Evan’s NHL Daily: Zegras Available In Trade? Avalanche Injury Updates

With the Anaheim Ducks having just traded his best friend, Jamie Drysdale, could Trevor Zegras be next to move before the NHL Trade Deadline? Apparently it’s possible…but he has to be healthy first.

With the Colorado Avalanche, Artturi Lehkonen is headed on the road trip later this week and is a possibility to play. On Altitude Radio this morning, Bednar said Lehkonen hit nine weeks today since the injury, and whether or not he plays on the trip is up to him.

All that and more in this Wednesday edition of Evan’s Daily.

Colorado Hockey Now

Logan O’Connor needs to be commended for his non-stop effort in Monday night’s win.

The Avalanche had to change skills coaches over the summer, and they probably didn’t expect it. How Shawn Allard and Toby Petersen are a little different.

Cale Makar and Devon Toews showed why they’re the best defensive pair in the NHL in overtime on Monday. (+)

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Injury Updates

On Altitude Radio, Bednar went through the list of injured players and gave some updates.

• Josh Manson is day-to-day, and is going to try and test his injury today to see if he can play.
• Bowen Byram is day-to-day, feeling better, but hasn’t skated yet.
• Lehkonen will go on the trip but they’re not sure if he will play. That’s up to him and how he feels. He hit 9 weeks in his recovery today.
• Landeskog hopes to get on the ice soon, but no setbacks or anything.
• Miles Wood tested positive for influenza, may skate today. When he comes back, minutes might start low until he gets his energy back.

Zegras Available In Trade?

The Ducks just dealt Jamie Drysdale for a forward. Could that mean Trevor Zegras is on the way out before the NHL Trade Deadline? It’s possible, according to Frank Seravalli, who says Ducks GM Pat Verbeek has mentioned Zegras in conversation with teams this season.

Zegras has had a rough start after missing most of training camp due to a contract dispute. He has just seven points in 20 games, and injuries have hurt him as well. He left Tuesday’s game with an injury, and according to Greg Cronin, is going to miss some time.

Zegras goes down awkwardly and heads down the tunnel pic.twitter.com/wvjZdf4ltL

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 10, 2024

Zegras has played a lot of wing this season, but was drafted as a center. He’d be an intriguing target for any NHL team, including the Avalanche. It’s hard to find super skilled players like him, and if you can work with him and mold him, you could have a gem on your hands. He’s coming off back-to-back 60+ point seasons, after all.

Injury Update on Kovalenko

Since people often ask, I’ll let everyone in on what I’ve heard. Kovalenko hasn’t played since Dec. 23, and was expected to miss “at least” two weeks. Well, it’s been more than that, and he’s still not back. He did not travel with Torpedo on their current road trip, but before the team left, Igor Larionov said they were hoping to get him back “by the middle of the month.” He should be back by the end of the month, but the KHL is tight-lipped about injuries, more so than the NHL. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Avalanche have played a little bit of a role in him missing so much time, seeing as how he’s under contract with them and they want him as healthy as can be when he comes over.

Speaking of coming over, I could see the Avalanche getting Kovalenko quicker than they anticipated. Torpedo is struggling, and they’re missing their other top scorer beyond Kovalenko. Right now, they’ve dropped to 5th in the conference, and have some teams catching up. They may be in tough in the first round starting on the road, and if they go out in round one, that could mean an arrival around mid-March.

Something to watch.

National Hockey Now

Jamie Drysdale arrived in Philadelphia and was immediately on the top pair.

Looking back at predictions for the Blackhawks.