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Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Top Five Mikko Rantanen Moments From First Round
Mikko Rantanen had a legendary performance in Game 7 to propel the Dallas Stars to the second round, posting four points and a hat trick in the third period of a 4-2 comeback win over the Colorado Avalanche. The former Avs superstar took revenge on his former team in the most ruthless way, posting 10 points in the final three games of the series. Let's take a look back at his top five moments from the first round: 5. A beautiful spin-o-rama pass from Rantanen found Roope Hintz on the power play in Game 6 to get Dallas on the board and set up a comeback effort for the Stars. This was a thing of beauty, and could have been a lot higher if Dallas had managed to hang on and win the game. His go-ahead goal to make it 4-3 did not even make the list, mostly because of the blown lead in the eventual 7-4 loss, but this assist was too good not to crack the top-5. Roope goal off the RIDICULOUS Moose assist 🍎Game on.#TexasHockey — Victory+ (@victoryplustv) May 2, 2025 4. While Hintz might have done a lot of the work on this entry, Rantanen was able to finish off a blazing fast 2-on-1 against Mackenzie Blackwood to increase the Stars lead to 3-0 in Game 5. It ended up being the game-winner, as Colorado actually closed the gap to 3-2 in the second period before Dallas pulled away again. THE MOOSE IS LOOSE 🫎Mikko Rantanen scores his first playoff goal in a @DallasStars uniform ... against his former club. — Victory+ (@victoryplustv) April 29, 2025 3. Rantanen muscled a puck out of his own zone to Mason Marchment, who fended off Devon Toews and sent the puck to Tyler Seguin for the overtime winner in Game 3 to give Dallas a 2-1 series lead. Colorado might have sealed this series up early if Dallas had not squeaked by in overtime in Games 2 and 3. THE STARS WIN AGAIN IN OVERTIME!! 🤩 Tyler Seguin scores the @Energizer overtime winner, and the @DallasStars have a 2-1 series lead! #StanleyCup — NHL (@NHL) April 24, 2025 2. Rantanen's empty net goal to seal the hat trick might seem like the obvious number one choice, but in terms of importance, it really only comes in as the runner-up. There were only two seconds left on the clock, and Dallas was set to win either way. That being said, finishing the night off with the hat trick was the perfect ending to a story that could not have been written more perfectly. Empty net goal for Dallas!Scored by Mikko Rantanen with 00:03 remaining in the 3rd by Tyler Seguin and Esa 4Colorado: 2#COLvsDAL #TexasHockey #GoAvsGo — NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) May 4, 2025 1. Rantanen's individual effort to cut through the Avs defense and wrap the puck around for the tying goal, getting the puck to the front of the net even after getting tripped up by Blackwood's pad, has to be the top moment. If it weren't for his individual effort to score the two goals to tie the game up, Colorado very well could have gone on to win the series. RANTANEN DOES IT ALL BY HIMSELF AND WE HAVE A TIE GAME 😱 — B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 4, 2025 A memorable series and a history making performance by Rantanen will go down in Stars lore as one of the most unbelievable memories in franchise history. And if the team wins the Stanley Cup, it will be solely due to this performance - a single-handed effort bring the team back from the dead in a Game 7 that would have ended their playoff run far too early. Make sure you bookmark THN's Dallas Stars site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. When Stars' Heiskanen & Robertson Will Make Important Return Stars' Pete DeBoer New Record Proves Greatness Do or Die For Stars, Avalanche in Game Seven Star Defenseman, Forward Out for Game 7 Follow Taylor on Twitter: @THN_taylor
New York Times
02-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
How the Avalanche forced Game 7 vs. Dallas with wild 7-4 win: Takeaways
DENVER — Colin Blackwell put his hands on his head. Sam Steel covered his face with both gloves. Both looked to the heavens — well, the Ball Arena rafters — in utter disbelief. This? This is how we get to a Game 7? Oh, well. The hockey world will take it. Nathan MacKinnon got credit for the goal, but it was the Stars who put the decisive puck past Jake Oettinger. The Stars goaltender had stopped a MacKinnon drive to the net, and the puck lay on the doorstep. Steel was the first one there, and he swept it out of the slot, firing it straight to the side. But Blackwell — the Game 2 overtime hero — was standing right there. The puck hit his shoulder and fluttered over a flailing Oettinger's glove. That stood as the game-winner in a 7-4 Avalanche victory (Colorado added two empty-netters) that was full of scoring chances and wild momentum swings and some of the fastest, most frenetic action of these, or any, playoffs. Advertisement For a game this spectacular in a series this good to come down to an own goal doesn't seem right, but this matchup — a true clash of titans in the first round — had to go seven games. Colorado was in deep trouble