Avalanche Search for the Right Pieces Around Their Star-Studded Core
The Colorado Avalanche opened training camp this week, with the first preseason game scheduled against the Utah Mammoth on Sunday.
The Avalanche are coming off a 55-16-11 season and a trip to the Western Conference Finals, but the roster around its established stars has changed.
According to Adam Kimelman of NHL.com, the projected lineup has newcomers including Jaden Schwartz, Fedor Svechkov, Zachary L'Heureux, and Brett Kulak occupying significant spots. This camp isn't about discovering whether the Avalanche are good, it's about determining which supporting players make an already-good team better in May and June.
Kimelman of NHL.com wrote the projected bottom six currently looks like this:
Jaden Schwartz-Nicholas Roy-Logan O'Connor
Parker Kelly-Fedor Svechkov-Zachary L'Heureux
The question then becomes which combination gives head coach Jared Bednar the depth he didn't always have in previous playoff runs? That competition also gives Bednar something every coach wants entering a season: options. Injuries and inconsistency will inevitably force changes, and establishing trust in several different combinations during camp could give Bednar greater flexibility when the Avalanche need it most.
Defenseman Sam Malinski represents another kind of competition. The 28-year-old defenseman is coming off a breakout season which saw him finish with 40 points in 82 games. Rather than asking whether Malinski belongs in the NHL anymore, the question becomes how large his role can become. Cale Makar and Devon Toews remain the foundation, but the Avalanche need a second and third pair capable of surviving difficult playoff matchups. Malinski's emergence gives Bednar another option.
For Colorado's prospects, this camp may be less about making the Avalanche today than forcing management to remember their names tomorrow. That's particularly relevant for an organization that has a relatively thin prospect cupboard.
According to Coby Maeir of ColoradoAvalanche.com, the Avalanche's prospects went 1-0-1 at the Rookie Faceoff, beating Anaheim 7-2 before losing 6-5 in a shootout against Vegas. In the win against the Ducks, defenseman Alex Gagne finished with a Gordie Howe hat trick as he notched a goal, an assist and a fight in the contest.
The Avalanche won't spend September wondering whether Nathan MacKinnon can drive an offense or whether Makar can control a game from the blue line. Those questions were answered years ago.
The questions that remain are smaller, but they may not be any less important. Who plays alongside the stars? Who earns Bednar's trust when the lineup shortens? Who turns a September opportunity into an April role? The Avalanche already know the players who can carry it toward another Stanley Cup. Training camp is about finding the ones capable of helping them finish the trip.
Jason Fink is an NHL writer and lifelong hockey fan who fell in love with the game when he watched Wayne Gretzky’s Edmonton Oilers defeat the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1987 Stanley Cup Final. When he’s not writing, Jason enjoys spending time with his wife Michelle and their son Theo and daughter Stella. Whether he’s following the latest NHL news or cheering from the rink, his passion for the sport has been a constant throughout his life.