Zachary L’Heureux is wasting no time making himself useful for the Colorado Avalanche.
After arriving in the trade with Fedor Svechov, the 27th pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft has already started to show why Colorado believes he can be more than just a fourth-line spark. The Avalanche aren’t asking him to erase the edge that defined his game in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League or the physical identity he carried into the pros. They’re trying to sharpen it.
That matters because L’Heureux’s career has been shaped by that same edge. Since 2019, he has leaned into the rough-and-tumble side of his game, but it has also gotten him into trouble, piling up 13 suspensions and costing him valuable development time. Between the NHL and the American Hockey League, he has often been stuck in a cycle that never really let him settle in and grow.
Colorado is betting the fit will be different.
The Avalanche have seen this kind of transformation before under Jared Bednar, and Nazem Kadri is the obvious example. Kadri brought bite and physicality to Colorado, but also learned how to channel it the right way instead of letting emotion take over. L’Heureux, at least in these first two games, looks like a player being guided toward that same kind of controlled aggression.
His debut against the Winnipeg Jets came in a loss, but he still made noise in eight minutes of ice time. He finished with three shots on goal, one block and five hits, a strong first look for a player trying to carve out a role in Colorado’s bottom six.
He followed that up against the Calgary Flames and picked up his first point as an Avalanche player by setting up Nathan MacKinnon. He also added two shots on goal, two hits and dropped the gloves with Matt Coronato in the second period. The bench reaction told part of the story: this was the kind of shift that earns attention fast.
Nate strikes RIGHT OFF THE BENCH pic.twitter.com/tY6ZCNIGN3
L’Heureux nearly added even more when he got a breakaway chance and tried to slip a shot five-hole against Devin Cooley, only to be denied. The frustration was clear when the camera caught him on the bench afterward.
Even with Colorado already up five goals at that point, the moment still fit what the Avalanche want from him. He was still pushing, still trying to impact the game, and still chasing the kind of complete performance that would have given him the Gordie Howe hat trick.
That’s the bigger point here. Colorado sees real upside in L’Heureux, and the staff is working to mold him into a player whose physical game has purpose behind it. Not to take away his identity, but to make sure every hit, every fight and every offensive decision serves a role.
So far, it’s working. And if L’Heureux keeps stacking performances like these, Bednar may have a hard time finding reasons to pull him out of the lineup.
In Other News...
Avalanche Send An Early Message With One Defense Decision
Sam Malinskis start to the season has quickly become one of the more interesting roster storylines for the Avalanche, especially for a player who was such a steady presence a year ago. After playing every game last season and earning a four-year extension, he found himself on the outside looking in as Jared Bednar shuffled the blue line and gave Noah Juulsen a shot in a recent matchup with Calgary.
The move fit the message Bednar has been sending early: no one on the defense is locked into anything if the play is not there. Juulsens insertion came in a 7-3 win over the Flames, and while the Avalanche clearly like Malinskis long-term profile, his early struggles have opened the door to more competition than he has faced since establishing himself. For a team trying to settle its defensive mix, that is a reminder that recent performance can matter more than what happened last spring. [Read more 🡒]
Former Avalanche Forward Suddenly Has A Shot To Return At Ball Arena
Miles Woods path has taken another turn, and it could bring him right back to Ball Arena. Toronto recalled the forward from the AHLs Toronto Marlies, opening the door for him to potentially make his Maple Leafs debut against the Avalanche, the team he once suited up for before getting dealt away in the offseason move that brought him to the Leafs organization.
For Colorado fans, Woods name still carries a memorable playoff imprint after his overtime winner in Game 1 of the 2024 second-round series against Dallas. Now theres at least a chance he surfaces in Denver again, this time in a different sweater and in a different role than the one Avalanche supporters remember, with his Toronto debut still hanging in the balance. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Reunion Night Comes With One Intriguing Lineup Twist
The Avalanche will get a familiar visit to Ball Arena when the Maple Leafs roll into town carrying a couple of old Colorado faces on the roster. Nick Blankenburg and Miles Wood both have recent ties to the franchise, and their presence adds a little extra texture to a night that already has a reunion feel for fans who still remember them in burgundy and blue.
Blankenburg is the more interesting name to watch because Toronto may need him to step in after an injury to Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Wood is also back with the big club after a recent AHL recall, though he is not expected to play, which leaves one small lineup wrinkle still worth monitoring before puck drop. [Read more 🡒]