Erik Johnson returns tonight

Erik Johnson will return to the Avalanche lineup tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes, a source tells Colorado Hockey Now.

Johnson has been out since Nov. 23, after suffering a lower-body injury from a shove into the boards from behind by former teammate Alexander Kerfoot, which resulted in a three-game suspension for Kerfoot.

It is not yet known who Johnson will replace among the active defenders already on the roster, but it’ll likely be either Mark Barberio or Anton Lindholm.

Johnson, 31, was averaging 22:12 per game for the Avs at the time of the injury, with one goal and five assists in 23 games.

Also for tonight’s game, Philipp Grubauer will start in goal.

Cale Makar will miss another game for the Avs with his upper-body injury.