The days of the Colorado Avalanche being criticized for their lack of defense are over – or that’s what it looks like with the current roster.
The Colorado Avalanche have struggled in the defense department for a while now – you know it, we know it, they know it. The problem has been inconsistency, as our defensemen have proven to be a real threat when they are 100% focused. And it’s also about chemistry, let’s be real.
The team has been busy this offseason and added some very interesting forwards (Nazem Kadri, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Joonas Donskoi, and Andre Burakovsky) as well as defensemen. The Tyson Barrie trade made many fans sad, and as much as we’re going to miss him, the Avs are more than set on defense, and we might not even feel the change. Let’s take a look.
Our Good Ol’ Friends
Mark Barberio signed a two-year contract last year, meaning he will be on the team next season. After that, Barbs will go through the UFA experience. Unfortunately, Barberio has spent the majority of the last two seasons out with injuries.
During the 2018-2019 season, he played a total of 12 games (recording one goal and one assist) and was placed on IR in February. Barbs’ performance has been a roller coaster – some love him, some hate him, sometimes he does his part on keeping the puck away from the Avs zone, and sometimes you just forget he’s on the ice.
Supposing he stays healthy this season, and depending on who he is paired with, we could have the Mark Barberio we haven’t gotten to see yet and that the team could really use.
Meanwhile, our very dear Erik Johnson is recovering from shoulder surgery but we are hopeful it will all be ok when the season begins. Neither EJ or Nikita Zadorov represent an issue, really. The only concern, like with every key player, is that they stay healthy… and maybe stay out of the penalty box as much as possible but hey, watching them fight is also fun so let’s leave it like that.
Same goes for Sam Girard, who is entering his third year as an Av, although he has been so good and has become so important for the team every night that it feels like he has been here longer. Girard is one of those players that, no matter who he’s paired with, he will bring his absolute best every game and the chemistry will always be there. He’s magic, that’s for sure.
The Boys Are Back
Hello Ian Cole and Ryan Graves, good to see you around!
While Cole was a bit problematic at some point last season, it feels good to still have him on the team. Cole played a total of 71 games last season (with two goals, 13 assists, and an impressive amount of 115 PIM, so don’t mess with him) and 12 in the playoffs. He was mostly paired with EJ but also played alongside Patrik Nemeth, Zadorov, and Barrie (gone but never forgotten).
But what if he played with, let’s say… Ryan Graves?
Graves signed a one-year contract this summer, and although he will most likely spend some time in the AHL, he will surely be back in the NHL at some point in the season (though hopefully not because someone got injured). With all due respect to the fans and supporters of Mark Barberio, Graves can easily take his spot and would be much more useful. But we’ll see what happens.
Sadly, there’s one tiny (not really, quite the contrary) detail: just like EJ, Cole is recovering from surgery… and it was a big one. He had hip surgery and he might not be back until December, but it seems like the Avs have taken all necessary precautions and brought two more d-men.
The New Guys
Kevin Connauton got here from Arizona through the Carl Soderberg trade. He played 50 games last season, ending up with eight points (one goal, seven assists). His best season so far has been the 2017-2018 one with a total of 21 points (11 goals, 10 assists) in 73 games played. Connauton will most likely be on the bottom pair but he can be that one pleasant surprise of the season.
And then we have Calle Rosen, who got here along with Nazem Kadri in the Tyson Barrie and Alexander Kerfoot trade (Kerfy, also gone but never forgotten). Rosen will surely spend more time in the AHL, and depending on how he does there he might join the rest at some point.
The New Guy That’s Not Actually New Anymore
Ah, Cale Makar. Probably the #1 reason fans are excited to watch the team next season and why other teams are starting to look at the Colorado Avalanche as a real threat. After all, the Avs have Makar, Girard, and EJ.
Makar made his debut at the playoffs (because the drama never ends. Although this was the good kind of drama!) and played 10 games, recording one goal and five assists. He already went through the experience of “playoffs round 1 and 2” so let’s say he’s ready for anything.
The projected lineups are pairing him with Zadorov, which honestly feels like a very deadly pair and exactly what the team needs… and what most fans want, too.
The Colorado Avalanche are all set for what could be one of their best seasons in the last years. Of course, we’re not losing hope on a deep playoff run, and looking at the defense roster, it look very likely to happen.