The Colorado Avalanche are still months away from opening night, but their center depth is already shaping the conversation. The second version of the team’s opening night lines is now out, and it points to what Colorado could look like if Jared Bednar decides to lean all the way into that strength down the middle.
That’s the big question hanging over the Avalanche right now: do they use that center depth immediately, or hold back and let things settle? The latest line projection suggests there’s a real path to maximizing it from the start.
One player already getting a head start is Jaden Schwartz. He’s in Colorado two months before opening night, taking reps at Family Sports Center, and he also has a new jersey number lined up for the season.
Elsewhere around the NHL, John Tortorella made his intentions clear. He’s not currently behind a bench, but he wants another shot at coaching in the league. The stop in Vegas, he said, won’t be his last if it were up to him.
In Florida, the Panthers have finalized their new goaltending setup. Akira Schmid avoided arbitration and signed a two-year deal, officially pairing with Jacob Markstrom as the team’s new tandem.
There were also early looks elsewhere in the league, including a way too early projection of the Sharks’ opening night lines in San Jose.
And in New Jersey, the Devils’ shift in philosophy under Sunny Mehta is being framed as the kind of change that could pay off for the franchise.
In Other News...
Former Avalanche Favorite Tyson Barrie Starts A Fun New Colorado Chapter
Tyson Barries time in Colorado still matters to Avalanche fans because he was more than just a productive defenseman during his eight seasons here. With 75 goals and 232 assists before the 2019 trade, he helped shape the way the Avalanche played and became part of the deal that eventually brought Nazem Kadri to Denver, leaving a long trail of on-ice impact even after he moved on.
Barrie is now opening a different chapter with Chilly Ones, a beer company built around low-alcohol, low-calorie options that are meant to be light and easy to drink. The brand is already available in Canada and in select Colorado markets, which gives this new venture a local tie-in for Avalanche followers, even if the full reach of the business is still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Offseason Picture Just Shifted Around A Familiar Name
Patrick Kanes return to the Chicago Blackhawks on a two-year deal at $8 million per season is one of those moves that immediately ripples beyond one locker room, especially for teams that have spent time imagining what the veteran winger might mean in a different sweater. For the Avalanche, it nudges the offseason board a little differently and keeps the focus on how their own roster pieces might fit as the next wave of lineup questions starts to take shape.
With that in mind, Colorados line-combination picture is already getting its own attention, and the first installment in that series is now ready. It is the kind of exercise that matters this time of year, when every familiar name and every possible fit can shift the conversation, even as other notable contract business around the league, like Jet Greaves new three-year agreement with Columbus, continues to reset the market in the background. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Cup Veteran Jack Johnson Just Took An Unexpected Hockey Turn
Jack Johnsons post-playing path has taken an unexpected turn, and it starts with a familiar name for Avalanche fans who remember his run to the Stanley Cup in 2022. After retiring from the ice and spending a brief stretch as a pro scout with the Vancouver Canucks, the former Colorado defenseman is moving into the next phase of his hockey life in a very different setting.
The new stop brings him back to his home state of Ohio, where he will work in a successful college hockey environment focused on player development. It is a notable first coaching job for a veteran who spent years on NHL blue lines, and it adds another layer to the long, winding career arc that has already included a championship, scouting work and now a bench role. [Read more 🡒]