entering the third period, down a goal after Dallas scored four times in a truly wild second period. The Avalanche were staring down a second straight six-game los to the rival Stars, and were looking at a third straight early postseason exit since their 2022 championship. But Valeri Nichushkin scored his second goal of the game at 6:02 of the third period, knocking in a rebound from Gabriel Landeskog (who had two points on the night, and has four in four games since dramatically returning from a nearly three-year absence). Then, three minutes later, MacKinnon made his move and Colorado got its second incredibly fortunate bounce of the game, and third of the series. It undermined a terrific performance by Oettinger, who finished with 41 saves, nullified a pair of four-point games by Dallas' Rantanen and Roope Hintz, and sent the series back to Dallas for Saturday's Game 7 at American Airlines Center. The Stars had exactly the kind of start they wanted. There were seven whistles in the first 68 seconds and Dallas seemed to have early control of the game. The crowd enthusiasm was waning, and the Avalanche looked a little tense, a little tight. One fortunate bounce changed everything. Go to a hockey game, score a goal, and get a geometry lesson. #GoAvsGo | #BuiltDifferent — x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) May 2, 2025 At the 6:29 mark of the first period, Landeskog had a clean zone entry and left the puck for Brock Nelson, who slung a cross-slot pass to a charging Nichushkin. Esa Lindell made a good play on Nichushkin's shot, getting a stick on it, and sending it well wide of the net. But on its way, the puck ticked off Ilya Lyubushkin's skate and past Oettinger for the first goal of the game. It was reminiscent of Game 1, when the Avalanche broke the ice with a similarly fluky goal, as Artturi Lehkonen inadvertently kicked it in while being dragged to the ice by Mavrik Bourque. Advertisement From there, the Avalanche absolutely took over, all those pregame nerves that were evident in a tense and quiet post-skate locker room instantly melting away. Cale Makar started dancing, Marty Necas was doing spin-o-ramas, and MacKinnon went on the attack. By the time Lehkonen beat Cody Ceci to a rebound — Oettinger was particularly springy in the first period — to make it 2-0, the Avalanche were in complete control. Colorado finished the period with 20 shots on goal — and held a ridiculous 10-1 edge in high-danger scoring chances, per Natural Stat Trick — and Oettinger and the Stars were somewhat fortunate to only be down two. Where to even begin? The entire tenor of the game changed with a sequence in the opening minute of the second period. Makar, the Norris and Lindsay finalist who's still looking for his first goal of the series, walked in on Oettinger and fired from point-blank range. But Oettinger made the save, and Brock Nelson promptly took a foolish tripping penalty in the offensive zone seconds later. Then, 23 seconds into the ensuing power play, Hintz's rebound attempt was knocked past Mackenzie Blackwood — who had lost his stick — by a sliding Charlie Coyle. What could have been a 3-0 game was now 2-1, and one of the most frantic periods imaginable was on. By the end of the period, Hintz and Mikko Rantanen each had two goals and two assists. Counting Mikael Granlund's equalizer less than three minutes after Hintz's power-play goal, Finns had nine points for the Stars in the second period. Rantanen, in particular, was sensational against his old team. He made maybe the best play of a period full of brilliant plays from center ice. Three minutes after Necas scored a backdoor goal off a beautiful one-touch feed from Makar, Rantanen got the puck along the wall between the benches and then muscled his way to a primary assist. First, he shoved aside Samuel Girard with one arm without losing the puck, and then didn't even move as Girard tried to can-opener him between the legs. He then feathered a slick little pass between Girard and MacKinnon to Hintz, who beat Lehkonen down the ice and sniped it to tie the game at 3-3. Hintz and Rantanen combined on another goal late in the period, sending a shell-shocked Colorado team into the locker room. There isn't enough bandwidth on the Internet to list all the scoring chances both ways. Oettinger was magnificent, stopping 15 of 16 shots in the period. His swatting of a point-blank chance by Jack Drury at the 11:30 mark was a highlight. It was a breathless, track-meet style of play. In theory, it's a style that Colorado would probably welcome and Dallas would prefer to avoid. But the Stars embraced the chaos and beat the speedy Avs at their own game. Advertisement It was a comparison Pete DeBoer was wary of making, but he made it anyway. While discussing Oettinger's penchant for getting stronger as a series goes on, DeBoer brought up Martin Brodeur — one of the great clutch goalies in NHL history — as a like-minded netminder. A 40-year-old Brodeur led DeBoer's New Jersey Devils to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012. 'Great goalies have that mindset where they raise their level at the most important time,' DeBoer said. 