter what the lines are, Rantanen made it clear – they need to take what is given to them.

“When things are not rolling, you’ve got to simplify a little bit,” he said. “I think we’re pressuring the stick too much, squeezing it. I think it’s going to go away eventually, but we just got to relax a little bit and maybe simplify the game. When you (win) and everything is going well, it’s easier to play a little more skilled hockey, but now we’ve just got to put our foot down and play a little more playoff hockey.”

New Lines

Here’s the “new” lines the Avalanche used today, although it’s basically the top six the team started the season with. We’ll see if that’s what they use tomorrow.

Drouin – MacKinnon – Rantanen

Lehkonen – Johansen – Nichushkin

Wood – Colton – O’Connor

Gray: Pavel, MacDermid, Cogliano, Tatar

Other Notes

• Tomorrow will be the first game Miles Wood will play against his old team. He told me he doesn’t think it will be weird, but maybe when he goes to New Jersey it will be. He’ll be going out to dinner with a lot of his old teammates tonight. Wood took a puck to the face at practice, but said he’s fine.
• I talked to Wood about this last week, but Ross Colton also told me that the adjustment to Western Conference travel has been a tough one for him, and he’s still getting used to it. It’s a lot more flying, and a lot more changing of time-zones. He said there’s not much you can really do to prepare for it, you just have to get used to it over time. None of this is being used as an excuse, by the way. I’m just always fascinated by little details like this that we don’t always think about.
• I had a good chat with Drouin after practice, and will probably have that up in the morning. Drouin and MacKinnon were reunited at practice, but we’ll see if that sticks for Tuesday’s game. The two of them worked together after practice on a few things.
• We’ll end with some fun. A lot of Avalanche alumni were on the other sheet of ice skating, as many of them will head to Toronto for Pierre Lacroix’s Hall of Fame induction next week. And yes, those players included Joe Sakic, Milan Hejduk, and even Peter Forsberg, who flew in from Sweden. Because they were on at the same time as the Avalanche locker room was opening, I didn’t catch a ton of video, but here’s a few that was I was able to get. Enjoy.

Hejduk and Forsberg, together again. pic.twitter.com/YXVpnjCJGu

— Evan Rawal (@evanrawal) November 6, 2023

The post Avalanche Notebook: Rantanen Talks Struggles, ‘It’s The Little Details That We’re Lacking’ appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

Sandis Ozolinsh.

Sure, Ozolinsh wasn’t exactly Cale Makar (especially in his own end), but he was, in a way, the Makar of that era. A dynamic offensive defenseman that teams could not account for.

When the Avalanche acquired him for Owen Nolan at the start of the 1995/96 season, he really added a dimension to their defense they lacked. They had the solid defensive defensemen in Adam Foote, Alexei Gusarov, and Curtis Leschyshyn, but they didn’t have that defender who could jump into the play and make life even more difficult for the opposing team. That’s what Ozolinsh provided, not just in the regular season, but in the playoffs as well. A powerplay that had incredible pieces up front now had the quarterback at the blueline to make it truly unstoppable.

Did Ozolinsh leave a lot to be desired in his own end? Absolutely, but that’s not why they brought him in. They already had the defenders that could shut opposing forwards down, but they didn’t have that offense from the blueline. That’s why he was the perfect acquisition. Building a team is like putting together a puzzle, and Ozolinsh was a missing piece at the start of the year.

It wasn’t just that Ozolinsh was incredibly good, but he was also remarkably consistent in his time in Colorado. His worst season was his final year with the Avalanche, where he picked up 52 points in 82 games. That’s a .63 point-per-game season. Not bad for a “down” year. In his other four seasons with the Avalanche, he never averaged below .75 points-per-game.

And that’s just the regular season.

In the playoffs, he was a difference maker. His first three years in Colorado, he was essentially a point-per-game player when the playoffs rolled around. The Avalanche might not win the Stanley Cup in 1996 without Ozolinsh. His overtime winner against the Blackhawks sent Colorado into the Conference Finals. You would often find Ozolinsh down low, even when you weren’t expecting it, and that’s what happened on this goal.

