Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon activated off injured reserve

The Colorado Avalanche might get some of their high-end skill back, as superstar center Nathan MacKinnon has been activated off of injured reserve and might be returning to the lineup on Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

MacKinnon has been out of the lineup since December 5th, when he sustained an upper-body injury in a 5-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. He’s missed the last 11 games as a result so far, with the Avalanche going 6-3-2 in that span.

To the surprise of no one, MacKinnon is projected to slot onto the top line for the Avs if he does return, centering Mikko Rantanen and Artturi Lehkonen. That’s been the main combination for the top line for the Avs this season when all three are healthy, as they’ve played 241:55 of ice time together at 5v5, outscoring their opponents 9-7 along with a 53.5% expected goal share.

MacKinnon’s been producing with the best of them when he’s been healthy, as he currently has eight goals, 26 assists, and 34 points in 23 games. Even with the month on injured reserve, he sits 45th in scoring in the league, and is fifth in points per game among players with at least 20 games.

A former first overall pick of the Avalanche in 2013, MacKinnon has spent all of his 10-year career in Colorado, winning a Stanley Cup with them last season. He’s in the final year of his infamously cheap seven-year deal with a $6.3 million cap hit, and is set to make $12.6 million a year for the next seven years when his extension kicks in next season, which will be the highest cap hit in the league.

MacKinnon hasn’t been the only important piece on this roster that’s missed significant time. Valeri Nichushkin has only gotten into 15 games while dealing with an ankle injury, Bowen Byram and Josh Manson are both currently on injured reserve, and Gabriel Landeskog and Darren Helm have both been on long-term injured reserve since the beginning of the season.