Sean Behrens may not be the first name Avalanche fans circle when they think about Colorado’s blue line, but he could end up mattering a lot this season.
That’s the reality facing the Avalanche. An 84-game regular season means the depth chart is going to get tested, and Colorado will almost certainly need help from the Eagles at some point.
When injuries hit, the team needs a defenseman who can step in and keep things moving. Behrens has a real shot to be that guy.
The appeal starts with the player himself. He’s 23, a strong skater and a clean puck-mover, with enough offense in his game to do more than just survive at the NHL level. He also already dealt with a major hurdle early in his pro career: a torn ACL that wiped out an entire season.
Before that setback, Behrens had built a strong reputation at the University of Denver. Colorado drafted him No. 61 overall in 2021, and he stayed put for three seasons with the Pioneers. During that stretch, he became one of the most productive defensemen in the NCHC, helped Denver win two national championships in three seasons and picked up individual honors that included NCHC All-Rookie Team and NCHC Defenseman of the Year recognition.
His production at Denver backed up the eye test. In 112 games, Behrens posted 10 goals and 71 assists for 81 points, finishing at plus-45.
But the numbers only tell part of the story. At 5-foot-10, he’s had to show he can handle contact and traffic, and he’s done that by competing hard, staying mobile and using his passing to turn pressure into offense.
After his junior year, he turned pro. In April 2024, he signed his entry-level deal with the Avalanche and joined the Colorado Eagles on an amateur tryout agreement. His pro debut came on April 20, 2024, and he picked up his first professional point that night with an assist on a Peter Holland goal.
Then came the injury. During training camp for the 2024-25 season, Behrens was battling for a puck in the corner during a scrimmage when he tore his ACL.
The timing was brutal. His first full professional season disappeared, and he missed the Eagles’ entire 72-game regular season while rehabbing.
He also sat out the start of the playoffs before eventually returning to skate shortly before the postseason ended.
Even so, the year wasn’t lost. Behrens got back on the ice this season and, while he missed some time along the way, put together a solid run with Colorado’s AHL affiliate.
He finished with five goals and 18 assists for 23 points in 55 games. The bigger value was simply getting that extended pro stretch under his belt after losing so much time.
Colorado’s defense appears set on paper, but last season showed how quickly that can change. Cale Makar missed time.
Devon Toews was sidelined. The Avalanche had to lean on organizational depth, giving Jack Ahcan, Keaton Middleton, Ilya Solovyov and Nick Blankenburg NHL opportunities.
Ahcan is now with the Nashville Predators, and Solovyov was acquired by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Ahcan did useful work when called on, and that matters. But Behrens brings a different profile.
He’s six years younger, entering his age-23 season, and his game already includes the mobility Ahcan had to develop later. Behrens also has a more natural offensive ceiling, with the ability to move the puck, create in transition and contribute from the blue line.
None of that guarantees he becomes a full-time NHL defenseman. He still has plenty to prove.
But that’s exactly why he’s worth watching. Colorado doesn’t just need someone who can plug a hole for a few games if the injury bug bites.
The Avalanche would love to find a defenseman who can seize the moment and make it hard to send him back to the Eagles.
Behrens has a chance to be more than a stopgap. That alone makes him one of the more interesting names in the organization heading into the season.
In Other News...
Nathan MacKinnon Sits At The Center Of Colorados Biggest Debate
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MacKinnon still led the club in power-play goals with 11 and topped the roster in points with 127, which is why so much of the discussion around the Avalanches next step keeps circling back to him. If Colorado is going to clean up one of its biggest flaws and put itself in a better position for the postseason, the fix has to come from its best player and the way the entire man-advantage group starts to click around him. [Read more 🡒]
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For the Avalanche, the larger market lesson is how quickly contract talk can start to orbit elite stars once one situation gets attention. Cale Makar is heading into the final year of his deal and is expected to be in line for a major extension, the kind of negotiation that naturally invites comparisons to Quinn Hughes contract path, while the rest of the league keeps making room for its own offseason decisions. Edmonton, meanwhile, has cap space and appears poised to look for help up front, with its new coachs system likely shaping how aggressively the Oilers pursue that addition. [Read more 🡒]
Cale Makars Contract Just Put Colorado In An Uncomfortable Spot
The Cale Makar situation has become one of the more awkward storylines hanging over Colorados offseason, even if the Avalanche still look far more likely to keep their franchise defenseman than move him. Adrian Hernandez of Mile High Hockey recently dug into the contract picture and framed it as something worth watching closely, with negotiations carrying real weight for both Makar and the team as the calendar pushes deeper into the summer.
Hernandez points to a September 15 deadline as the date that could shape how this all plays out, and the fact that Makar does not have trade protection only adds to the unease around the discussion. It remains a highly speculative scenario, but if the sides do not find common ground, other NHL teams would almost certainly be watching for any opening, which is enough to make Colorados long-term planning feel a little less comfortable than usual. [Read more 🡒]