That Colorado Avalanche squad back in 2020 would have gone far had they not been completely decimated by injuries in the second round against Dallas Stars. However, in the NHL playoffs, you never know what’s going to happen, and if they get past the Stars, they have a chance.
Joel Kiviranta did not give them that chance.
In Game 7, he scored a hat trick, including the overtime winner, sending the Avalanche home for the off-season.
This fall, he will wear Burgundy and Blue, as the Avalanche brought him to training camp on a professional tryout.
Professional Testing
Joel Kiviranta (RW, LW) | COL#GoAvsGohttps://t.co/hNeeByO5K0— CapFriendly Transactions (@CF_Transactions) August 28, 2023
While Kiviranta was made like a superstar that night, he was never able to carve out much of an NHL career for himself from then on. While he was a full-time player for the Stars last year, playing in 70 games, he only registered 9 points. His basic stats are nothing to write home about, but he seems to offer some defensive value.
The 27-year-old forward hasn’t played a single game in the AHL since 2020. That doesn’t mean the Avalanche can’t sign him and try to keep him from the Eagles, but it’s worth noting. This is the second forward the Avalanche have brought in from Dallas this summer, as they acquired Fredrik Olofsson in June.
I wouldn’t work much on a PTO at this point. The Avalanche usually bring a few to every training camp, but most of them don’t get NHL deals. Kiviranta needs to show he’s worthy of one, and he can certainly do that on a Colorado squad that needs a little more depth up front. If there’s any concern, it’s that PTO guys like Kiviranta and Peter Holland could take away opportunities for young players to get bigger looks in camp. Until camp rolls around, we don’t know if that will be the case, though.
Those were two PTOs last week, so things are picking up. Watch out for CHN heading into training camp.