Just when we thought the good news was starting to roll in for the Avalanche, we find out today that Nathan MacKinnon is being evaluated for a lower-body injury and was held out of practice.
The good news *was* that Cale Makar and Valeri Nichiushkin went from being potential options for Colorado’s next game to looking like they were shoo-ins to suit up as they both became full practice participants. Wearing full-contact jerseys, shooting the puck, and moving at full speed check all the boxes for an imminent return.
The other positive for the Avs today was Alex Newhook being with the team. One of the many benefits of having your minor league affiliate just 45 minutes up I-25 is you can make a call up at 9:00 am and still have that player ready to go at practice by 11:00 am. Newhook skated on a line with Logan O’Connor and Tyson Jost for most of practice before splitting from them to get some reps in on the second power-play unit.
With the Newhook call-up, multiple injured players coming back, and MacKinnon’s unexpected absence this is how the lines shook out at practice:
Landeskog – Compher – Rantanen
Burakovsky – Kadri – Nichushkin
Newhook – Jost – O’Connor
Helm – Megna – Sherwood
Toews – Makar
E. Johnson – Girard
MacDermid – Byram
J. Johnson – Murray
Newhook has a real opportunity with this call-up. He’s got a chance to solidify himself as a true, full-time NHLer. The rookie has put up 11 points in just 10 AHL games this season, and the Avs are looking at him to bring that same scoring touch to their roster. Especially now with the uncertainty surrounding Nathan MacKinnon, at least in the immediate.
Newhook was… okay at practice today. Which honestly is barely even noteworthy given that we talkin’ ‘bout practice. But for me, I want to see him have some jump, play with energy. Look at Bowen Byram who has thrust himself into the Calder conversation as the NHL’s top rookie. A lot of that has to do with the confidence he just radiates right now. He looks like he’s going to make a play every time he touches the ice. Even at practice, he is keeping guys loose, and just looks (and sounds) like he’s having a ton of fun out there.
Newhook, to me, looks like he’s worried about making the right play. He had a couple of moments today where a puck skipped on him, a pass he made pass was just a little off, doesn’t get the exact shot he wanted, and he would look frustrated with himself. He’s gotta let those go. He’s a young kid trying to carve his path in the NHL, mistakes are going to happen. I want to see him just play his game. That’s what he did last postseason, and he was great.
If Nathan MacKinnon is out for even a game or two, Newhook will get every opportunity to create, and make things happen.
We talked briefly on Monday’s edition of the DNVR Avalanche Podcast about how the top six should look now that the Avs are getting back to healthy, and it looks like head coach Jared Bednar will be starting with a configuration that he knows and is comfortable with. Val Nichushkin slotted back in on the second line next to Nazem Kadri and Andre Burakovsky. This is obviously subject to change as we get into games, but Bednar is hoping to get an extended look at what he and his staff put together to start the year.
The Avalanche takes on the Vancouver Canucks at home this Thursday, November 11th. So there’s still plenty of time for some of what we saw today at practice to change, especially as we learn more about Nathan MacKinnon’s availability.
