Colorado Avalanche: Potential Second Line Combinations

The Colorado Avalanche did enough work in the offseason to put themselves in a good position to formulate a true second line, one that’s a real threat.

The Colorado look to have a pretty well-rounded roster. They went out in the offseason and made some low-key brilliant acquisitions. They’ve also got young players who are sure to take their next step in development.

Obviously, the elephant in the room is that Colorado doesn’t have star winger Mikko Rantanen signed just yet. I’m going to make a bold prediction that I firmly believe is true — Rantanen will be signed by training camp.

Anyway, I fully expect the top line will consist of Nathan MacKinnon with Rantanen at his wing. Now in a previous post, I did explore the idea of taking captain Gabriel Landeskog off that top line to spread out some of the scoring brilliance:

I’m going to keep that option open for this exercise.

So, let’s start with who the second-line center is likely to be.

We all know the Colorado Avalanche went out and traded for Nazem Kadri. He was a third-line center on the Toronto Maple Leafs, but they’re stacked at the position. He’s shown with two 30-goal seasons he’s capable of second-line production. He’s a gritty instigator with high-end playmaking and puck skills.

Unless Kadri comes into camp not in the conditioning to Jared Bednar’s liking or really screws up in the preseason or first couple games, I don’t think he’s going to get knocked out of that 2C position. It’s his to lose, in other words. So, for this post, I’m just going to evaluate potential wingers for him.

Gabriel Landeskog and JT Compher

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Landeskog is a true left wing. J.T. Compher is not a winger, so he’d have to play out of position. I like this trio because all three have both grit and high-end scoring ability. They’re big, and they’re mean. This style of line would be an absolute menace in many of the ways that the top line would not — with some of the scoring threat to bolster the top line.

Colin Wilson and JT Compher

If Bednar decides to keep the top line intact, I could see Colin Wilson stepping into the left wing role. He’s listed as being capable of playing both center and left wing, which he did a lot last year. With this line, we’d get the gritty finesse of Kadri and Compher mixed in with some skating and stick wizardry. Wilson would also be a cool head for that line.

Andre Burakovsy and Tyson Jost

This is my favorite line combination. Kadri provides the grit and maturity with some scoring finesse. He can make room for Andre Burakovsky and Tyson Jost, neither of who are particularly physical players. They’re both great playmakers, though. And they, like Kadri, have something to prove this season. We could call this the Redemption Line.

Andre Burakovsky/Tyson Jost and Joonas Donskoi

I can’t decide who I like better for this combination, Burakovsky or Jost. Both are speedy playmakers, and that’s what I would like to see here. Joonas Donskoi skates extremely well and can score on the rush. That makes me lean toward Jost because that was his wheelhouse coming out of the playoffs. Again, Kadri could create the room, and Jost and Donskoi could wheel in.

Tyson Jost and JT Compher

The All-Roomies Line didn’t work out so great last season. However, Jost and Compher worked well together last season. Their playing style complements each other’s. I could see them flanking Kadri for a line that’s capable of grit, speed, finesse, playmaking.

I think this is the line we’re all going to be watching for next season. Honestly, I think it’s going to come down a lot to which players show chemistry with each other. If one or two players shows that chemistry with Kadri or with each other, they could find themselves on that second line.

The Colorado Avalanche have put themselves into a good place to formulate some great lines for the upcoming season.