The Avalanche were horrible last season putting together one of the worst campaigns in NHL history picking up 22 wins while having terrible goaltending, defence, offence and special teams. For a team that was so bad not much has changed over the off season except the defence got a lot worse on paper as they lost some decent veterans. This team is no where near the playoffs so this year will be about getting the young guys playing time while they decide on what direction to go.
Arrivals/Departures
Arrivals: Colin Wilson, Jonathan Bernier, Nail Yakupov, David Warsofsky
Departures: Calvin Pickard, Francois Beauchemin, Mikhail Grigorenko, Nikita Zadorov, Eric Gelinas, John Mitchell, Rene Bourque, Fedor Tyutin, Patrick Wiercioch, Cody Goloubef, Ben Smith, Jeremy Smith
Forwards:
The Avalanche's best forward, Nathan Mackinnon, is still young and has the potential to be one of the top point producers in the NHL but he needs help around him. Matt Duchene also has lots of skill but he can't seem to put it all together to become the elite player people expected him to be when he was drafted. With all the trade rumours swirling around Duchene, it is likely he won't be on the Avalanche when the season starts. Gabriel Landeskog is the only other proven top-six forward on the roster but he struggled last season and will need to improve. Mikko Rantanen was good in his rookie year scoring 20 goals and as he feels more comfortable in the NHL he should get better. Colin Wilson and Blake Comeau will probably be the other two top-six forwards; both provide leadership but they would be better suited to play on the third line. Tyson Jost is the Avalanche's most enticing player entering the season as a rookie after appearing in six games a year ago and lots will be expected out of him during his rookie campaign. JT Compher is the other rookie who will be expected to perform in his first year alongside Jost. Sven Andrighetto may have a breakout season for the Avs after netting 15 points in 19 games after the trade deadline. Former first-overall pick Nail Yakupov has been a bust since getting drafted, signing one-year deal with the Avalanche that could make or break his career. Carl Soderberg was horrendous last year meaning he will be the fourth-line center; even if he has another bad year he is still a very good fourth liner. The last forward spot will be a competition between Matt Nieto, Joe Colborne and AJ Greer.
Defenceman:
Tyson Barrie is a good skater and produces lots of points but he struggles to consistintly defend star players making him a terrible defensive defenceman. Since the Avalanche don't really have any other defenceman, Barrie will be asked to play number-one minutes which he may not be capable of doing. The only other good defenceman on this team is Erik Johnson who missed half of last year but he is better suited to be a third or fourth defenceman rather than a two. Nikita Zadorov has lots of potential to be a star but things have not panned out for him so don't be surprised if he plays in the KHL next season or this season. Mark Barberio is the other top-four defenceman who has been a depth defenceman his whole career and will be asked to play more minutes than he can handle. The bottom pair will be a competition between Chris Bigras, David Warsofsky, Anton Lindholm and Duncan Siemens who are all unproven.
Goaltending:
Last year Calvin Pickard carried the load as Semyon Varlamov missed most of the season with an injury producing weak play partially because of the team around him. If Varlamov can return to the form he showed during his career year, the goaltending situation will be fine but if not it could be terrible. Jonathan Bernier was signed as a free agent to replace Pickard as the backup.
Projected Lineup:
Gabriel Landeskog
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Nathan Mackinnon
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Mikko Rantanen
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Colin Wilson
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Matt Duchene
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Blake Comeau
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Sven Andrighetto
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Tyson Jost
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JT Compher
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Matt Nieto
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Carl Soderberg
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Nail Yakupov
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AJ Greer
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Joe Colborne
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Gabriel Bourque
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Nikita Zadorov
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Tyson Barrie
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Mark Barberio
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Erik Johnson
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David Warsofsky
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Chris Bigras
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Anton Lindholm
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Duncan Siemens
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Semyon Varlamov
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Jonathan Bernier
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Spencer Martin
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Top 10 Players:
10. Jonathan Bernier
9. Blake Comeau
8. Colin Wilson
7. Mikko Rantanen
6. Semyon Varlamov
5. Erik Johnson
4. Gabriel Landeskog
3. Tyson Barrie
2. Matt Duchene
1. Nathan Mackinnon
Projected Finish: 65 Points (7th in Central)
Last Year: 48 Points (7th in Central)
Photo credit for Colin Wilson, Nathan Mackinnon and Matt Duchene goes to http://www.tsn.ca/. Tyson Barrie goes to http://www.foxsports.com/.
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