JT Compher/Alexander Kerfoot
I am well aware that Compher and Kerfoot are two radically different players. However, I daresay they are expected to have about the same impact on the team as the other. Therefore, I wanted to put them together.
Right now the Colorado Avalanche have second-line winger in mind for Kerfoot and third-line center for Compher. I could see that flip-flopping, depending on performance.
In any case, Compher had a decent-enough year with 23 points (13 goals, 10 assists) in 69 games. Obviously, he missed some with injury. I’d like to see him get closer to the 40-point mark, and stay healthy. Last season his shooting percentage was 9.9% — why not aim for over 10% while maintaining a similar shots per game (1.89).
Kerfoot had a much better rookie season than I anticipated, earning 43 points (19 goals, 24 assists) in 79 games. Why not aim for 20 goals? And we all want to see him take more than 81 shots (1.02 per game) this season, which will help with that goals total.
The most important goal: Avoid the sophomore slump.
Half of the players on this list played their first preseason game, and the other half will likely see their first preseason game in Minnesota. In any case, I expect to see all of them on the Colorado Avalanche’s opening night roster, where hopefully they’ll be laying the groundwork for a successful season achieving the above goals.