Reinforcements are coming for the Colorado Avalanche.
With Valeri Nichushkin set to make his season debut tomorrow night after serving a 6 month suspension for violating stage 2 of the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program last spring, the Avalanche will also be getting forwards Jonathan Drouin and Miles Wood back from injury reserve.
Related: Suspended Valeri Nichushkin Returns To Practice; Could Return To Lineup By 11/15
Drouin, 29, has been out since the Avs season opener against the Vegas Golden Knights on October 9th with an upper-body injury. Drouin went on to miss the next 16 games for the Avalanche. His return will give the Avalanche a much needed boost, with forwards Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen carrying the team offensively.
In his first season with the Avalanche last season Drouin had a career year, scoring 56 points in 79 games. His previous career high came all the way back in the 2018-2019 season when he scored 53 points for the Montreal Canadiens.
Wood, 29, will also be making his return to the lineup after missing the last 7 games with an upper-body injury that he sustained on October 28th against the Chicago Blackhawks.
In 10 games so far this season Wood has recorded just 1 goal, but the speedy winger will provide much needed depth and speed to the Avs bottom six.
Wood is in the 2nd year of a 6-year $15M dollar contract that he signed with the Avalanche in July of 2023 after spending the first 8 years of his NHL career with the New Jersey Devils.
To make space on the roster for Drouin and Wood, the Avalanche send forwards Ivan Ivan and Nikolai Kovalenko to the Colorado Eagles of the AHL.
Ivan and Kovalenko have both played in all of the Avs’ 17 games this season, scoring 5 and 6 points respectively.
In addition, the Avalanche also announced they have placed forward Chris Wagner on waivers.
Wagner, 33, has played in 12 games for the Avalanche this season, registering 1 point in those 12 games.
If he clears, Wagner will report to the Colorado Eagles of the AHL, where he has played 1 game so far this season.
