The Colorado Avalanche are about to find out what their first real test looks like.
After opening the season with just two games in seven days, Jared Bednar’s team has enjoyed a light landing spot - enough time to recover, work, and settle in without the usual early-season squeeze. That runway is gone now. Colorado is staring at a three-games-in-four-nights stretch against Winnipeg, Calgary and Toronto, and the schedule is about to get a whole lot meaner.
That matters because this isn’t just a busy week. It could shape the Central Division race.
A sweep would push the Avalanche to 5-0 with 10 points, a start that doesn’t sound seismic in October but could loom large by April. The division is expected to be tight, and any chance to bank separation early is one Colorado should treat seriously. The Avs can’t bank on winning all three, but the opportunity is there.
Depth is going to be the story of the week, which is why the return of Zachary L'Heureux and Logan O'Connor would come at the perfect time. With both available, Bednar has more ways to spread the minutes around instead of leaning on the same core every night. That becomes even more important with Toronto closing the stretch as the third game in four nights.
Noah Juulsen being available as a healthy scratch also gives Colorado another layer of flexibility. If one defenseman needs a breather, Bednar can rotate someone out instead of pushing a tired player through another night. It may not sound like much, but that kind of margin matters when the games come fast and the legs start to go.
Goaltending is part of the equation too. Fans should expect Scott Wedgewood to get his first start of the season, likely Thursday against Calgary. That would give MacKenzie Blackwood a night off while still keeping a veteran in the net against the Flames.
That’s the balancing act for Colorado now: win the games, but also manage the roster smartly while the schedule tightens up. The point of this stretch isn’t only to collect points. It’s to get into the kind of rhythm that lets Bednar handle workloads without overloading anyone.
If the Avalanche come through it clean, they’ll have done more than start well. They could come out with an early hold on the Central Division that everyone else spends the rest of the season chasing.
In Other News...
Former Avalanche Blue-Liner Brings Back An All Too Familiar What-If
Ryan Lindgrens night for the Kraken ended almost before it began, a jarring turn for a defenseman whose career has already been marked by constant movement. He was hurt 15 seconds into Seattles game against the Vegas Golden Knights after taking a hit from behind and did not return because of an upper-body injury, another frustrating reminder of how quickly a season can tilt for a player trying to carve out stability in a new home.
For Avalanche fans, Lindgrens situation can stir a familiar what-if after his brief stint in Colorado following a trade brought him into the fold. He is now in his second season with Seattle, and his recent career path has been a reminder of how often his value has traveled with him from stop to stop. The injury adds a fresh layer of uncertainty to a season that had already been defined by change, leaving more questions about what comes next than answers. [Read more 🡒]
Nathan MacKinnon Suddenly Has The Help Colorado Needed Most
The Avalanche barely had time to settle into the season before their offense started roaring, piling up 14 goals in the first two games and matching a franchise mark. Martin Necas has been a big part of that early surge, flashing the kind of finish and playmaking Colorado hoped to add when it put him alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Artturi Lehkonen.
Necas backed up the buzz in the 6-1 win over the Blues, scoring twice and adding an assist as the top line combined for three goals and eight points. What makes the start even more encouraging for Colorado is that the scoring has come with strong defensive work behind it, giving the Avalanche an early look at the balance they have been chasing. [Read more 🡒]
Bednar Sees One Risk Colorado Must Fix With Zach LHeureux
Zach LHeureux arrives with a reputation that follows him everywhere, and not just because of the way he plays. Since the start of his career, he has piled up 12 suspensions and missed 42 games, a track record that includes a recent three-game ban for slew-footing. For Colorado, the appeal is obvious: there is edge in his game, and edge is something this team has long valued when it is paired with speed, skill and purpose.
Jared Bednar sees the same upside, but he also knows the risk that comes with it. The Avalanche coach said LHeureux can learn to play with bite without crossing the line, pointing to Nazem Kadri as an example of how a player can keep the fire while cleaning up the consequences. The challenge now is less about whether LHeureux can bring energy than whether he can harness it, because Colorado needs that presence on the ice far more than it needs another discipline problem on the ledger. [Read more 🡒]