Avalanche activate Jonathan Drouin, Miles Wood from injured reserve

On Thursday, the Colorado Avalanche announced that forward Miles Wood and Jonathan Drouin have both been activated from injured reserve.

Both have missed considerable time with upper-body injuries.

The duo, along with Valeri Nichushkin, are expected to be in the Avalanche’s lineup on Friday night when they host the Washington Capitals.

Drouin hasn’t played since Colorado’s season-opening loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 9. It was later revealed that he was going to miss some time due to an injury. The former Halifax Moosehead played 21:25 against the Golden Knights, though he didn’t put up a point while linemate Mikko Rantanen scored a hat trick in the 8-4 defeat.

The 29-year-old is in his second season with the Avs. He found success reuniting with junior teammate and team captain Nathan MacKinnon last season, scoring 19 goals while setting career highs in assists (37) and points (56). His play earned him a one-year extension to stay in Denver, with a cap hit of $2.5 million.

Wood has not been out as long, having last appeared in the Avs’ lineup coming in a 5-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 28. His recovery has taken a little longer than expected, as the initial prognosis was that Wood would be out for a little over a week. The Buffalo native has missed the last seven games in which Colorado has gone 4-3-0 over that span.

In 10 games so far this season, Wood has scored one goal, that coming against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 12. He is also in his second year with the Avalanche, as the former New Jersey Devil signed a six-year contract to join Colorado in July 2023, which a $2.5 million AAV carrying through the 2028-29 season.

The Avalanche (9-8-0) are tied for third in the Central Division in points (18) with the Dallas Stars, but their .529 places them fifth in the division.