Team: 2018-19 Colorado Avalanche

Initial Creation Date: Sep. 29, 2018

Published: Sep. 29, 2018

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

Forward Line 1
Not much to say about this group. They were terrific together last season, and will have to be consistent offensive catalysts with some talented but inexperienced players further down the lineup.

Forward Line 2
Bednar has been adamant about keeping Jost and Kerfoot together on line 2, and they’ve developed some chemistry this preseason. It looks like they want Jost to play at center, and Kerfoot at left wing, though Kerfoot ca support on face offs since he’s a natural centerman. It will be interesting to see who the right wing will be on this line. It was ‘18 1st rounders Martin Kaut for the beginning of the preseason, but he was sent down a few days ago and Colin Wilson played on the second line last night. Matt Calvert also played a few shifts on this line last night too. I think Sven Andrighetto would fit well with Kerfoot and Jost when get gets healthy. The development of the second line will be an interesting story this season.

Forward Line 3
Predictably, Carl Soderberg will be the anchor on this line for the fourth season. He had a strong bouceback year last season after a brutal 2016-17 campaign. For his first three years in Colorado, he and Blake Comeau were inseparable on the ice. With Comeau gone, I think the coaches will look for Matt Calvert to fill that role on Soderberg’s wing. Calvert brings a bit more speed and skill that Comeau, and is also a very effective penalty killer. Matt Nieto spent all of last season as the left wing on Soderberg’s line, so it’s a safe guess to think he ends up there again. However, I think we could also see the Avs try adding more skill to that line in the form of JT Compher, Vladislav Kamenev, Colin Wilson or Sven Andrighetto. Overall, I would expect Bednar to lean on this line to eat up tough defensive minutes and provide stability in the middle of the lineup, just like he did last season.

Forward Line 4
Of the top 9 shapes up the way I’m guessing it will, then I would expect Bednar to play Kamenev and Compher together on the fourth line. He has been adamant about playing Kamenev at center, even though Kamenev has experience playing on the wing and center is an organizational position of strength. Compher can play either of his wings, and support on faceoffs as a righty. Gabriel Bourque is a safe play at wing, but I think rookie Logan O’Connor could challenge for a spot in the lineup. If they want to flank Kamenev with more skill, then Andrighetto would fit nicely on this line when he returns to the ice.

Forward Scratches
Logan O’Connor was signed as an I drafted college free agent out of Denver, and really impressed during training camp. Toninato was signed out of UMD last season, and played roughly half the season as the 4th line center. If Andrighetto had not gone down with injury, I think it would have been between these two for the last forward spot. Now they both have the chance to make an inpression during the regular season, and try to earn a roster spot for the whole year.

Defense Pair 1
Erik Johnson has been the Avs top defenseman for years, but has always struggled with two things: injury, and not having a consistent defensive partner. While player personnel changes won’t help him stay healthy, the Avs have much better options to be his D partner than they’ve had in the past. Last year he spent most of the season paired with young Nikita Zadorov, which worked out well. He also got some time next to an even younger Sam Girard. Both are excellent skaters and can move the puck, and they compliment each other well. The biggest concern about Girard’s game is his size, but he is an underrated defender who is very smart and uses his stick extremely well. He also added 15 pounds to his frame this offseason to help him battle on the boards and in front of the net. Assistant coach Nolan Pratt is not afraid to mix up his pair situationally, so I do think that Ian Cole will see a decent amount of time with Erik Johnson in tough defensive situations.

Defense Pair 2
Similar to the top pair, this is a very mobile duo on the back end. Zadorov is a big, physical defender who moves well for his size, and has underrated puck skills. Barrie is one of the better offensive defensemen in the NHL, and is a huge part of Colorado’s secondary scoring. This pair came together late last season when Erik Johnson went down with injruy, and they played very well together. They have been together all preseason and will start the regular season as Colorado’s #2 pairing.

Defense Pair 3/Scratches
Free agent addition Ian Cole is the constant on this pairing. He’s a reliable shut-down defenseman, and I do think he will see some minutes on the top pairing in heavy defensive situations, as I mentioned previously. His partner on the third pair will either be Patrik Nemeth or Mark Barberio. Cole and Nemeth play similar styles and would create a boring but defensively reliable third pair. Barberio is a better skater and puck mover than Nemeth. He and Cole looked good together for the first time yesterday. Barberio is more mistake prone than Nemeth, however. Regardless, this is the best third pairing Colorado has had to start the season in a very long time. They should also expect some reinforcements, as prospects Conor Timmins and Nicolas Meloche could push to make their NHL debuts this season, and ‘17 4th overall pick Cale Makar will likely step in to Colorado’s lineup after his college season ends in the spring.

Goaltenders
I think Varlamov is still the guy to start the season, but the Avalanche should give Grubauer every opportunity to become the #1, given the commitment they made by trading for and signing him. I expect them to more-or-less split starts. Varlamov’s injury history, combined with the organization’s desire to see Grubauer win the job should lead to a fairly even split, and a good competition for the net every night.