Colorado Avalanche: Top 5 Training Camp Battles

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Feb 28, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Minnesota Wild center Kyle Brodziak (21) and Colorado Avalanche defenseman Nate Guenin (5) fight in the third period at the Pepsi Center. The Wild defeated the Avalanche 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Colorado Avalanche will be holding their main training camp in mid-September. While some players have no need to worry about their spot in the lineup, there are others who will have to fight for it.

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It doesn’t seem like too hard of a task to predict who will be on the roster for the first game of the season. However, the lineup is a whole different story. Who will play on which line, which position, and who will be the healthy scratches?

There are more players on most positions than there’s room in the lineup. One example are Nathan MacKinnon, Carl Soderberg, Mikhail Grigorenko and John Mitchell. All four would love to get one of the three center positions behind Matt Duchene, while being as far up in the lineup as possible. Logically, that’s impossible.

So let’s take a look at some battles that will be interesting to watch next month.

Next: Colorado Avalanche Battle #5

Colorado Avalanche Battle #5

Nikita Zadorov vs. Nick Holden

Nov 28, 2014; Buffalo, NY, USA; Buffalo Sabres defenseman Nikita Zadorov (51) during the game against the Montreal Canadiens at First Niagara Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

Nikita Zadorov was part of the return that went to the Colorado Avalanche for center Ryan O’Reilly. Naturally, the expectations in him are high. He seems destined for a role beside top offensive D-man Tyson Barrie, but after all, he may not be ready yet.

In the 2014-15 campaign, Zadorov appeared in 60 games and recorded 15 points. He played on each of the three defensive pairings, as well as both special teams. However, that was on one of the worst defenses in the league.

One player that may want to take Zadorov’s place is Nick Holden. The 28-year-old has been playing better than many people think. If Zadorov doesn’t seem ready for a role on the second D-pair, it may be a wise decision to put Holden there first. As of now, the two are very close, and both will have to prove that they belong on the second pairing.

Next: Colorado Avalanche Battle #4

Colorado Avalanche Battle #4

Carl Soderberg vs. Mikhail Grigorenko

Feb 16, 2015; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Boston Bruins center Carl Soderberg (34) skates during the warmup period against the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome. Calgary Flames won 4-3 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

Mikhail Grigorenko is another one of the players coming from Buffalo. Since the Colorado Avalanche saw him as a good enough player to give away O’Reilly, the expectations in him are also very high. But what can we really expect?

There is a chance that he will end up on the wing, but his goal will sure be to make it in the middle. Depending on how high he wants to be in the lineup, he may have to battle for a spot with Carl Soderberg.

Soderberg on the other hand, was signed as O’Reilly’s immediate successor. He is expected to play on the second line between Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon. However, Soderberg has never played on a second line in the NHL before, and it is unclear if he is the right one for the job.

In the long-term, Grigorenko should be the one centering the second line, with Soderberg slotting in on the third block. The battle may emerge as early as this year, if Grigorenko proves to be ready for a big role in the NHL. He is one a one-year contract, waiting to prove that he is worthy of a big extension.

Next: Colorado Avalanche Battle #3

Colorado Avalanche Battle #3

Mikhail Grigorenko vs. John Mitchell

Nov 4, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Avalanche center John Mitchell (7) before the game against the Vancouver Canucks at Pepsi Center. The Canucks won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Mikhail Grigorenko will clearly have a hard time fighting for a roster spot this summer, even though he should have one guaranteed somewhere. Next up on hist list of opponents will be John Mitchell. Mitchell has been the Avalanche’s third-line center for a while now, while also functioning in a “do whatever the coach says” role.

For the upcoming season, his spot could be in danger, though. Assuming that Soderberg and Grigorenko occupy the second and third-line center positions, Mitchell would have to drop down to the fourth line — and who would like that.

Mitchell’s role with the team is uncertain at this point, but he will do everything in his power to stay where he is. If things go very wrong for Grigorenko, he could end up on the fourth line, with Mitchell doing his regular job.

Another possibility would be for one of the two to move to the wing, while perhaps playing on the same line. But who wants to be the guy moving out of his regular position?

Next: Colorado Avalanche Battle #2

Colorado Avalanche Battle #2

Reto Berra vs. Calvin Pickard

Dec 27, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Avalanche goalie Calvin Pickard (31) during the game against the Chicago Blackhawks at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Semyon Varlamov has emerged as one of the best goalies in the league, carrying the Colorado Avalanche to a division title in 2014, and preventing them from doing even worse than they did in 2015. But what’s up behind that?

Reto Berra was the exact opposite of Varlamov a lot of the time. He did have his shiny moments, but consistency was a big issue for him.

When Varlamov got injured, Calvin Pickard got more NHL starts than Berra, while doing an outstanding job in the majority of games. That even led to Berra being sent down to Lake Erie, once Varlamov had recovered from his injury.

In the AHL, however, Pickard didn’t post numbers nearly as good as those in the NHL. So how good is he really? Add to that the fact that Berra is on a one-way contract, which will make it a harder decision to send him down to the AHL.

Note: At the time of writing, RFA Calvin Pickard is still unsigned.

Next: Colorado Avalanche Battle #1

Colorado Avalanche Battle #1

Nick Holden vs. Brad Stuart vs. Zach Redmond vs. Nate Guenin vs. Duncan Siemens vs. Chris Bigras

Jan 27, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Colorado Avalanche defenseman Nick Holden (2) skates in warm-ups prior to the game against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center. The Avalanche defeated the Stars 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

While Nick Holden may be good enough to battle Nikita Zadorov for the second-pairing slot, he may have to fight to get a spot at all, if Zadorov beats him. The only D-men with guaranteed roster spots seem to be Johnson, Barrie, Beauchemin and Zadorov. So what about the other six?

If the first two D-pairings are made up of Johnson, Barrie, Beauchemin and Zadorov, that leaves the third-pairing spots up for grabs. Unfortunately, the fact that six players will fight for those two spots, does not mean that the Avalanche have great depth. It rather means that the team has less than six players that really deserve to play in the NHL.

The favorites to make it are surely Holden and Redmond, with Stuart being the favorite to be the seventh defenseman. However, Guenin won’t go down to the AHL without putting up a fight, while Bigras and Siemens have outside shots at making it. We’ll see how that situation unfolds.

What do you think will be the biggest battles at Colorado Avalanche training camp? Let us know in the comments!

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