The Avalanche are only a few games into the season, but Jared Bednar is already sorting through a few important puzzles. Colorado has opened with plenty of energy, yet this week brings the kind of schedule and lineup pressure that can force real decisions fast: how to manage Cale Makar’s workload, how to settle the bottom six, and how to split the crease between Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood.
The biggest on-ice issue still starts with Makar. He remains the driver of Colorado’s transition game and keeps piling up heavy minutes while tilting possession in the right direction.
The catch is that early-season usage can catch up to a team. Bednar’s top pair of Devon Toews and Makar is already taking on the toughest assignments, so what happens behind them matters just as much.
Colorado has Brent Burns giving the bottom pair some veteran stability next to Josh Manson, and if the second and third pairs can consistently limit quality looks at five-on-five, the Avalanche can avoid leaning even harder on their stars night after night.
Up front, the forward depth chart has turned into a real competition. Colorado reshaped its bottom-six group over the summer by adding Jaden Schwartz, Fedor Svechkov, and Zachary L’Heureux, and that has created a crowded picture for Bednar.
The club has even used some unconventional alignment choices early, including an 11-forward and 7-defenseman setup, simply to buy more time while it evaluates who fits where. T.J.
Hughes got a look after standing out in camp, and that kind of opportunity can still matter with players working back to full health. But the main question for those lines goes beyond energy.
Colorado wants a bottom six that can forecheck with purpose and keep pressure in the offensive zone without giving up dangerous transition chances the other way. This week should tell plenty, especially when those third- and fourth-line groups are called on in defensive-zone faceoffs.
In goal, the Avalanche are sticking with a two-man approach. Blackwood and Wedgewood are both in the mix, and the system in front of them creates a very specific kind of workload.
Colorado’s defensemen are aggressive at the blue line and will pinch to keep pucks alive, which can reduce shot volume when everything is working. But when a pinch doesn’t connect, the goalie is left exposed to quick, dangerous rush chances.
That makes Blackwood’s puck tracking and rebound control especially important, particularly against power plays that move the puck quickly across the ice. With a back-to-back coming immediately, both goalies should see action, and the challenge is to get settled early instead of having to chase the game with highlight-reel saves.
The schedule gives Colorado no room to drift. The Avalanche face Dallas on Tuesday, Oct 13, at American Airlines Center in an 8:30 PM ET game on ESPN, then host the Stars again on Wednesday, Oct 14, at Ball Arena in another 8:30 PM ET matchup on TNT/truTV. The week wraps with Pittsburgh visiting Ball Arena on Friday, Oct 16, for a 9:00 PM ET game on ESPN+.
That Dallas back-to-back should be the clearest test of Colorado’s pace and depth. Then Pittsburgh offers a different kind of challenge at home, one that gives the Avalanche a chance to sharpen their special teams before heading back on the road next week.
In Other News...
Avalanche Suddenly Have More Riding On Trent Miner Than Expected
The Avalanches handling of Trent Miner this week spoke to how thin the margins can be when a team is juggling goaltending depth. Colorado activated Miner off injured reserve and put him on waivers with the intent of sending him back to the Eagles, a routine enough transaction on paper, but one that happened as teams around the league were watching the crease market closely.
For Colorado, Miner is suddenly carrying more long-term significance than a standard roster shuffle would suggest. He has been part of the organizations goaltending conversation before, and with the Avalanche dealing with current struggles and contract questions in net, his future role is drawing more attention than it might have a month ago. Even a move designed to clear a path for reassignment now feels tied to bigger decisions ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Former Avs Assistant Leaves Colorado With One Big Question For Bednar
Dave Hakstols stint on the Avalanche staff appears to be ending after one season, with the former Colorado assistant expected to take over as the new head coach at Arizona State. His departure comes as ASU continues to navigate a messy and unsettling situation surrounding the program, with head coach Greg Powers on administrative leave while investigations continue into the collapse of player Matthew Mayich during off-season workouts.
For the Avalanche, the timing at least brings a clean break from a coach who had been running the power play, but it also leaves one obvious question for Jared Bednar and his staff: what comes next on that side of the bench? Colorado had allowed Hakstol to explore the ASU opening, and with the Sun Devils searching for stability amid ongoing inquiries by university police and legal actions from Mayichs family, his next step could come quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Lose A Key Coach As Power Play Questions Keep Growing
Dave Hakstols brief stay on the Avalanche bench is ending after one season, with the veteran coach set to move on from Colorados staff. Hakstol, who came to the Avalanche after previously serving as head coach of the Seattle Kraken, brought a rsum built on experience behind the bench and a presence the organization had counted on as it tried to keep its coaching structure stable.
For Colorado, the timing adds another layer to a power play that has already been under scrutiny lately. The club has not announced a replacement, leaving an important piece of the staff picture unsettled as the Avalanche sort through what Hakstols exit means for a unit that needed help before this news broke. [Read more 🡒]