Could Nazem Kadri end up back on the wing for the Colorado Avalanche?
That’s one of the bigger lineup questions hanging over the Avs right now, especially if Nic Roy is the one centering the third line. The idea opens the door to a different look in the top six, and it’s not hard to imagine Colorado leaning into the same kind of setup it used in Game 4 against the Vegas Golden Knights, when Kadri joined the group and the Avs stacked their top two lines.
It also raises another possibility: maybe the answer to replacing the departed Valeri Nichushkin in the top six isn’t Jaden Schwartz or another new offseason addition at all.
Elsewhere in the Colorado Hockey Now world, recently retired Andrew Agozzino has already moved on to a new chapter in the sport. He’s going straight into coaching.
Around the NHL, Ryan Reaves is still hoping to keep his playing career going, but he remains an unrestricted free agent. The question now is whether he’ll land somewhere before training camp opens.
A couple of other notes from around the league: Detroit Hockey Now reported that one of Steve Yzerman’s parting gifts to the Red Wings was an addition up front that could finally help make them a more physical team, something they’ve been missing for years. And in Boston, the Bruins’ decision to trade Joonas Korpisalo on July 1 came down to their belief that they already have an in-house goalie option who can step into a full-time NHL role.
In Other News...
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 🡒]