Avalanche Boss Updates Lineup Plans for First Preseason Games
The Colorado Avalanche are getting set to host the Utah Mammoth in their first preseason game of the 2026 season as hockey is officially back.
And with the Avalanche set to host Utah, head coach Jared Bednar spoke to the media and revealed who will play in the contest and who will not, per Corey Masisak of the Denver Post (subscription required)
The preseason is usually the time for players that are on the roster bubble or rookies to get their first NHL chance. With Bednar revealing that players like Ilya Nabokov, Taylor Makar, Alex Gagne, and Nikita Prishchepov are suiting up, this is their time to show up and show out.
But also with Bednar revealing that it is going to be a mostly veteran lineup, this is their time to get their feet under them with the regular season starting soon. Guys like Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, and Brock Nelson are going to get some tuneup and are going to have to find their legs early.
The preseason is also a good time for the goalies to perform well
The preseason getting underway also means that it is a good time to get an evaluation of the goalies that the Avalanche have. The Avalanche currently ice MacKenzie Blackwood, Scott Wedgewood, and with Trent Miner hurt, they have Nabokov to play for now as well.
Blackwood and Wedgewood have been one of if not the best goalie tandem in the last few seasons. They are guys that have completely taken over games and even stolen games at times when they were not supposed to win them.
But in the playoffs, especially the Western Conference Final in 2025, they were shaky. But now is the time to evaluate them before the season begins and see if they can return to form again. They will not face great competition all preseason long, but it is a chance to rotate them in and see what they can do.
Blackwood and Wedgewood are going to be the tandem for the Avalanche this season as they have been the last couple go arounds. These two are going to try to continue to be one of the league's best goaltending tandems.
These two are guys that can carry the Avalanche far in the postseason and even to the Stanley Cup when they are at their best. The Avalanche tried relying on them last postseason, but were letdown.
They come into a new season looking for revenge after how their 2025 season ended. They will look to bounceback and return to form pretty quickly.
Tyler Miller is a 26-year-old Sports Journalist who has had a passion for writing ever since graduating from Georgia Southern University with a Journalism degree in 2022. Tyler has been writing about sports for going on 8 years now. Tyler has been a hockey fan for years and looks forward to covering the Colorado Avalanche for On SI. Tyler also has had experience writing for FanSided in the past where he was a site expert and a contributor across different sites.