Colorado Avalanche: Potential Third Line Combinations

The Colorado Avalanche front offices have worked to cement a well-rounded roster. Below are some ideas for the third line.

The Colorado Avalanche went out during the summer and made some good acquisitions. They didn’t make the biggest of splashes, but they did fill out their roster.

The third line wasn’t an area of too much concern for the team last year. For the most part, it consisted of Carl Soderberg centering Matt Calvert and Matthew Nieto. Obviously, Soderberg is gone, so we’re already going to see a change in the line.

A third line can take on different roles. A lot of times you see them in defensive situations. They can also be an agitator line. However, you should also expect some scoring with that line.

I’ve already explored possible line combinations for the first and second lines:

I don’t exactly have a favorite from either. However, for fun’s sake, I’d like a top six that looks like this:

Andre Burakovsky-Nathan MacKinnon-Mikko Rantanen

Gabriel Landeskog-Nazem Kadri-Tyson Jost

I’d like to see if Burakovsky’s gifts could fully develop on that line, and I’d like to see what Jost could do if given the space from two heavy hitters. That said, I’m not going to remove them from my consideration for the third line.

Now, let’s start with who might center the third line.

J.T. Compher is the favorite for this spot. He’s definitely the new style of Carl Soderberg, and a potential upgrade.

The main contender for that spot would be Tyson Jost. I think that would happen if Compher were promoted to the top-six. I like Jost as a center, though I wouldn’t love seeing his ice time so low.

A final contender for this position is Colin Wilson. I wouldn’t see putting him into the center over Jost, though, if Compher were top-six.

That said, those three could make a great third line:

Wilson-Compher-Jost

The three played together with varying levels of success. What I like about that line is Compher can play with some grit, Jost can wheel, and Wilson can offer some veteran leadership.

Now, a name that’s often associated with the Colorado Avalanche’s third line is right wing Joonas Donskoi. He’s got speed, and he’s got hands. I’d love to see him on a line with Jost:

Jost-Compher-Donskoi

Those three could do a lot of scoring on the rush.

The Avs acquired Burakovsky with the idea of giving him top-six minutes. If he does drop to the third line, he could replace either Jost or Donskoi in that above combination. He’s another one with speed and skill as well as good size. That last would make him a good bet for a checking line.

Let’s put Jost at center and see what we can come up with:

Wilson-Jost-Donskoi

Ok, that’s not too shabby. All three have skill and speed, though it’s inconsistent for all of them. Wilson is 29, while Donskoi is 27. That’s some nice leadership for the 21-year-old Jost without hampering him.

Burakovsky-Jost-Donskoi

I might like this option a little better. I’m not sure, but I think Burakovsky might be faster than Wilson, and he’s certainly bigger. This wouldn’t be much of a checking line, though.

Wilson-Jost-Burakovsky

This line offers a nice balance. To be honest, though I would love to see Tyson go back to his natural center position, I believe Compher is better for the third-line center position.

Here’s how I think the third line is ultimately going to look:

Wilson-Compher-Donskoi

This could be a very good checking line that also has the skill to be a scoring threat. Compher is a great two-way player, and Wilson is responsible with the puck. I don’t know too much about Donskoi’s style yet, except that he’s scouted as being good at scoring on the rush and setting up linemates.

That really is a very nice third line. Will we see it? Absolutely. I’m sure we’ll see some version of all the above lines as the year goes on.

So, with that line figured out, we can have a top-nine that (most likely) looks like this:

Landeskog-MacKinnon-Rantanen

Jost-Kadri-Burakovsky

Wilson-Compher-Donskoi

That’s not too shabby, Avs Nation.

So, what do you think the Colorado Avalanche third line should look like next year?