The Avalanche have no shortage of forwards heading into next season with something to prove, but the biggest spotlight may land on a newcomer.
Colorado spent last season sorting through a front end full of questions. Martin Necas came in under the weight of helping replace Mikko Rantanen and drew plenty of attention in his first full year with the Avalanche.
Brock Nelson was brought in to finally lock down the No. 2 center job, a spot Colorado had struggled to solve for years. Gabriel Landeskog was trying to get through his first full season in four years after his remarkable return.
That list doesn’t get any shorter this year.
Necas and Nelson both put together strong regular seasons, but neither made much of a mark once the playoffs got deeper. Gavin Brindley will be trying to show he belongs in the NHL for a full season instead of splitting time with the AHL.
Other young forwards will be chasing a quick impact. Artturi Lehkonen, if he doesn’t sign before opening night, could also be skating with his contract in mind.
Still, the forward carrying the most pressure isn’t one of the holdovers.
It’s Jaden Schwartz.
Colorado brought in the veteran winger on a three-year deal after parting with both Valeri Nichushkin and Ross Colton in the days before July 1. At 34, Schwartz could slide right into Nichushkin’s place in the top six, and that comes with real expectations attached.
If that’s the role he gets, the Avalanche will need the version of Schwartz who put up 26 goals and 49 points in 2024-25. They can’t afford the one who finished with only 26 points in 50 games last season.
In Other News...
Avalanche Lineup Idea Could Change Everything Up Front
As the Avalanche keep sorting through ways to reshape their forward group, one of the more interesting ideas floating around is a lineup that would push Nazem Kadri to the wing and let Nic Roy handle third-line center duties. It is the kind of tweak that would change the look of Colorados depth chart in a hurry, especially if the top six is reworked around a player who has spent so much of his career driving play down the middle.
There is also a broader league backdrop to the conversation, with Ryan Reaves still on the market and hoping to keep his career going before training camp. Elsewhere, Andrew Agozzino has moved from playing into coaching, a reminder of how quickly roster conversations can turn into bigger career crossroads across the NHL, even as Colorado keeps weighing what the right mix up front might look like. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Still Havent Solved Their Biggest Nazem Kadri Question
Nazem Kadris place in the Avalanche lineup is one of the more important roster puzzles hanging over the 2026-27 season, because his value is tied so closely to how the coaching staff chooses to use him. The discussion starts with the basics of deployment, but it quickly turns into a bigger question about what kind of line the Avalanche want to build around him and how much stability they can finally give him after a year of constant shuffling.
Kadris usage last season and into the playoffs only sharpened the debate, since his minutes were split in ways that made it hard to lock down a clean read on what worked best. Colorado got different results depending on where he lined up, and the next step is figuring out whether his most effective role comes with a fixed center assignment or a move that lets the Avalanche better settle the rest of their forward group. [Read more 🡒]
Former Avalanche First-Round Pick Is Still Trying To Prove Colorado Wrong
Cal Ritchies path since being taken 27th overall by the Avalanche in the 2023 NHL Draft has already taken a few turns, and Colorado has had a front-row seat for all of them. He got his first NHL look with the Avalanche, then went back to the OHL, and eventually found himself in a new organization trying to carve out a longer-term role at the sports highest level.
Ritchies latest stretch with the Islanders showed why there is still plenty of belief in his upside, even if the road has not been linear. After opening the year in the AHL with Bridgeport, he earned a recall and finished with 30 points in 65 NHL games, a reminder that he is still learning how to translate his game against top competition while spending the offseason working on his strength, skating and shot. [Read more 🡒]