The Colorado Avalanche are preparing for opening night in Vegas on Wednesday the place the crew will start the 2024-25 marketing campaign and to adjust to NHL roster guidelines Denver’s crew made a number of transactions on Monday.
The two that will shock some however ought to come as no shock as soon as diving into the nitty gritty was the membership sending down each Nikolai Kovalenko and Ivan Ivan amongst a gaggle of 5 gamers. Based on what head coach Jared Bednar has mentioned each Kovalenko and Ivan issue to be members of the NHL squad this season however are at the moment, no less than on paper with the Colorado Eagles.
For Monday, the Avs needed to ship every down in order that they might put inactive gamers within the correct place on Tuesday. That listing contains Gabriel Landeskog. Artturi Lehkonen and Tucker Poolman, who're anticipated to go on Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) as nicely as the suspended Valeri Nichushkin.
Once these 5 members of the squad are put of their correct slots, Chris MacFarland can carry again Kovalenko and Ivan. The Avs went 1-5-0 within the preseason however Kovalenko stood out with two assists and Ivan tallied a purpose whereas exhibiting some grit match for the underside six ahead group.
Kovalenko is a touted prospect regardless of being only a sixth-round choose of the Avs within the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. At five-foot-ten, 185-pounds he’s a winter who can even play heart. Playing in Russia’s KHL for Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo tallied over 100 factors in 113 video games together with the postseason. After his seventh season within the KHL, Kovalenko joined the Avs late final yr the place he performed in Games 5 and 6 of Colorado’s collection towards Winnipeg.
Ivan is but to make his NHL debut in a recreation that has counted, he was with the Avalanche’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Eagles in 2023-24. That’s the place he performed 67 video games, amassing 31 factors. Before coming to Colorado, he tallied 177 factors in 191 appearances with the Cape Breton Eagles within the QMJHL from 2019-23. And he had that look representing his nation in 2022 as nicely.
#Avs Nikolai Kovalenko and Ivan Ivan are a part of the group that was assigned to the Eagles as the membership units it is “official” opening-night roster.
Those are each accounting strikes, due to who's going on LTIR. They'll be “back” in time to play Wednesday towards Vegas.
— Corey Masisak (@cmasisak22) October 7, 2024
Kovalenko is projected to start the season on the Avs’ second line alongside Casey Mittelstadt and 2023 first-rounder Calum Ritchie. While Ivan must be on the fourth line with Parker Kelly Joel Kiviranta.
The Avs additionally despatched down Adam Scheel, T.J. Tynan and Ondrej Pavel on Monday.
The Avs roster now stands at 21 with 11 forwards, eight defensemen and two goalies. Here’s the way it seems.
Goalies
Alexandar Georgiev
Justus Annunen
Forwards
Chris Wagner
Parker Kelly
Ross Colton
Logan O’Connor
Jonathan Drouin
Miles Wood
Nathan MacKinnon
Casey Mittelstadt
Calum Ritchie
Joel Kiviranta
Mikko Rantanen
Defenseman
John Ludvig
Devon Toews
Cale Makar
Josh Manson
Calvin de Haan
Samuel Girard
Oliver Kylington
Sam Malinski
