Compher will likely start on a line centered by Vladislav Kamenev, head coach Jared Bednar said on Thursday.

Forward J.T. Compher will return to the Colorado Avalanche's lineup for tonight's game at the Arizona Coyotes after being out for nearly six weeks with a head injury.

"We're going to start him on the wing here with Kamenev--we're going to leave him at center, really like what he's been doing there too," Bednar said following the Avs' practice on Thursday in El Segundo, California. "Hopefully lighten the load a little bit for J.T. coming back, let him get his footing, and then we'll make some decisions as time wears on on who we're going to play at center."

After registering three goals and an assist in the first five games of the season, Compher missed the next 16 contests due to the injury. He last played on Oct. 13 versus the Calgary Flames.

Thursday marked Compher's first full practice since getting hurt.

"There are certain things that you can control and certain things that you can't," Compher said after the on-ice session. "For me, it was trying to have a positive mindset through the whole thing and try and work my way back up conditioning wise and strength wise. I feel good going into this weekend."

Goaltender Philipp Grubauer will start in net for the Avalanche. He has a 4-0-2 record in his last six games.

Colorado did not hold a morning skate today, so the other components of the team's lineup won't be known until closer to game time.

The Avs are down one player on their roster, as Marko Dano was claimed on waivers by the Winnipeg Jets earlier on Friday. Colorado put Dano on waivers on Thursday to clear space on the active roster for Compher's impending return.

Tonight is the first meeting of the season between Colorado and Arizona and the last stop of a three-game road trip in the Pacific Division. The Avs won 4-3 in overtime on Sunday at the Anaheim Ducks and defeated the Los Angeles Kings 7-1 on Wednesday.

Below is the Avalanche's projected lineup based on the team's forward combinations and defensive pairings from Wednesday's contest at Los Angeles. They are subject to change.

Forwards

92 Gabriel Landeskog - 29 Nathan MacKinnon - 96 Mikko Rantanen

17 Tyson Jost - 13 Alexander Kerfoot - 22 Colin Wilson

15 Sheldon Dries - 34 Carl Soderberg - 11 Matt Calvert

37 J.T. Compher - 91 Vladislav Kamenev - 83 Matt Nieto / 10 Sven Andrighetto

Defensemen

49 Samuel Girard - 6 Erik Johnson

28 Ian Cole - 4 Tyson Barrie

12 Patrik Nemeth - 16 Nikita Zadorov

Goaltenders

31 Philipp Grubauer

1 Semyon Varlamov

Scratches: 44 Mark Barberio, 57 Gabriel Bourque

Injury Report: none