Quoting: HockeyScotty
The Avs "add" a full regular season from Lehkonen, Manson, Cogliano, and Ben Meyers; in addition to ERod and Georgiev.
Nobody is saying we have a Kadri replacement but their moves at the TDL that were extended in the off season have to factor in towards their regular season prediction.
Newhook and Byram development will offset EJ regression and some of Kadri's loss.
I see E-Rod as more of a Burky replacement; he floated between 2nd and 3rd lines; scored well but defensively had holes which got him scratched at times. ERod won't likely score 60-70 points but he can do 50 while playing a 200 foot game.
The only really concerning loss was Kuemper for Georgiev. But with Darcy's age and injury history we couldn't take that risk.
Whoever said "Toronto's model" is being followed by the Avs is missing the point. The Avs have proven they can win a Cup without "elite" goaltending not the TML. We won playoff games with a one-eyed Kuemper, backup Frankie, and nearly won with 3rd and 4th stringers in prior years.
The hope is that an improved and deeper defense and defensively minded forwards will provide a stronger support system for either Georgiev or Francouz.
Yeah, I have to respectfully disagree with everything lol
Your goaltending argument lacks nuance. Yeah, you don't need elite goaltending, but you need above average goaltending and Georgiev was well below average this past season. Could Francouz emerge? Who knows. He was very good, but the goaltending took a MAJOR step back.
The defense is fine, but the players you mentioned: Newhook, Lehkonen, Cogliano... you had them already. I'm factoring the total lineup at the end of the season and COL lost FAR more than they gained and that will sting. You cannot prognosticate the steps of development Newhook and Byram will take this year, so please realize that a lot of my predictions are based more on KNOWS, not unknowns which is what I preface in the explanation of my predictions.
Now, let's be clear, because I think some people mistake regular seasons standings vs. playoff success. Just because I'm saying COL doesn't win the division doesn't mean I'm saying they fail all-around. I still have them at 2nd for christ sake lol. I'm not saying they can't win the division, but it's not a gimme. The roster losses that COL and STL both suffered will allow teams like MIN and NSH to be more competitive in the division.
Why do I pick NSH as first? Well, we know the following
-Duchen and Ryjo found their game
-Their defense was already good and got better by adding McD
-Their goaltending is excellent
-Their added forward power by getting Nino
I'm not guaranteeing anything, but I'm calculating the losses COL and STL took into how it will affect the other teams' chances of moving up. I'm not sure how they'll do it, but I fully expect COL to address their goaltending somehow if Georgiev falls on his face. Sakic is anything but passive.