'I saw it (with Brodeur) multiple times, but I remember we were down in the first round that year to Florida and had to come back and win Game 6 in overtime and Game 7 in double overtime. Both nights, regardless of what the score had been or what had happened during that game, he just found another level at the most important times. And you realized why he had the career he had. I think great goaltenders have that mental edge.' Oettinger has the numbers to back it up. In the first two rounds last spring, against Vegas and Colorado, Oettinger posted a .933 save percentage in Games 4-7. In 2023, he had a .916 in such games. In his unforgettable series against Calgary in 2022 as a rookie, Oettinger had a .947 save percentage over the final four games. 'It's a mental toughness,' Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. 'It's a competitiveness to rise to the occasion the more important the moment gets. He's got that.' His numbers aren't exactly flawless either. Last spring, Oettinger allowed nine goals on just 64 shots as the Edmonton Oilers won Games 4-6 to win the Western Conference final. And a 6-0 loss to Vegas in the decisive Game 6 of the 2023 Western Conference final will be a tough one to forget. But his performance Thursday night was a doozy, no matter what the numbers say. There was a scary moment early in the second period as Lian Bichsel lost an edge while battling for a puck with Drury. Bischel went hard into the boards and lay motionless on the ice for a couple of minutes before slowly being helped up and off the ice. Somewhat shockingly, he returned for the third period. Bischel, a hulking rookie, has been a physical presence for the Stars all series, helping to fill the void left by Miro Heiskanen.
New York Times
24-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Inside Gabriel Landeskog's remarkable comeback after 3 years away from the NHL
DENVER — A storybook ending it was not. But don't tell Gabriel Landeskog that. Of course, losing 2-1 in overtime to the Dallas Stars stung, especially for someone who is so incredibly competitive, but in the immediate aftermath of a career comeback that nearly wasn't, until it finally was 34 months later, the 32-year-old captain of the Colorado Avalanche absolutely appreciated the bigger story at hand. Advertisement 'From my perspective, regardless of the outcome of the game, that was a memory of a lifetime for me,'' Landeskog said postgame. 'It was very special.'' From the end of the Stanley Cup final on June 26, 2022, to Game 3 of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs for Colorado, a span of 1,032 days, Landeskog was back in an NHL game Wednesday night, something that was very much in doubt during the darkest days of his long recovery. 'I've probably played this game 100 times in my mind already and envisioned what it was going to feel like,'' he said. 'And obviously it wasn't even close to what it actually felt like. But at least I had envisioned it and allowed myself to go there at times. But then all day today and all week really I've had to keep my emotions in check and try to stay calm and in control. When you get all riled up and you get all emotional, it's easy to get tired extra fast, it's easy to make stupid decisions out there and make the wrong reads. So I was trying to make sure I was as in-tuned to the game plan as I could be and same thing with my emotions. 'But at the same time allowing myself to enjoy everything because it's a very special night.'' LANDY 🗣️ LANDY 🗣️ LANDY 🗣️ #GoAvsGo | #BuiltDifferent — x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) April 24, 2025 Landeskog energized Ball Arena right from warmup, leading his team out on the ice. The reaction from the crowd was pure love for their captain. 'I don't know what exactly was going through my body and mind at that time, but it was pretty special,'' Landeskog said of the fans' embrace. 'That's a memory for life. Simple as that. Yeah, Avs faithful, they make it special, you know? It's a special place to play, it's a special place to live and raise a family. Obviously last three years have been difficult at times and to come back and to feel that love, it's incredible.'' Advertisement Jared Bednar understood the moment. While Landeskog played on the third line on this night with Charlie Coyle and Joel Kiviranta, the Avs head coach made sure to have his captain in the starting lineup alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas so the Ball Arena crowd could further douse him with affection upon introduction. Regular-season game? Sure. But it's not every coach in the league who would do that for a playoff game. 'Obviously very special to be out there for that,'' said Landeskog. 'I think that just goes to show what kind of people we have in this organization, top to bottom. I wouldn't be sitting here today if it wasn't for the support of everybody in this organization.'' Then, puck drop. Landeskog decked his old buddy Mikko Rantanen on his first shift, which set the tone for what was his usual physical brand of hockey, the captain throwing his weight around without hesitation all night, leading the Avs with six hits in the game. He set up Coyle in the slot for a decent scoring chance in the second period. He also took a pretty good hit from Stars defenseman Lian Bichsel in the third period but got up on his feet. All in all, a rather smooth return for Landeskog after all this time, playing 13:16 minutes on 18 shifts, including 1:45 of power-play time on the second unit. 