Homecomings: Projected returns to Denver for recent, former Avalanche players

Jonathan Drouin — November 16

Jonathan Drouin, who was drafted third overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2013 (two picks after Nathan MacKinnon, his Halifax Mooseheads teammate for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons), struggled to replicate his junior-level success on an NHL sheet of ice. His career numbers before landing in Colorado are commendable (77G, 204A, 281P in 485GP), but one would expect more from such a high draft pick, especially with so many other good players picked later on in that same draft: Elias Lindholm, Jake Guentzel, Bo Horvat, Sean Monahan, etc. After three seasons in Tampa Bay, Drouin was dealt to the Montreal Canadiens for Mikhail Sergachev; the latter helped the Lightning win two Stanley Cup Championships while Drouin found middling success with Montreal.

With Drouin’s contract in Montreal expiring and many GMs seemingly unwilling to take a risk on someone who had struggled to live up to expectations, MacKinnon vouched for Drouin and a potential reunion in Denver. Drouin signed a one-year prove-it deal worth $825,000 for the 2023-24 season, and he showed glimpses of brilliance while wearing the burgundy and blue. He recorded a career-high 56 points in 79 games, often alongside MacKinnon. After that season, he signed a second-consecutive one-year deal, this time for $2.5mil, and played great (37 points in 43 games), despite missing time because of injury.

Drouin’s strong play priced him out of Colorado, however, as the Avs have limited cap space, and the New York Islanders had money to spend. Accordingly, Drouin signed for the next two years on Long Island; his contract is worth $4mil a season. Drouin revitalized his career as a member of the Avs, and now it seems, due to salary cap restrictions, the New York Islanders will reap the continued benefits of Drouin’s recent success. There will almost certainly be a tribute video for Drouin when he returns to the Centennial State, and it will likely incorporate much of his relationship with MacKinnon.

Calum Ritchie — November 16 (?)

Calum Ritchie was one of the most exciting prospects in Colorado’s system, and fans had a chance to see him play at the start of the 2024-25 season. After seven games, he was sent back to Juniors before playing past the nine-game threshold that would’ve eaten into his entry-level contract (ELC). Ritchie recorded a highlight-reel goal in his third NHL game (fittingly, against his current team, the New York Islanders), but recorded no other points in his first big-league stint, but that's not uncommon for a still-developing teen.

As the Avs looked to make a deep playoff push while their stars are still in their prime, Ritchie, Oliver Kylington and two conditional, high draft picks were used to pry Brock Nelson away from Long Island after a dozen seasons with the Islands. As a result, barring any future trades that see Ritchie return to Denver, his impressive goal will be the only one he ever scores while wearing an Avs sweater. The Islanders gained a special player in Ritchie, as he's got legitimate potential. According to Elite Prospects, he is already the third-best prospect on the New York Islanders: a team universally accredited with one of the deepest prospect pools in the league.

With the Oshawa Generals of the OHL, Ritchie has put up numbers worthy of his first-round pick status: 86 goals, 168 assists, and 254 points in 221 games. He will likely begin the 2025-26 season back in the OHL, but he will have every opportunity to prove he can play at the NHL level. For the Islanders, it’s a question not of “if” but “when” Ritchie will crack the roster in a meaningful, consistent way. If Ritchie’s return occurs on the same night as Drouin’s, he may also get a quick moment of appreciation from the fans, but if his return comes on another night, it will likely come and go without much fanfare.

Juuso Pärssinen — November 20

Juuso Pärssinen was a seventh-round pick by the Nashville Predators in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft; the odds were against him to ever make any noise at the NHL level, but his last two seasons in the SM-liiga — combined with a strong initial showing with the Predator's AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals — quickly earned him regular playing time with the Preds. He put up 25 points in 45 games in his rookie campaign, but the following year, his production was nearly halved, so he spent half the season in the AHL. To kick off last season, he played well (registering 5 points in 15 games), and the Avs' front office saw a player, still only 23 years old, who could slot in as a depth piece in an organization lacking prospects and young talent.

Pärssinen's time in Colorado was brief, but he was a noticeable presence on the ice, despite limited deployment. The Avs acquired Pärssinen and a seventh round pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft from the Nashville Predators in exchange for prospect Ondřej Pavel and a third round pick in the 2027 NHL Entry Draft. Pärssinen played primarily on the third line for the Avs, averaging the fewest minutes of his career so far, with under 10 minutes per game.

