Avalanche’s Miles Wood ready to return from back injury, reunite with old friend

Miles Wood has more history with Mackenzie Blackwood than any other member of the Colorado Avalanche.

They were teammates for part of one season in the AHL and five years in the NHL with the New Jersey Devils. They’ve been two of the best golfers on every team they’ve played on.

Now, six weeks after Blackwood arrived in Denver in a trade, they might finally get to play in an NHL game together again. Wood skated Thursday with the Avalanche and could return to the lineup as soon as Saturday in Boston.

“He’s coming on the trip. Hopefully, everything goes smoothly,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “We’ll make our decision and see if he’s good to go for Boston. Obviously, a back-to-back right out of the gate, so we’ll just play it by ear.”

Wood hasn’t played since Nov. 27 because of a back injury. He’s been skating for about two weeks to get back into game shape, and his return could give the Avs a boost as the club desperately seeks more depth in the lineup.

Not only has Colorado swapped out both goaltenders while Wood was away, but the Avs also added Juuso Parssinen, who could play with Wood on the fourth line when he returns.

“I feel good right now. It is good to be back with the guys,” Wood said. “You just appreciate the game more. It can be taken away from you pretty quickly in this league.”

Wood said he dealt with a back issue near the end of last season before the playoffs began. The problem went away during the offseason, and he felt great coming into this campaign.

This is a different kind of injury, not just something that he can rehab once and be done with.

“It’s very frustrating,” Wood said. “I thought it was healed, then I tweaked it again and kind of went back to square one. Hopefully, I don’t have to deal with that (specifically) again.

“I hope to be back at 100%, but knowing back problems and talking to players who have dealt with the same thing, it’s going to be something I have to take care of probably throughout the rest of my career.”

Wood signed a six-year contract with the Avs before last season. He had 9 goals and 26 points last season, playing mostly on the third line.

The 29-year-old wing had a slow start to this season, with two goals and one assist in 16 games before the injury. Given how much Bednar has liked a new-look third line, with Parker Kelly and Joel Kiviranta joining Logan O’Connor, Wood seems destined to start on the fourth line.

“It’s good to have him back, good to have (Chris Wagner) back,” Bednar said. “You get a little more veteran presence. Both guys can help us in different areas, including on the penalty kill. Gives us a couple of extra killers with (Valeri Nichushkin) out of the lineup.

“I think depending on where I play him, but we’ll probably ease him in a little bit here. … He’s feeling good. I’d rather have him in the lineup, even if it’s limited minutes.”