'I felt pretty good,' he said. 'Speed wise, legs, physically, I felt good. You know, it's still my third game (including two AHL games). So I got a lot of things to improve on, and just timing and seeing things, seeing the right plays, executing them. So that's one of the positives is there's a lot of areas of improvement. I'm looking forward to it, and I think every game is going to continue to get better. Same thing goes for our team.'' He got more than his feet wet on this night. 'It was great to have him back,' said Bednar. 'I thought the building was incredible, like right from the start of the game. The energy, they embraced him coming back as they should. It was great to see. … I was pleasantly surprised with the poise he showed with the puck and being able to make plays. It's happening fast. There's not a lot of room. But he looked pretty relaxed and made a lot of plays for us tonight.'' It was a night Landeskog wasn't sure would happen. There isn't a single player in NHL history who knows exactly how Landeskog felt because no other player has ever come back and played in the NHL from this exact form of cartilage transplant knee surgery. But there are certainly players who have lived some elements of it. Take Steven Stamkos, who willed himself back in a seven-month recovery for only a few shifts in Game 3 of the 2020 Stanley Cup final, scoring a goal of course, before re-injuring himself. But it was worth it for him to get that moment in a Cup championship year. Stamkos also missed three months and a chance to play in the 2014 Olympics after suffering a broken leg in 2013-14. Advertisement So yeah, he can relate to what Landeskog has gone through to some degree. 'It's a ton of work behind the scenes that takes a village,'' Stamkos told The Athletic via text message this week. 'From family to friends to the training staff. It's a proud moment for everyone involved. Obviously a lot a dark days, too, and I can't even imagine three years. But I'm extremely proud of Gabe. I have seen some of the work he has put in during the summer months where we train together with Gary Roberts. He is one of the great competitors I have played against and he is an even better person.'' Landeskog started doing offseason work with the Gary Roberts Performance team north of Toronto back in the summer of '21. Roberts' group, which has also helped the likes of Connor McDavid and many other NHLers, has been among the different sources helping Landeskog in this three-year journey back. 'I watched every shift of his return in the AHL,'' Roberts said in a phone interview with The Athletic on Wednesday. 'To see what he's done, the commitment, the patience, the professionalism that he's shown through this, he's a pretty darn good human,' added Roberts. 'You don't come across too many Gabe Landeskogs in your time.'' Roberts has the unique perspective of not only being involved in Landeskog's comeback but having himself lived those fears when he played, unsure if a serious neck injury was ending his career back in the 1990s. 'I took 18 months off playing in the NHL. I know how I felt coming back from 18 months off, I can't imagine what three years and jumping into the Stanley Cup playoffs feels like,'' Roberts said. Roberts still remembers after the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in '22, Landeskog FaceTimed the Roberts group with the Stanley Cup and thanked them for their work with him. 'But then to see what he went through after that, with the ups and downs and the surgeries and the cartilage transplant, it's been a long road for this poor guy,'' said Roberts. Advertisement Adrian Vilaca, strength and conditioning coach for the Gary Roberts Performance group, has worked a lot with Landeskog through this. He was here in Denver for Game 3 Wednesday night. It was important for him to be on hand for it, knowing how much Landeskog had put into this near miracle comeback. 'I'd be lying if I said there weren't moments that we didn't think it would happen, so it's pretty special,'' Vilaca told The Athletic during the first intermission. 'One thing that's so impressive about Gabe is his mind. He's committed to the process. He really took it one step at a time. So sometimes it was one step forwards, and truthfully sometimes it was backwards. We were in some dark places, myself and the entire (Roberts) performance team, and the Colorado guys did a great job, and Bill Knowles in Philadelphia did a great job. 'But sometimes we'd feel four weeks ahead of schedule, then two weeks behind schedule. It was not an easy process.'' Landeskog and Vilaca went to see Knowles in Philadelphia several times. He's a renowned specialist and therapist who works with athletes in different sports recovering from serious knee injuries. Marcin Goszczyński, a performance rehabilitation specialist, is another key trainer here in Denver who has been instrumental for Landeskog. Just one of many people who played a part in Landeskog finding a way back. 