After just 22 games with the Avs, Pärssinen was shipped to the New York Rangers alongside Calvin de Haan (more on him later) and both a round two and a round four pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. In return, the Avs received Ryan Lindgren, Jimmy Vesey (more on both of them later, as well), and prospect Hank Kempf. Everyone apart from Kempf (who is currently attending training camp with the Avs) has since moved on from the Avalanche, so it was quite a steep price for a pair of rentals. Pärssinen's return to Colorado, scheduled for November 20, won't create much buzz at Ball Arena, but any emotions shown by Avs faithful will assuredly be positive.

Oskar Olausson — November 26

What do Martin Kaut, Nikolai Kovalenko, and Oskar Olausson have in common? Each player was a highly-touted Avalanche prospect who failed to impact the team in any noteworthy way. Each player never lived up to their full expectations after being given decent chances to prove themselves as roster-ready assests for the Avs. Each player was subsequently traded to the San Jose Sharks. Kaut and Kovalenko sputtered in North America, and both players now play overseas (in the Czech league and the KHL, respectively). Olausson is the most recent player offered up to the Sharks, and his Colorado tenure is perhaps the most disappointing of these three.

Kovalenko very well may play again in the NHL. If he can continue to perform well in the KHL, another team (or even the Avs, for that matter) could convince him to come back to North America. In 28 games with the Avs, he exhibited his potential to be a middle-six NHL player, especially with the Sharks, but his production tapered off as last season progressed, so the Sharks didn't tender him a qualifying offer. Kaut (selected 16th overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft) was a higher draft pick than Olausson (28th overall in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft), but Kaut at least played in 56 games for the Avs, registering 11 points. His time in Denver was frustrating, however. He played well for the Colorado Eagles, but, in four consecutive seasons (2019-20 to 2022-23), Kaut was given a spot in the Avs' lineup, and he played suboptimally.

Unlike Kaut and Kovalenko, Olausson played in just four games for the Avs, registering zero points and zero PIMs — he was essentially nonexistent, which is just about the worst thing a player vying for playing time can do. He played considerably poorly in the AHL, too, so it was difficult to justify giving him more playing time with the Avalanche. As the 2025-26 season looms, he is not projected to be on the Sharks' opening day roster, so he will likely kick off the 2025-26 season with the Sharks' AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. Unlike the Avalanche, however, the Sharks are a team brimming with prospects and recently-drafted talent; they are the fourth-youngest team in the league. There's a much better chance that Olausson, still just 22 years old, can play at the NHL level in San Jose's "Pacific Teal."

Charlie Coyle — January 10

Coyle has quietly been one of the most reliable middle-six centers in the NHL dating back to the 2012-13 season when he first broke into the league with the Minnesota Wild. After parts of seven seasons in the State of Hockey, he was traded to the Boston Bruins, where he helped provide steady, consistent playmaking as the old guard in Beantown began to turn over and the last players from their 2011 Cup-winning team gradually skated off into retirement or onto another team’s ice.

With the Avalanche, he slotted in perfectly as the team’s 3C, and his addition — along with the also-recent additions of centers Brock Nelson and Jack Drury — gave the Avs the strongest center depth the team had had in recent memory. Out of everyone added at last year’s trade deadline, Coyle had the most offensive contributions, logging a comfortable 13 points in 19 games — all while seeing limited powerplay time (he played on the second unit) and playing an average of 14:48 minutes a night — the second-least of his career, which, apart from his time in Colorado, averaged almost two minutes more a night.

Unlike many of the other players the Avs gained throughout last season, Coyle actually still had an additional year of team control. This, however, served to make him a valuable trade piece, and he and Miles Wood were traded away to the Columbus Blue Jackets to help clear some cap space. The Avs had a number of areas that needed to be addressed, and the value of getting both those contracts off the team’s books made the moves necessary. He will make his return to Denver alongside Miles Wood on January 10. There may be a twofold tribute video for he and Wood, but it will likely not garner much of a reaction from the fans, as Coyle’s time in Denver was limited and Wood’s struggles had garnered some ire from much of the fanbase.

