The Colorado Avalanche’s practice groups on Tuesday offered a pretty clear snapshot of what Opening Night could look like.
The coaching staff split camp into two groups, and the first one looked a lot like a regular-season roster. The second group, by comparison, looked far more like the Colorado Eagles.
At the top of the forward group, there were no real mysteries. Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas and Artturi Lehkonen were together on the first line, which fits the way this roster has been shaping up. Behind them, the second line of Brock Nelson, Nazem Kadri and Gabriel Landeskog also has a familiar, sturdy feel.
The bottom six is where things get a little more interesting.
Nic Roy, who many would have expected to slide into the third-line center job, was instead on the wing. Fedor Svechkov was in the middle, with Jaden Schwartz on the other side.
It’s a workable trio, and Roy’s scoring versatility gives it some bite, but Svechkov lining up on the third line rather than the checking line stands out a bit. Early returns had him there before.
That shift also changes the look of the fourth line. Parker Kelly appears to be the fourth-line center, flanked by Zachary L’Heureux and Logan O’Connor. Kelly and L’Heureux fit that role fine, though O’Connor might offer more offense if he were higher in the lineup.
For now, though, those are the forward combinations. They can change once the games count and the competition gets real.
On defense, there were no surprises at all.
Devon Toews and Cale Makar were the top pair, as expected. Brett Kulak and Sam Malinski formed the second pair, giving Colorado a defensive defenseman in Kulak alongside a puck-mover in Malinski.
The third pair of Josh Manson and Brent Burns also makes sense, especially if the team wants to manage the workload for two older players. Jared Bednar would probably prefer not to run them into the ground.
Noah Juulsen looks like the seventh defenseman, which lined up with the feeling around the team ever since he was signed this offseason.
In goal, the picture is just as straightforward. MacKenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood are the tandem, and that appears to be the setup Colorado will use.
That leaves 21 roster spots looking locked in, with room for two more. Those final spots could go to the 13th forward and possibly another defenseman. Taylor Makar and TJ Hughes are possibilities, or the Avalanche could have one of them make it while another blueliner such as Alex Gagne gets a chance with the big club.
There doesn’t seem to be a strong need for another defenseman, so the extra spots may go to two forwards. If Makar and Hughes both make it, Colorado could have some intriguing lineup options early while keeping veterans fresher over the course of the season.
In Other News...
Avalanche Suddenly Face A Bigger Problem Than The Score Against Winnipeg
The Avalanche spent most of the night in a familiar kind of trouble, chasing the puck in their own end and giving Winnipeg too many looks off defensive-zone mistakes. Even with a strong penalty kill keeping the damage from getting worse, Colorados five-on-five structure was the bigger issue, and the Jets made the Avs pay for the turnovers that kept extending shifts and tilting the ice the wrong way.
By the time Colorado headed into the third period down 2-0, the score was only part of the concern. The game had already turned choppy and physical, with penalties interrupting the rhythm, and the Avalanche needed a cleaner, calmer final frame just to give themselves a chance at a comeback. For a team that usually wants to dictate pace, the problem was less about chasing goals than finding a way to stop creating new ones against itself. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Face A Tough Final Roster Battle Before Opening Night
With opening night approaching, the Avalanche are facing the kind of roster trim every contender would rather avoid. Colorado has 32 players in camp and has to get down to 23 before the season begins, which means some useful depth pieces are going to be pushed into a difficult waiting game. Around the league, the first guesses often drift toward familiar names, and in this case Parker Kelly and Logan OConnor have come up in that conversation, along with Brent Burns, even if that last possibility feels far less likely given the role hes expected to play.
The harder part for the Avalanche is that the decision tree does not stop at the obvious veterans. Fabian Lysell and Domenick Fensore are among the players forcing the club to weigh present-day depth against longer-term value, and those calls can get messy fast once waivers enter the picture. Colorado still has time to sort it out, but the final round of camp is usually where a teams depth chart reveals more than anyone planned, and this one looks like it could be especially tight. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Preseason Loss Put A Few Early Roster Battles In Focus
The Avalanches preseason meeting with the Jets at Canada Life Center offered an early look at a roster that is still taking shape, even in a 3-1 loss. Colorado dressed only a limited number of players who are likely to be in the opening-night mix, which meant the game was as much about sorting out depth and roles as it was about the final score.
Winnipeg got goals from Gabriel Vilardi, Cole Perfetti and Dylan DeMelo, while Colorados offense came from Georgii Merkulov, with Brett Kulak and Fabian Lysell setting him up. For a team still weighing a few early roster battles, nights like this tend to matter less for the result than for the way individual players handle bigger minutes and a less settled lineup. [Read more 🡒]