Avalanche Rumors & News

Pro Hockey Talk "It all began in warmups for Cale Makar. Before he became one of the NHL’s biggest young stars, the defenseman was leaving lasting impressions on coaches in warmups. Ryan Papaioannou, head coach and general manager of the Alberta Junior Hockey..." October 16

NHL.com "The Colorado Avalanche will try to open the season 5-0-0 for the first time since 2013-14 (6-0-0) when they play the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena on Monday. Andre Burakovsky (two goals, one assist), who was traded to the Avalanhce by the Capitals on June 28, returns..." October 14

Yahoo! Sports "As technology continues to advance and become an increasing influence on professional hockey, the players on the ice aren’t the only ones responsible for determining the outcome of games anymore. Whether you’re a fan of it or not, video review has been expanding and the..." October 12

NBC Sports "It’s still incredibly early, but the verdict on rookie Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar is so far, so good. That’s promising for the Avs because, frankly, they made a pretty big gamble on Makar’s development. While you can’t chalk up the..." October 12

Sport Business "The National Hockey League has expanded its 20-year partnership with real-time scoring system provider SportsMEDIA Technology (SMT), which will now also become the league’s puck and player tracking partner. The puck and player tracking technology is designed to aid the..." October 11

NHL.com "NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said if the snowy weather in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Thursday is any indication, the 2020 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series game between the Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings at Falcon Stadium at the United States Air Force Academy on Feb...." October 10

ESPN "I watched a Los Angeles Kings vs. Calgary Flames game this week. Not by mistake. Not because I fell asleep with Center Ice streaming. I watched it because of pure, uncut, mutual animosity. The rivalry between Kings defenseman Drew Doughty and Flames..." October 10

USA Today "NHL teams are as thrilled to acquire a cute dog these days as they would be landing a scoring right wing. Ten teams now boast official team dogs, and that number may grow because team dogs are becoming as popular as players. “I can't tell you how many selfies our..." October 10

Mile High Hockey "With 80 games remaining in the 2019-20 Colorado Avalanche season, it’s important to remember not to draw any sort of conclusions about the team. But of course, that would take away all the fun of being a sports fan. Instant reaction happens - we just need to temper expectations...." October 09

Calgary Herald "Evidence of the National Hockey League’s new rules came in the pre-season, giving coaches everywhere a window into how they can approach the changes in the most advantageous way to their teams. The Detroit Red Wings were playing the Toronto Maple Leafs in their exhibition finale..." October 08

Denver Post "Avalanche defenseman Ian Cole had two offseason hip surgeries and wasn’t expected to be cleared to play until December, missing up to half the season. But based on Monday, less than a week into the season, it appears Cole could be activated soon. Cole, a two-time..." October 07

NHL.com "Alexis Lafreniere is No. 1 in the inaugural NHL.com ranking of the top prospects eligible for the 2020 NHL Draft. The left wing, who plays for Rimouski in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, is expected to receive an A rating on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary Players to..." October 07

Nano News "The ability of a goalie and his position coach to form a quick and strong bond is crucial to success in the NHL. The narrative regarding goalies switching teams is often about the need to build new relationships within the locker room, establish communication and trust with a new set..." October 05

Pro Hockey Rumors "Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.”  Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players –..." October 04

Sportsnet "Coming out of the 2004-05 lockout, the NHL made a concerted effort to crack down on obstruction, which immediately led to more goals in that first season. But this didn’t last and the NHL went from a league that dramatically increased its goal total to one that was losing offence every..." October 04

NHL.com " Cale Makar said he will play for the Colorado Avalanche in their season opener against the Calgary Flames at Pepsi Center on Thursday (9 p.m. ET; ALT, SNW, NHL.TV). "All good to go," said Makar, who practiced Wednesday after taking a maintenance day Tuesday. The..." October 03

Yahoo! Sports "Nazem Kadri begins the next chapter of his career with the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, but of course all anyone wants to talk about is how his tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs ended. Kadri spent his entire career with the Maple Leafs before he was traded to the..." October 03

