Projected Lineups for the Avalanche vs Canucks – 12/16/24

The Colorado Avalanche take on the Vancouver Canucks tonight at Rogers Arena. Here are the projected/expected lineups sourced from NHL.com staff writers, independent correspondents, and others.

AVALANCHE (18-14-0) at CANUCKS (15-9-5)

10:30 p.m. ET; SNP, ALT

Avalanche projected lineup

Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Mikko Rantanen
Ross Colton — Casey Mittelstadt — Valeri Nichushkin
Joel Kiviranta — Parker Kelly — Logan O’Connor
Tye Felhaber — Ivan Ivan — Chris Wagner

Devon Toews — Cale Makar
Samuel Girard — Sam Malinski
Keaton Middleton — Calvin de Haan

Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood

Scratched: John Ludvig, Givani Smith

Injured: Josh Manson (upper body), Jonathan Drouin (upper body), Oliver Kylington (undisclosed), Gabriel Landeskog (knee), Tucker Poolman (head), Miles Wood (upper body)

Status report

• Felhaber will make his NHL debut after signing a two-year contract with the Avalanche on Sunday. … Manson, a defenseman who has missed eight games, skated with teammates Monday for the first time since he was injured Nov. 29 and could return during Colorado’s three-game road trip.

More from THW:

• Nathan MacKinnon Passes Michel Goulet for 3rd-Most Points in Avalanche History
• Projected Lineups for the Predators vs Avalanche – 12/14/24
• 3 Takeaways From Avalanche’s 4-1 Loss to the Utah Hockey Club

Canucks projected lineup

Conor Garland — J.T. Miller — Brock Boeser
Jake DeBrusk — Elias Pettersson — Max Sasson
Danton Heinen — Pius Suter — Kiefer Sherwood
Dakota Joshua — Teddy Blueger — Nils Hoglander

Quinn Hughes — Noah Juulsen
Carson Soucy — Tyler Myers
Erik Brannstrom — Vincent Desharnais

Thatcher Demko
Arturs Silovs

Scratched: Mark Friedman

Injured: Kevin Lankinen (illness), Derek Forbort (illness), Filip Hronek (upper body)

Status report

• Forbort, a defenseman, and Lankinen, a goalie, will miss a second straight game. … The Canucks changed all four forward lines after a 5-1 loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday. They also swapped Myers and Juulsen on defense, and Desharnais will replace Friedman, a defenseman, after being scratched for two games.

More from THW:

• Canucks Notebook: Hypothetical Pettersson Trade, Boeser’s Future, Sasson Promoted & More
• 5 Concerning Trends for the Vancouver Canucks
• Jim Rutherford’s Take on Canucks’ Struggles, Stars, and the Path Forward