Miles Wood — January 10

At first, the prospect of locking in a hard-nosed player with offensive upside like Miles Wood seemed like a bargain. The contract — $2.5 million for six years — was signed before the 2023-24 season, and at the time, the NHL's salary cap was set at $85.5mil. For the 2024-25 season, it increased to $88 million, and it is set to increase exponentially across each remaining season of Wood's six-year deal; the NHL's proposed payroll ranges for the next three seasons was announced back in January, and it plans for the salary cap to reach $113.5 million by the 2027-28 season. So, having a player like Miles Wood at just $2.5 million had the makings of not just a team-friendly deal but a league-friendly steal. Even after the first year of the contract, it hadn’t appeared to be a poor investment. In year two, however, things began to increasingly derail as Woods’ physicality and offensive potential, once both key facets of his reliability, were now liabilities.

Wood injured his back in the 2023 NHL playoffs, and it continued to bother him throughout all of last season. Because of this, he missed 27 consecutive games between November 27, 2024 and January 26, 2025. The injury was severe enough that there are concerns that it may impact the remainder of his playing career. Additionally, Wood's offensive contributions throughout the 37 games he played last season were about as streaky as any player the Avs have ever had.

Half of his total points came in a stretch of games played across the last 10 days of the season. Thusly, in 32 games from October 9, 2024 to March 29, 2025, Wood recorded just four points as a player from which the Avs expected third-line production. Because of his iffy physical health and his floundering point-scoring, he was limited to an average of a meager 11:21 time on ice average last season.

All of that is to say he was making it difficult to justify a six-year deal, even at an affordable price. When he returns to Denver, alongside Charlie Coyle, he may receive a tribute video (one that also includes Coyle), but it won't be laden with deep emotion from the home crowd at Ball Arena.

Ryan Lindgren — April 16

Initially drafted by the Boston Bruins in the second round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Lindgren was traded to the New York Rangers before ever playing a game in Beantown. He was a part of the king's ransom that was sent to the Rangers in return for Rick Nash (who would only ever dress for nine games with Boston).

Before his trade to Colorado, Lindgren had only ever played for the Rangers. In just over 400 career games, he has carved out a role for himself as a strong puck-mover and a staunch penalty killer. He is also capable of chipping in offensively, but it's not a primary facet of his game. The Avs' front office wanted to add someone with playoff pedigree, a bit of size, and some high hockey IQ, so Lindgren was a rental that Colorado's execs felt comfortable pursuing. He lived up to the expectations that were placed on him: he played on the Avs' penalty kill, he played decent minutes, and he was responsible with the puck.

Lindgren is exactly the kind of player a team can utilize as part of a deep playoff run. Unfortunately, his utility was limited to just seven games in the 2024-25 playoffs because the Avs were eliminated in the first round. There was a long list of players that needed to be re-signed this offseason, so there wasn't much of a chance that the Avs would be able to keep him on the roster; accordingly, he moved on to the Seattle Kraken, a team that loves to overpay for roster-ready talent, this offseason. Lindgren's homecoming in Colorado will have to wait, as the Kraken don't play in Colorado until the final game of the regular season. There might be a polite wave and a moment of appreciation for him during a TV timeout, but there won't be much more than that in his return.

Calvin de Haan

Initially drafted by the New York Islanders — 12th overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft — Calvin de Haan has played 679 games in his veteran NHL career. He found the most success of his career with the Islanders in his first few full seasons in the league, but he's been a serviceable defensively-focused defenseman in the decade since. He made stops with the Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, and the Tampa Bay Lightning before signing a one-year $800k deal to play in the Mile High City for the 2024-25 season. He appeared in more than half of the Avs' games last year ahead of getting dealt to the New York Rangers at the trade deadline.

de Haan was a dependable sixth/seventh defenseman for the Avs, and he averaged just under 15 minutes a game; he was a sturdy, stay-at-home, penalty-killing defenseman whose veteran presence made him a good locker room piece. Much like some of the other names on this list, though, his average ice time was the lowest of his career while playing for the Avs.

With the Rangers, he played only three games before viewing the rest of the Rangers’ season from the press box, which, as a long-tenured player, bothered him. de Haan he didn’t shy away from discussing his feelings about his healthy scratch relegation with the media. It was a bit unorthodox, especially for a storied franchise like the New York Rangers. Was it a side effect of a turbulent year for the Rangers, who ultimately missed the playoffs and had a handful of drama-driven storylines throughout the year? Perhaps. But, whether it was warranted or not, it may be one of the reasons de Haan still finds himself without a contract or a PTO as September rolls along.

