Because top Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson is laid up recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery for at least two more weeks, head coach Patrick Roy has had to rearrange his defensive pairings.
Now, coach Roy is no stranger to chemistry experiments when it comes to his forward lines. First Matt Duchene is centering Jarome Iginla and Ryan O’Reilly, then Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon, then Alex Tanguay and Iginla, then Borna Rendulic and… at that point, I lost track. I can’t confirm he was centerman for a line that included goalie Calvin Pickard, but it’s possible. (Not really, but you get the point.)
When it comes to D pairing, coach Roy has shown a lot more restraint. Chemistry is more important when it comes to defensive partners. At the beginning of the season Roy broke up the usual pairing of Erik Johnson and Jan Hejda in favor of pairing Johnson with new acquisition Brad Stuart. That lasted only about five games into the season, and Hejda has been back with Johnson ever since.
That is, obviously, until Johnson’s surgery.
In the first game without EJ, coach Roy ran the following pairings:
Jan Hejda-Zach Redmond
Nick Holden-Brad Stuart
Let’s start with the easiest of Colorado Avalanche defensive pairings.
Tyson Barrie-Nate Guenin
At first blush, this pairing looks like an odd one. Barrie’s a small rover best known for his offensive talents, especially in clutch moments. Guenin is a big, shut-down defenseman.
Actually, the Barrie-Guenin D pairing is a perfect example of opposites attracting. Geunin handles the physical play and stays at the blue line while Barrie roves around creating offense. This pairing has been pretty consistent throughout the season, and it’s working. Barrie leads the defensive corps in points, and Guenin’s a plus-4 on the team, one of the better ratios.
Likewise, both players have expressed comfort with the pairing.
Nick Holden-Brad Stuart
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The Holden-Stuart pairing has taken longer to gel. Of course, it hasn’t been a consistent pairing. Holden has been scratched and has played as a forward. Stuart was paired with Zach Redmond in those cases.
The players average about 19 minutes each of ice time, though not all of that is together. Holden plays on the second power play unit sometimes, while Stuart kills penalties. In any case, the pairing is considered the third for the Avs.
With 11 points, Holden has almost twice as many as Stuart’s six. However, Holden’s defensive play woes are pretty well documented — Stuart bests him there. It would be tough to say either player has found his “soul mate” of partners in the other. (Not like Barrie-Guenin and nothing like Johnson-Hejda.)
Zach Redmond-Jan Hejda
This defensive pairing is more difficult to evaluate as they’ve only been together for the one game. It’s still considered the top pairing, despite the lack of a top defenseman.
Redmond has a good shot from the point and decent skating ability. He’s got size, but he’s not a particularly physical player. He has 11 points on the season and is a plus-5, but he doesn’t usually see big minutes against the big lines. Indeed, prior to the Nashville Predators’ game Monday, he averaged 15 minutes a game — when he played. He was scratched from December 29 to January 21.
Hejda is considered a big-minute shut-down defenseman. He’s big, he’s strong and he can skate. But he lacks offensive acumen. It’s gotten a lot better under coach Roy’s tutelage, and Hejda’s jumping in the play a lot more. But offense isn’t a natural part of Hejda’s style.
Coach Roy is satisfied with the pairing, at least after the one game:
"“Zach made a great play on the first goal. He had a great chance on the shot that was deflected in front of the net by Cody [McLeod]. I thought [Redmond] played a good game. I thought he was supporting in the rush. I thought defensively, we did a lot of good things.”"
The Avalanche have also recalled defenseman Stefan Elliott from the Lake Erie Monsters because coach Roy likes to have a defenseman in reserve in case of injuries. For now it’s expected that Elliott will be just that — a reserve.