Drouin starts on line No.1 with Mackinnon and Rantanen.
Lehkonen moves over to LW and Nichuskin drops to RW.
O’Connor moves up to line No.3.

Ross Colton?

Ross Colton sent to the surface of the sun I guess? Lol

My Bad I completely forgot about him

I realize that Drouin on the 1st line is what some people are projecting... That is destined to fail. I don't care about the chemistry he had with Nate 11 years ago in Junior hockey... Since then, this guy has shown that the pressure of playing top minutes can get to him.

He's immensely talented, and he'll be a huge part of the team... However, getting the most out of him means putting him in a situation where he can succeed. To me, that's 3LW with Colton and Wood, and put him on the top PP to make use of whatever might remain of his old chemistry with Nate.

I'll be happy to be wrong about this... I love the Drouin pickup for the Avs. I just don't think the expectations should be as high as they seem to be with Avs fans.

CMac has said they are comfortable with Drouin's ability to play next to either MacK or RyJo. He will be on whichever line Mikko isn't as Val and Lehky are most effective when split up. Wood will be 3LW next to Colton. And those two need to be paired with someone that is better defensively than Drouin. My guess would be one of the following to start the season:

Drouin-MacK-Lehky
Val-RyJo-Rantanen
Wood-Colton-3RW

or

Lehky-MacK-Rantanen
Drouin-RyJo-Val
Wood-Colton-3RW

What CMac said was that Drouin will "See time with Nate"... He did not say that he would immediately be thrust into a top 6 role.

I'm not sure which part of "Drouin is going to get a look next to Nate in the preseason and training camp, and the FO being comfortable in his ability to play with RyJo" means he's not the preferred option to fill out the Top 6 at least to start the season. Not saying whether it will work out or not, but based on what CMac has said in recent interviews and the players they signed, Drouin should get the first crack at a top 6 role.

I don't disagree. Even a 2nd line spot would be fine. My concern is mostly with making sure Drouin can get the most out of himself in Colorado. I have some concerns about his ability to do that playing top minutes with Nate.

I do, however, like the idea of him playing with Val. I think Val can make up for some of his defensive deficiencies.

I think 2nd line is most likely unless they decide splitting MacK and Mikko is the best thing for offensive production. My biggest concern with Drouin is that he would be severely miscast as a bottom 6 player. But if he doesn't find a fit in the top 6 after an extended look, his contract is small enough, that he could be buried in the AHL and the Avs can swing a trade at the deadline for better top 6 option.

I don't necessarily disagree with any of what you've said here. Val's health is a key factor in whether or not MacK and Mikko need to be split up. Hopefuly Val is back to his normal, healthy self, in which case, a second line of Drouin, RyJo, Val could really work.

The only pushback I'd have on the second part about miscasting Drouin is that the 3rd line is going to look different than it has in the past. Both Wood and Colton are strong at pushing offense and creating opportunities, and Ross Colton can really shoot... So I think we're going to see a more high-tempo offensive 3rd line, which should play well into Drouin's game.

Drouin would be a good fit offensively with Colton and Wood as neither is much of a playmaker. They would benefit from having Drouin feed them scoring chances. But that line would have some serious defensive issues if Wood and Colton have an off night on the forecheck. Admittedly a Wood-Colton forecheck would be a nightmare to play against, so hopefully they wouldn't spend much time in their own end.