'It was a pretty collaborative process,' said Roberts. 'It wasn't just us involved, he had chiropractors and doctors involved. My point is it took more than one person to help direct Gabe. And of course, when you're not healing as fast as you want to heal, you start searching for other specialists or other people who have the knowledge to try to help him. I'm sure at one point he felt like he was chasing his tail, because he wasn't making enough progress fast enough.'' Advertisement And sometimes wanting it so bad meant making mistakes. 'Gabe would say this but sometimes during the process he wasn't patient enough and he would end up getting sore or end up getting swelling,' Roberts said. 'It was a real give and take, and I would say that's where Adrian Vilaca, he was a real big plus for Gabe, because he understood that you couldn't do too much in one workout or it would be a negative effect. 'The biggest challenge was just being patient and letting him heal,'' added Roberts. 'He just needed time. I mean, I don't think anybody thought it would be three years.'' Roberts himself remembers the uncertainty during his comeback back in 1997. 'You just fight these emotions every day,' said Roberts. 'You just always come back to this as an athlete, you end up saying, 'If I don't try, I'll never know.''' Roberts would end up playing another 12 years after completing his comeback. Who knows what this comeback means now for Landeskog. Who knows what kind of player he can be. Does he eventually return to first-line form or will he do his best as a bottom-six guy for the rest of his career? Or does the knee give him issues again? Nobody knows. But just making it back for Game 3 Wednesday night will always be worth it. Even in the heat of a playoff series between rivals, it's a comeback that will be talked about forever — and one that earned admiration in the Stars dressing room, too. 'He's done so much work the last three years to come back, and it's been ups and downs and disappointments and excitement and then back to disappointment. So to see him now do well and be back on the ice, happy for him,'' said Rantanen, who fittingly stood across from Landeskog for the opening faceoff. 'I'm thrilled,'' said his old Avs teammate Matt Duchene. 'I think that's so much bigger than hockey in this series. … He's got a lot of runway left. Hopefully it's not one of those things where it acts back up. For me, I look at two separate things. You obviously got to compete against him, and when you go out there, he's just another player. But on the other side of things, it's great. I'm just really happy that he's gotten to this point.'' Advertisement Everyone in hockey is. But perhaps no one was happier on this night than Landeskog's kids, aged 4 and 5, holding up signs in warmup, cheering on dad. 'That was as close to losing it during warmup was when I looked over at that and seeing their big, smiling faces,'' said Landeskog. 'It was very special. They've probably been thinking that I've been lying this whole time that I play hockey. I really do.'' He smiled as he said that. It was a smile three years in the making.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
3 Takeaways From Flames Loss To Avalanche
The Calgary Flames (30-24-11) are in must-win territory on a nightly basis, but dropped their second consecutive contest on Friday, losing to the Colorado Avalanche 4-2 at the Saddledome. Despite the loss, the Flames remain in the second wildcard spot but no longer have a game-in-hand over the Vancouver Canucks. Since Calgary doesn't play until Monday, they will spend the weekend scoreboard watching. In a crucial game, the Flames came out flat. Even though it was a quiet opening period for both teams, as they combined for nine shots, 7-2, the Avalanche struck first at 13:21. Meanwhile, Calgary didn't do much in the second, giving up the game's second goal at 5:55. Only in the dying minutes did the Flames get any momentum. They ended the period with many shots, which comprised the bulk of their eight. Still, ten shots through 40 minutes isn't part of the recipe for success. 🔥FLAMES GOAL🔥Rasmus Andersson's shot goes off Jonathan Huberdeau's shoulder and in. That crazy bounce makes this a one goal game! 