The Hockey News "When a team starts play with the puck in the offensive zone, it can lead to really good things. Like goals. That’s why the NHL tweaked its rules over the summer to allow attacking teams to choose the side of the ice on which they’d like to take the draw in four specific situations...." October 03

SI "When Predators general manager David Poile thinks about the importance of two-way forwards, two names leap to mind. The first is Guy Carbonneau. Un bon choix. Thanks in part to Poile, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame selection committee, the former Montreal center will..." October 03

NHL.com "The Boston Bruins will be your 2020 Stanley Cup champions, at least if the EA Sports NHL 20 simulations are correct. NHL 20 unveiled its most recent projections, where Boston defeats the Vegas Golden Knights in six games in the Stanley Cup Final to take home the Cup for the first time..." October 02

SI "Earlier this year, the NHL quietly made a pair of small but significant moves to grow its presence in hockey’s most intriguing market. The first was the hiring of Sandy Ma Yun, a veteran executive of the Chinese auto and motorsports industries, as director of international strategy..." October 02

TSN "Offence, offence, offence. Since the 2004-05 lockout, the National Hockey League has observed an interesting – if gradual – change in scoring. In the early years immediately after the lockout, it seemed as though goals were nearly impossible to come by after the month of..." October 02

Pro Hockey Rumors "We’ve finally reached the end of the offseason and things kick off this week around the NHL. Exhibition games are underway in Europe and final cuts have come down all around the league. The excitement for the upcoming season is palpable, with even the most minor transactions generating..." October 01

Sportsnet "After a summer that saw Phil Kessel, P.K. Subban, Jacob Trouba, Nazem Kadri, Tyson Barrie, J.T. Miller, James Neal, Milan Lucic, Andre Burakovsky and Justin Faulk all traded, plus a pre-season chock full of rumours and speculation, the 2019-20 campaign is shaping up to be a fascinating one when..." October 01

NHL.com "Mikko Rantanen returned to practice with the Colorado Avalanche on Monday, two days after agreeing to a six-year contract, and will play in the season opener against the Calgary Flames on Thursday (9 p.m. ET; ALT, SNW, NHL.TV). "It feels great," said Rantanen, who was a..." September 30

The Hockey Writers "How do you grow revenue if you are the NHL? Continuing growth is rather difficult to do in any business and the way the NHL has gone about it has been rather smart with new partnerships, expansion franchises, and gambling partnerships. While new revenue sources are always difficult to uncover,..." September 30

Pro Hockey Rumors "The Colorado Avalanche acquired goaltender Antoine Bibeau from the San Jose Sharks on Friday, but that doesn’t mean that they are content with their current depth in net. Adrian Dater of ColoradoHockeyNow.com reports that the team is still looking to make an..." September 30

Pro Hockey Talk "It took almost the entire offseason, but the Colorado Avalanche did it. They locked down the last big-name RFA remaining by signing Mikko Rantanen to a six-year deal that carries a $9.2 million AAV. Initially, it brings to mind favorable comparisons to the Maple Leafs,..." September 29

Sportsnet "The Colorado Avalanche and restricted free agent Mikko Rantanen have agreed to a new six-year contract that will carry an average annual value of $9.25 million. Rantanen, 22, is coming off a career year after recording 31 goals and 56 assists in 74 regular-season..." September 28

USA Today "Adding dynamic puck-moving defenseman Cale Makar to the high-octane Colorado Avalanche last season was like tweaking the engine of an Indy race car. When something already moves that fast, it's difficult to notice any difference. But Makar noticed the difference in..." September 28

NHL.com "San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) General Manager Doug Wilson announced today that the team has acquired defenseman Nicolas Meloche from the Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) in exchange for goaltender Antoine Bibeau.   "Nicolas is a strong right shot defenseman who helps..." September 27

Pro Hockey Talk "Not every NHL rookie enters the league with a bang. Not everyone can put up 100-point seasons in their first year like Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin. Some guys need that first year to get used to the pace of play at the NHL level. But a lot guys get a lot more comfortable in..." September 27

Pro Hockey Rumors "The WHL has gotten a serious talent injection today, as not only was Dylan Cozens sent back to the Lethbridge Hurricanes earlier, but Bowen Byram is on his way too. The Colorado Avalanche have decided to return the fourth-overall pick to the Vancouver Giants for this..." September 26

