The Colorado Avalanche are expecting one of their scoring forwards to return from a lengthy injury layoff. Winger Jonathan Drouin, who has missed the last 16 games due to an upper-body injury, is anticipated to make his comeback when the Avs take on the Winnipeg Jets in their next matchup.
The Avalanche are getting healthy as the new year rapidly approaches, and the return of Drouin is an important next step. Following the announcement the team's head coach, Jared Bednar, commented on the importance of getting a healthy Drouin back in the Avs' lineup.
"I feel like the last little bit he's really been ramping up, looks good in practice," he said. "So, it's going to be nice to get him back. We've been without some of those top-six forwards for the whole season, I guess, and now we finally get him back. Should be a rested player, eager player, and we obviously know what he can provide to our team"
Last year, Drouin was majorly impressive in his debut season with the Avs. He potted 19 goals and added 37 assists for 56 points in 79 games played.
This year has been a completely different story for the former third overall pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning. He's played in just five games in 2024-2025 and has two goals and two assists.
He's also had two separate 16 game absences. With 32 missed contests, it's another season of missing games. He's never played a full 82 games over a season since entering the league over a decade ago.
When he's healthy, he's fit in perfectly in the Colorado top-six. It doesn't hurt that he and Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon began forming chemistry in junior hockey. The pair dominated the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) on the top line of the Halifax Mooseheads. During his draft season, Drouin posted 105 points in just 49 games while MacKinnon put up 75 points in 44 contests.
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