Colorado Avalanche Look at New Line Combinations

When the Colorado Avalanche host the Winnipeg Jets on Friday night, they’ll be sporting some new line combinations. Find out how these lines might do.

Spoiler alert: The Colorado Avalanche still consider veteran Jarome Iginla a top-six forward.

In fact, Iginla is skating with the captain, Gabriel Landeskog, and the Avs highest scorer, Matt Duchene. Previously, he played with Landeskog and top center Nathan MacKinnon.

So, here’s one of the top-two lines:

Landeskog-Duchene-Iginla

This is an interesting combination because Landeskog and Iginla are both considered power forwards, while Duchene is pure speed. You kind of imagine Duchene speeding around the two bigger players.

In fact, as Iginla himself pointed out, he’s played on a line with Duchene a lot in the last couple seasons:

“I’ve always enjoyed playing with him. He’s really good down low, Landy’s really good down low and we’ll try to get it down low and hang on to it and create some [scoring opportunities].”

The other top-two line consists of MacKinnon centering Mikhail Grigorenko and rookie Mikko Rantanen.

I’m excited to see this line, and it’s thought that this line will start against the Winnipeg Jets tomorrow night. That’s a lot of talent on one line. MacKinnon and Rantanen agree. MacKinnon told the Denver Post that he considered Rantanen the team’s “top prospect.” He elaborated:

“He’s 6-4, heavy, and has all the skills. A lot of big guys don’t have the best hands or best stride, but he’s very quick with really good hands. Hard shot. He’s not lacking any tool. He’s a complete player.”

Rantanen, too, admires his linemates:

“Two very good players. MacKinnon, great center — strong and quick like everybody knows — and Grigo is offensive-minded too. So it’s a good place for me.”

It looks like center Carl Soderberg has been relegated to the third line:

Rene Bourque-Carl Soderberg-Blake Comeau

That’s not too shabby. Soderberg is a solid, two-way center. Comeau has been struggling this year with taking penalties, but he was a very strong player last season. Bourque is a veteran with well-developed offensive instincts.

The fourth line looks pretty legitimate, too:

Andreas Martinsen-John Mitchell-Joe Colborne

Martinsen and Colborne are massive players — that’s almost a half-ton of hockey player coming at you. And, while Mitchell isn’t exactly a hulk, he easily matches the other two in grit and intensity.

What’s more, those three players can contribute offensively. We saw what Colborne can do during opening night — a hat trick. He hasn’t scored since, but you couldn’t really expect him to keep up that pace as a bottom liner. Martinesen also scored a nice goal when Tampa Bay goalie Ben Bishop anticipated the puck in the wrong direction. Mitchell is making his season premier this year against the Jets.

Gabriel Bourque and Cody McLeod are expected to be scratches for the Winnipeg game.

Next: Preview of Avs-Jets Series

The Colorado Avalanche host the Winnipeg Jets at the Pepsi Center on Friday night at 7:00 pm. The games tend to be heavy and low-scoring.