Pro Hockey Rumors "It’s a position that no NHL veteran wants to find himself in, but sometimes it’s the only way to stay employed in North America. With NHL training camps starting to cut mass amounts of participants, AHL camps are opening for another round of evaluation and to prepare young pros for..." September 24

The Score "The Colorado Avalanche are apparently looking to strike a six- or eight-year deal with restricted free-agent forward Mikko Rantanen at an average annual value ranging from $8.4 million to $8.75 million, according to The Athletic's Ryan Clark. The..." September 20

TSN "When the Canadian Women’s Hockey League shuttered last spring, the move united 200 female hockey players in a common goal – to build a better, more sustainable future for their sport for the next generation of girls.   It was that dream that spawned the aptly..." September 20

The Score "The Colorado Avalanche are not prepared to give restricted free-agent forward Mikko Rantanen the same money Mitch Marner will earn on his new contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun. Marner, who was also a..." September 19

The Score "There's no shortage of bench bosses who will begin 2019-20 feeling the heat. Whether they guide a team on the rise that hasn't gone deep enough, a franchise that's stuck in the mud, or a historically great regular-season club that hasn't achieved Stanley Cup glory,..." September 19

The Score "The man who represents restricted free agents Mikko Rantanen and Patrik Laine says his clients aren't on the verge of agreeing to new contracts with their respective clubs. "We're not close, how about that? That's about as much as you're going..." September 18

Mile High Hockey "As the number or unsigned restricted free agents dwindles, two of the highest-profile names have decided to head to Switzerland to join SC Bern - one of them is Colorado Avalanche star winger Mikko Rantanen. A couple days after reports surfaced that Patrik..." September 18

The Score "Load management has become one of the hottest topics in the modern NHL, with teams looking for new ways to gain an advantage during the regular-season slog. In 2018-19, we saw more teams shift toward a platoon between the pipes, and the need for multiple netminders who can handle a..." September 18

Pro Hockey Rumors "The NHL’s Public Relations team has released a video updating all of the rule changes for the upcoming season, agreed upon earlier this year. The five-minute video goes in-depth on each change, noting that the focus was on expanded video review, promoting player safety and..." September 18

Colorado Hockey Now "Just four days ago, I had thought things were getting more optimistic in the standoff between the Colorado Avalanche and Mikko Rantanen. I was hearing more about both sides being more open to different contract “structures” for the talented Finn right winger, who has..." September 17

The Score "The following players likely won't be fantasy relevant for the 2019-20 season, but could become incredibly valuable in keeper leagues down the road. These NHLers will need to be designated as not active, so be sure to check your league's settings before drafting any of..." September 17

TSN "The National Hockey League Players' Association has declined their option to re-open the collective bargaining agreement, which will now remain in effect through the 2021-2022 season. The NHL declined their option to re-open the CBA in August, leaving the the..." September 16

The Score "Every year, there are players fantasy owners avoid for one reason or another. Injury concerns, inconsistency, and adjusting to a new team can all turn a once-dependable name into anything but. Despite those factors, there are always a few players with particularly uncertain futures..." September 16

The Score "Among all the positions in hockey, there's no question goaltenders take the longest to realize their potential. With so much uncertainty in the crease, it can be tricky to land two proven netminders come fantasy draft day. Sometimes an increase in opportunity or a change of..." September 15

Denver Post " Exhausted, he fell and couldn’t get up. Forward Martin Kaut, the Avs’ 2018 first-round draft pick (16th overall), was in a debilitated state after doing his timed skating test Friday to conclude Day 1 of training camp at Family Sports Center. After..." September 14

Pro Hockey Rumors "After the NHL announced that they have formally declined using their opt-out clause to re-0pen the current CBA early, the NHLPA has until Sept. 15th to make their decision on whether they want to opt-out of the current agreement after the 2019-20 season. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman..." September 14

The Score "The following five players disappointed last season but are primed to bounce back in 2019-20: William Nylander, C/RW, Maple Leafs Nylander never got comfortable last season. He was mired in a contract holdout well into the campaign, ultimately signing minutes before the..." September 13