It’s finally that time again for the Colorado Avalanche, with training camp set to bring all contracted players together for three days before four preseason games help shape the roster for the 2026-27 season opener on September 30th.
The camp roster is expected to include 56 players, and the early days should start to reveal a lot about where this team is headed. The biggest question is how serious the youth movement really is.
A cluster of young forwards could push for opening night jobs, but the real clues may come before the games even count. Usage in camp and preseason can tell you plenty, even if nothing is locked in yet.
Day one of on-ice work should give the first hint at how the organization is sorting them.
The veteran side of the equation is just as intriguing. Jaden Schwartz and the second Nazem Kadri era are the names to watch most closely, especially when it comes to line construction.
The assumption is that Schwartz was added to help stabilize Brock Nelson’s line, which would leave Kadri in a third-line center role. If that’s not how Jared Bednar sees it, camp should make that clear quickly.
Health is another issue worth tracking from the jump. Cale Makar has mostly been skating on his own after easing in, and Bednar said in his opening press conference that Makar is dealing with a new lower-body injury and may not be in right away.
Nathan MacKinnon was absent from all pre-camp gatherings, though he did skate with teammates two days before training camp began. Bednar also said there are a handful of lingering offseason issues, so availability will be a storyline to watch.
This year’s camp also comes with a different rhythm. Under the NHL’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement, the regular season has grown to 84 games, while preseason has been cut down by a week and capped at four games.
That makes preparation tighter and the margin for slow starts smaller. The Avalanche will either look refreshed by the extra rest or they’ll need time to build the kind of cohesion that usually comes from a longer preseason.
Then there’s the goaltending picture, which extends beyond Colorado’s NHL tandem. Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood are in the mix for the Avalanche, while the Colorado Eagles have their own situation to sort out with Trent Miner and top prospect Ilya Nabokov both in the fold.
With only four exhibition games to work with, the split in playing time will be worth watching. The ideal outcome is simple enough: by puck drop, each team has its starter identified.
In Other News...
MacKinnon Sends A Clear Message As Avalanche Face Bednar Pressure
Nathan MacKinnon made it clear he is not interested in turning Jared Bednar into the fall guy for Colorados latest playoff disappointment. Instead, the Avalanche star pointed to the Carolina Hurricanes as proof that a team can stay committed to its path and still find the right breakthrough, even after plenty of hard postseason lessons. For a club that has spent years trying to stay among the leagues elite, that kind of public backing matters, especially when the noise around the coach starts to grow.
Bednar, for his part, is not pretending nothing needs to change. He has said he plans to evolve his approach by leaning more into player development and spending less time on opponent-specific preparation, a sign he knows Colorado has to sharpen the parts of its game that matter most in May and beyond. The message from both sides is fairly simple: keep the foundation intact, make the necessary adjustments and avoid overreacting to a postseason that did not end the way the Avalanche wanted. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche May Have A Real Connor Hellebuyck Opening Now
A surprising opening has emerged around Connor Hellebuyck after the Winnipeg Jets announced the goaltender has been suspended for failing to report to training camp. The move does more than create a headache in Winnipeg. It also puts one of the leagues most accomplished netminders back into the center of the conversation at a time when the Avalanche are always watching for any chance to strengthen the most important position on the ice.
Winnipegs decision allows the team to withhold payment because of the breach of contract, and Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is expected to speak with reporters to provide more detail. Until then, the bigger question for Colorado is whether this situation stays a disciplinary matter or turns into something far more consequential, with trade chatter and even contract termination suddenly part of the backdrop. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Face A Roster Squeeze They May Not Escape Cleanly
The Avalanche are headed into a tricky part of the calendar with six players needing to clear waivers for the first time this season, and that alone puts some pressure on how they sort out the roster. Colorado has to weigh not just who fits right now, but who can be safely moved between the NHL and AHL without losing an asset for nothing, a calculation that gets harder when depth is part of the team's identity.
A few of those players look more likely to end up in the minors, while others carry enough value or uncertainty that they could draw interest if exposed. With contract status, prior waiver history and the clubs current depth all factoring into the decision, this is the kind of roster squeeze that can force a tough call even before opening night settles everything else. [Read more 🡒]