Ozolinsh held out for a bigger contract during the 1998-99 season, and that was the beginning of the end of his time in Colorado. He was eventually traded in 2000 to the Carolina Hurricanes for the Avalanche’s current assistant coach, Nolan Pratt, and some draft picks. One of those draft picks was dealt to Los Angeles for Rob Blake, so it wasn’t a complete loss, but overall, not great value.

These days, Ozolinsh is back in the Avalanche organization, serving as an amateur scout overseas. He’s not the only member of that 1995/96 defense to return in some capacity, as both Gusarov and Leschyshyn are also scouts for the team.

So yes, I feel the need to put some respect on Ozolinsh’s name. Without him, I’m not so sure that ’96 team goes all the way. A dynamic player who likely would thrive even more in today’s NHL.

And I hope people don’t forget just how good he was.

The post Most Underrated Avalanche Player Ever? That’s Easy appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

On Monday, Electronic Arts announced that Makar will be the face of the gaming franchise for the next year.

All Hail Cale #NHL24

Stanley Cup Champ, Norris Winner, and your official NHL 24 Cover Athlete

See the full reveal 8/16
https://t.co/PM1LlFQRAu pic.twitter.com/OFLox3Fym8

— EA SPORTS NHL (@EASPORTSNHL) August 14, 2023

Is it a big surprise? No, not really. If anything, it’s probably a year too late. The time to capitalize on Makar’s popularity might have been right after he won the Norris Trophy AND Conn Smythe Trophy in 2022. Alas, they waited an extra year to put him on the cover of the NHL game, and here we are.

Makar is not the first Avalanche player to grace the cover. Peter Forsberg was the cover athlete for NHL 98, and although he wasn’t the original choice, Joe Sakic eventually replaced Dany Heatley to be the cover athlete for NHL 2004.

So yes, Makar is joining Avalanche (and NHL) royalty by becoming the cover athlete for the game. At this point, that’s just standard operating procedure for him. At just 24, he’s already been compared to the likes of Bobby Orr, so becoming the face of the gaming franchise might seem like nothing to him.

While the game does not have an official release date yet, it typically comes out around the start of the NHL season.

Now, will NHL 24 actually be any good this year? Probably not. I don’t play these games like I used to, but the few times I have played it in recent years, it’s been pretty unimpressive. It actually seems like the franchise is going backwards, when they should be pushing the envelope.

But hey, now Avalanche fans will be able to buy a game with their favorite defenseman on the cover.

And that’s pretty sweet.

The post It’s Cale Makar! Avalanche Defenseman Will Be NHL 24 Cover Athlete appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

We went deep into Ryan Johansen’s game and why I’m fascinated to see how the fit works in Colorado, and I ranked the top goals in franchise history. That got some people talking.

Here’s a look back at what you might have missed the previous week at CHN, and a peak at what’s coming.

Sunday

I had some thoughts on Colorado’s defense and why it might be best for them to wait things out when looking for additional help.

Monday

There might be no one on the Avalanche with more pressure next season than Ryan Johansen. He was brought in to be the 2C, but does he still have it? I dug deep (real deep) into his video and broke things down. I can’t wait to see how this goes.

Film And Analysis: Why The Johansen Fit Will Be Fascinating To Watch (+)

Tuesday

This one got a lot of people talking, but that’s because everyone’s list is likely a little bit different. That’s normal, as no two people will have the same opinion. The top 5 goals in Avalanche history.

Top 5 Goals in Colorado Avalanche History

NHL.com released their list of the top centers in the NHL, and Nathan MacKinnon came in at #2.

Wednesday

A new off-season series called Over/Under. This time, how many goals will Mikko Rantanen score next year?

Thursday

Another day, another off-season list that will garner different opinions. The five Avalanche who never looked right in another uniform.

Friday

Another Over/Under – Can Ryan Johansen top what J.T. Compher did last year?

Saturday

No big surprise, but the Avalanche were shutout when NHL Network put together their list of the Top 50 Prospects in the NHL.

A Look Ahead to Next Week

• Miles Wood’s film room will be ready Monday. It will not be as big as Johansen’s or Drouin’s, but should be pretty big. (+)
• Any news that comes in
• A look at two former Avalanche forwards thriving in the KHL.
• Best Contracts on the Avalanche
• More Over/Under

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The post Avalanche Wrap-Up: Johansen Film Analysis, Top Goals In Franchise History appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.