Avalanche Activate 2 Forwards From Injured Reserve

The Colorado Avalanche have staved off the huge injury pileup early this season as the team is starting to get healthy. The team has now activated Jonathan Drouin and Miles Wood from the injured reserve to get the forward group almost back to where it needs to be.

Drouin comes back into the lineup after missing every game since the season opener where he got initially injured. He should join Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen on the top line. Wood has missed the past seven games and should return to the bottom-6.

Valeri Nichushkin is set to make his season debut and Artturi Lehkonen recently returned to the lineup to fill the top-6. This is a very good offensive group when healthy, especially considering Ross Colton, who started the season with eight goals in 10 games, and captain Gabriel Landeskog, are still injured and not back in the lineup yet.

Drouin had a strong first season in Colorado with his former junior teammate MacKinnon. He will have to pick up where he left off if he is to stay on that top line. More than one player has proven they can move up and play on that line effectively this season and last if Drouin isn't up to the task.

Wood needs to get going. He will be on the third line, but has just one goal in 10 games on the season. He is expected to be lined up with Ivan Ivan and Nikolai Kovalenko who have both impressed in their first looks in the NHL.

That is hopefully the worst of it for the Avalanche as it was a lot for the team to have to manage through. Fortunately the big three didn't go down and dragged the team along with some impressive offensive showings so far this season. This is a contender when healthy and they are close to getting there.