🎥: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames #GoAvsGo — Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 15, 2025 Once Blake Coleman made it 2-1 at 3:08, a costly miscommunication behind the net allowed the Avalanche to restore their two-goal lead. Jonathan Huberdeau's power-play goal made things interesting in the final four minutes, but a turnover led to an empty net goal and Colorado walked away with two points. It's no secret that the Flames are the lowest scoring team in the NHL and their goals-per-game average also ranks at the bottom. Against the Avalanche on Friday, the Flames scored less than their 2.55 average, which would make easy pickings in a playoff series. If the postseason started today, the Flames, as the second-seeded wildcard, would play the Vegas Golden Knights, the fourth-best team in the NHL. NHL Highlights | Avalanche vs. Flames - March 14, 2025 Ryan Lindgren opened the scoring for the Colorado Avalanche, while Parker Kelly found the back of the net twice as the Avalanche roll against the Calgary Fla... They score 3.35 goals a game and give up 2.70. Both numbers intimidate the Flames and their fan base because the team struggles to score. Ultimately, on Friday, the Flames showed they are not in the same position as the Western Conference top teams like the Avalanche, Winnipeg Jets, or Golden Knights. Although they had moments where they controlled the pace of play, the outcome of this game was never in question. Dustin Wolf finished his night with 24 saves on 27 shots, good enough for a .889 SV%, the lowest total in a a loss to the Avalanche on Feb. 6, when he registered a .882 SV%. Any contending team wants to ride their top goalie every night to climb the standings and clinch a playoff spot in the Flames' case. Dustin Wolf is built different — B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) March 15, 2025 However, Calgary hasn't done enough to support their young netminder, who just played his 40th game of the season for a career high. He may have played over 50 games in the AHL, but the NHL is a more competitive league and boasts some of the best players on the planet. At this point, Wolf has worked his way into the Calder Trophy conversation, and many feel he should be a Hart Trophy candidate, but he's a one-person show with little to no help. With everything on the line on Friday, Wolf did everything he could to keep his team in the game, but with not much going on at the other end of the ice, it's been a difficult stretch for the youngster who remains one of the league's top netminders.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Canadiens Found New Lease Of Life In Colorado
Jonathan Drouin - Photo credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images When the Montreal Canadiens traded Mikhail Sergachev to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Jonathan Drouin, fans and management alike thought the search for a number one center was over. The Habs brass was so convinced that it immediately signed Drouin to a six-year pact worth $33 M. Roman Rotenberg Explains Ivan Demidov BenchingKirby Dach Just Had SurgeryDouble Header With Buffalo Ahead The Drouin as a center experiment failed miserably in Montreal, in his first season, he gathered 46 points but finished the season with a minus-28 rating. A playmaker at heart (there's a column on the right of the goal column as he told a journalist a couple of years ago), he was not responsible enough defensively to be used as a pivot. Even worse, he only had a 42% success rate at the faceoff dot. The Canadiens moved him to the wing, hoping to get the best offensive production from the forward. However, he could never score more than 53 points and never played an entire 82-game season. Through six seasons in Montreal, he played 321 out of a possible 455 games (the Canadiens played 71 games because of the pandemic in 2019-20 and 56 games in the shortened season that featured the Canadian division), only 71% of the games played. Plagued by wrist injuries and mental health issues, Drouin played out his contract in Montreal and signed with the Colorado Avalanche as a free agent before the 2023-24 campaign. He reunited with his junior teammate Nathan MacKinnon and had a career high in points, with 56 in his first campaign near the Rocky Mountains. Playing in 79 games on a $825,000 contract, he gave Colorado its money's worth. Jonathan Drouin a raté sa part de matchs cette saison, mais quand il est en santé... 💥#GoAvsGo #TVASports — TVA Sports (@TVASports) March 1, 2025 A free agent again last Summer, he decided to stay with the Avalanche and signed a one-year deal with a $2.5 M cap hit. Unfortunately for Drouin, the injury ninja figured out where to find him. He has been limited to just 28 games this season, but he has 25 points. That's a 73 points projected on 82 games. He would have been a fan favourite had he managed to do that in Montreal. Unfortunately for the fans and Drouin himself, he didn't have the same type of linemates in Montreal as in Colorado, and the pressure level was different. In Montreal, his contract meant that he should be 'THE guy,' but in Colorado, he's one of the guys and not the team's stars. Not to rub salt in the wound, but Drouin is not the only former Canadiens who is thriving in Colorado. Artturi Lehkonen, who was a regular in the Habs' bottom six, became top-six material in Denver. He's also dealt with many injuries, but he won the Stanley Cup with the Avs, scoring the cup-winning goal and signing a 5-year contract with a $4.5 M cap hit. ARTTURI LEHKONEN SCORES A GOAL IN HIS FIRST GAME BACK #GoAvsGo — PrimeMakar8 (@retro_colorado) February 27, 2025 Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, never to miss a story. Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @ and Threads @karinehains. Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.
