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Colorado Avalanche Rebuild: Augmenting the Core

By Nadia Archuleta

Dec 23, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Colorado Avalanche right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) celebrates his goal against the Chicago Blackhawks with his teammates during the third period at the United Center. The Avalanche won 2-1 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 23, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Colorado Avalanche right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) celebrates his goal against the Chicago Blackhawks with his teammates during the third period at the United Center. The Avalanche won 2-1 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 5, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson (6) controls the puck in the third period against the Minnesota Wild at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

Core Defensemen

The Colorado Avalanche blueline is much maligned. It’s targeted as being the reason the shot differential (-165) and goal differential (-52) is so high for Colorado.

The Avalanche have only two defensemen who are considered core.

Erik Johnson, Defenseman, 27 years old

Qualities: Erik Johnson is big and strong. He’s almost impossible to move off the puck. However, one of his greatest strengths is his skating — his long stride makes him very fast. His balance and strength mean he’s even harder to knock off his skates than he is off the puck.

Johnson occasionally has what he calls “pizza moments,” when he makes bad decisions. However, he’s a strong playmaker who sees the ice exceedingly well. He’s also got a bomb of a shot from the point.

Needs: Erik Johnson needs an adequate defensive partner. He’s never really had one since being traded to the Colorado Avalanche. Well, Nikita Zadorov has been placed in that position. The big Russian is still very much learning, so it’s hard to want him for the top pairing because EJ is right in the middle of his prime. (If Nikita could just speed up his development, I love this pairing.)

As with Landeskog, Johnson’s needs are the team’s. In this case, it’d be nice if he was typically on the ice with solid two-way players. All of them could work in concert to move the puck and support each other.

Tyson Barrie, Defenseman, 25 years old

Qualities: Tyson Barrie is billed as a true offensive defenseman. He’s the smallest regular on the team, but he’s just about as dynamic as Matt Duchene. Indeed, I like to call him a rover because he’s always roving around the ice, looking for scoring opportunities.

Unfortunately, with Barrie, defense is the first thing that leaves his game, which is awkward for a defenseman. That said, he’s the Mr. Clutch of the team. Something about the pressure of a ticking down clock suddenly makes Tyson Barrie so much better.

Needs: Tyson Barrie needs a partner who can plug up the holes in defense left by his roving ways. Additionally, a big player is the preference, though strong skating skills are essential as well. However, it’s not good to pair Barrie with a defenseman who likes to jump into the play because that usually results in odd man rushes for the other team.

Karl Alzner, who’s an unrestricted free agent this summer, is an intriguing idea for this job. He’s a big shutdown defenseman currently with the Washington Capitals who can also skate very well. In the Avs system, though, Chris Bigras might be a candidate for partnering Barrie.

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