Morning Flurries: Is that Tyson Jost’s music?

The Colorado Avalanche have been off since this weekend, getting a chance to fix that pesky jet lag after a weekend jaunt to play a set of games in Sweden.

They’re set to resume practice Wednesday morning at 11, but that didn’t stop the team from making some big moves ahead of time:

Both Rocco Grimaldi (who played on the Sweden trip) and AJ Greer (who didn’t) have been reassigned to the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage, leaving two open spots in the team’s offensive lineup heading into the back half of the week. [Mile High Hockey]

One of those is supposed to go to Vladislav Kamenev, the new 21-year-old Russian Colorado forward who is expected to join the team for practice today.

The other, though, could very well go to Tyson Jost. He’s been out with injury since October 19th, and the two-to-three week timetable initially given for his return has come and gone. If the team has opened up a spot in the lineup ahead of their return to the ice, it’s entirely possible he’s finally ready to go.

If so, that’s excellent news. Prior to his injury, the 2016 first-round pick had a goal and two points in six games, and all eyes were on him to see when he’d really take off.

Speaking of the forward corps, though...

The New York Islanders just lost key penalty killer Nikolay Kulemin, who’s out for six months with an injury.

In a must-win season, could they try to pick up Blake Comeau to fill that role? [MHH]

Another team back east has been dealing with a major injury - the Montreal Canadiens, who are still without Carey Price. They insist he’s not out long-term, but things aren’t getting better just yet. [Habs Eye On The Prize]

With that in mind, the Canadiens have picked up some insurance for their depth chart... in Antti Niemi. Yes, you read that correctly. [InGoal Magazine]

In another goaltending move on Tuesday, the Arizona Coyotes also shipped out a depth piece. Louis Domingue is now a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning. [Raw Charge]

Also, something to keep an eye on in regards to the Olympics: goaltender Parker Gahagen has been granted status in the World Class Athlete program by the US Military, giving him the chance to train with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda on an amateur tryout agreement for the upcoming Winter Olympics. [Fear the Fin]

Looking at the college scene: the Denver Pioneers just pulled off a major coup, getting a commitment from USHL’s Cole Guttman. He had previously been committed to St. Cloud State, adding some tension between the conference rivals. [MHH]

Finally, some food for thought: is the NHL the best place for Samuel Girard’s development this year? [MHH]