Jacob MacDonald

January 2023 – MacDonald has been traded to the San Jose Sharks. The depth defenseman/winger has played 33 games in 2022-23 due to numerous injuries at all positions, but has fallen out of rotation as the team has tried out the more physical options of MacDermid and Englund. His three points on the year is a poor showing, but his peripheral stats of SOG, hits, and blocks have been reliable over his career as a call-up and should continue in his new home if he receives any NHL looks. That being said, he is a proven productive AHL veteran at this stage of his career so it is very possible that is where his new organization envisions him. Hayden Soboleski

September 2022 – MacDonald has been placed on waivers amid NHL pre-season. He is set to play is usual role as a serviceable 8th or 9th defenseman who can also play on the wing in a pinch. Given the injury history of the Avs defense, fantasy owners can expect a handful of games which will result in decent SOG, hit, and block peripherals from the 29-year-old. Hayden Soboleski

March 2022 – MacDonald suffered a scary injury after getting hit with his head down along the boards during an NHL call-up. He left the ice on a stretcher and was out of action for over two months with a head injury as a result. He has returned to the AHL and has put up two points and 11 shots in five games so far which hopefully indicates he is back to his usual peripheral stat-generating self. If he stays in the lineup and productive, more injury fill-in time could come his way down the road as the Avs have locked up a playoff spot and may have the luxury of resting players if they want to. Hayden Soboleski

December 2021 – MacDonald has seen similar call-up duties as last year – lucky for him the Avalanche carry several injury-prone rearguards on their roster. He’s found his way into seven contests so far; like last season he is averaging over 1 SOG and 1 hit per game, but unlike last season his aTOI is only 8:43 (previously 14:57). He remains a serviceable stream in deep leagues when you need peripherals, but his usage has taken a hit thanks to the depth added last summer so consider his 2020-21 stats his best-case-scenario fantasy-wise. Hayden Soboleski

October 2021 – Despite being a serviceable fill-in on the back end in 2020-21, MacDonald did not make the Avs out of preseason and will begin 2021-22 in the AHL. He will be called again when injuries eventually occur, but his fantasy streaming potential built up from last year has been reset now that the team acquired reinforcements. Hayden Soboleski

March 2021 – Luckily for MacDonald, injuries and the Avalanche go together like peanut butter and jelly. As the hits keep coming he has remained in the lineup and become a solid streaming option for SOG (24 in 10 GP)  and hits (13 in 10 GP). His isn’t playing on either special team but his play has been passable for a depth defenseman. He has likely earned himself a permanent spot on the taxi squad as the go-to fill-in once his teammates get healthy. Enjoy the benefits while he is seeing action. Hayden Soboleski

January 2021 – MacDonald has been on Colorado’s  taxi squad and is now making his Avalanche debut thanks to injures to Johnson and Toews. This has been a long time coming for the consistent AHL veteran. He is a decent streaming option for SOG  and the odd point, but this role is unlikely to last once the team gets healthy. Hayden Soboleski

March 2020 – MacDonald has signed a two-year extension with the Avalanche. He has been an excellent fit with the AHL Eagles and this contract suggests the potential for call-up duties in the future, but he is currently the organization’s 7th LD option, so something has to give this off-season for this deal to mean much to fantasy owners. Hayden Soboleski

March 2020 – With 41 points in 55 games for the AHL Eagles, MacDonald leads his team defense in scoring for the third straight year all on different teams. This year’s totals comes with a caveat however – as the team became depleted up front he spent time playing as a forward where he was surprisingly successful. He’s certainly earned journeyman status as a 27-year-old who has played for 8 different NHL, AHL, and ECHL squads since college. His offensive abilities are renowned, and his chances of ever becoming an NHL call-up would certainly go up should the Avalanche be desperate for a PP shooter from the back end thanks to his absolute bomb of a shot. Unfortunately, he doesn’t always keep up in the defensive end and he can turn pucks over when there isn’t an obvious pass out of his own end. He is an option for the Avalanche should injuries hit, however they’ve been absolutely devastated at times this year and he still hasn’t seen the transaction sheet so it’s hard to imagine his chances improving. In addition, the Avs tend to play call-ups only a minuscule amount of minutes, so his fantasy value will be limited even in temporary roles. Hayden Soboleski