Oliver Kylington

Kylington was once one of the most promising prospects for the Calgary Flames and a coveted prospect heading into the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. He is known for his explosive skating ability and smooth stride, and, despite being 28 years old, there's a feeling that he hasn't quite hit his ceiling or had his breakout campaign. Unfortunately,  a number of setbacks sent his career trajectory careening off track. He had a handful of missed games, all undisclosed, early into his career. He also dealt with both an upper and a lower body injury in the last few months of the 2021-22 season. He missed more than half of the 2022-23 season for personal reasons, which he later revealed to be a result of his struggles with his mental health. After the Flames elected not to re-sign him, he signed a one-year deal with the Avalanche worth $1.05mil, but any chance he had to earn consistent ice time was derailed by a lower-body injury that left him out of comission for 31 games in the 2024-25 season. 

After his return, he was traded to the Islanders then immediately flipped to Anaheim for future considerations. It would seem, then, that the Islanders only wanted Kylington if it meant they could also get Calum Ritchie and the two conditional draft picks. It helped Colorado shed some additional cap space to include Kylington in the trade, but the Islanders had no apparent use for him in their lineup. He did dress for the Ducks, playing in six games for them while filling a similar role as he did while playing in Colorado. There’s a chance that Kylington will have a homecoming in Denver, as he — alongside fellow former Av Givani Smith — signed a PTO with the Carolina Hurricanes. If he earns himself a spot on the Canes’ roster, he’d have a chance to slot in against the Avs at Ball Arena on October 23.

Jimmy Vesey

The former Hobey Baker Award winner spent most of his hockey career on the east coast; he grew up in Massachusetts, played for the EJHL’s South Shore Kings (located in Foxboro, Mass), went to college at Harvard, and played for — with the exception of 20 games with the Vancouver Canucks and 10 games with the Avalanche — NHL teams located on the east coast: the New York Rangers, Buffalo Sabres, Toronto Maple Leafs, and New Jersey Devils. Despite never reaching the potential many had anticipated he would, he found a solid niche as a bottom-six depth scoring piece who can be relied upon to play a smart, two-way game. He adapted and accepted a role that doesn’t always command the spotlight, and it allowed him to play over 600 games in the NHL.

His time in Colorado was decidedly unimpactful, as he appeared in 10 regular season matchups and was a healthy scratch for each of the Avs’ seven playoff games last year. As a pure rental (used to sweeten the deal that allowed the Avs to obtain Ryan Lindgren from the Broadway Blueshirts) who didn’t get much playing time down the stretch, Vesey found himself without a contract this offseason, as no NHL front office was willing to offer him another chance. Resultingly, he signed a contract to play for Genève-Servette HC of the Swiss League. In six games for them this season, he has two goals and three assists. His time in the NHL might not be completely over; if he performs well overseas, there could be an avenue for him to finish out his career with an NHL club, but it is unlikely.

Justus Annunen

Justus Annunen, who was one of the most promising goalie prospects the Avs have had in the last decade, was traded away after less than 30 appearances in the burgundy and blue. The Avs, famously, have essentially outsourced most of their goalie development to other teams, electing to trade for goalies who have gotten their careers started elsewhere. This has never been an intentional decision, but it has been a trend that the Avs have relied upon for much of its goaltending depth throughout the team's entire history. Notable tendies such as Patrick Roy, Jose Theodore, Craig Anderson, Semyon Varlamov, Philipp Grubauer, Darcy Kuemper, and Alexandar Georgiev all got their starts elsewhere in the NHL, but all of them made major contributions to the Avalanche.

Accordingly, the potential for Annunen to develop into a potential stud in the Mile High City was exciting. However, given his limited deployment on an Avs team that has been in contention (and, therefore, have had less margin for error, competitively speaking), and given the historically-poor goaltending performances that kicked off the 2024-25 season, the Avs didn't have the luxury of letting the then-24-year-old develop further when Makar, MacKinnon, and co. are in their prime and aiming for a deep playoff run. GM Chris MacFarland and President of Hockey Operations Joe Sakic scrambled to plug the holes in net in Colorado.

Annunen has technically already made his return to Colorado; on December 14, 2024 — just a few weeks after departing from Denver — he backed up Juuse Saros as the Preds clashed with the Avs at Ball Arena. He didn't actually play against the Avs, though, so this entry is included as an honorable mention at the end of this list.

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