3 thoughts on the Colorado Avalanche opening night roster
The Colorado Avalanche head into the 2024-25 season with one of the league's deepest rosters. The key will be consistency as some question marks surround what could be one of the NHL's top contenders.
The Colorado Avalanche are done with the business of training camp and are now ready to get the puck rolling on a brand-new season. After several weeks of hard work and preparation, the Avs’ opening night roster is set.
Overall, there are no Earth-shattering surprises. While there are some pleasant ones, the overall lineup looks solid. The mix of superstar power and depth provides Colorado with balance throughout.
Still, it’s worth digging deeper into the lineup as there are some interesting issues to consider heading into the Avs’ season debut against the Vegas Golden Knights.
3 thoughts on the Colorado Avalanche’s opening night roster
The kids made the team
Three young players stand out as pleasant surprises. Let’s start with the most obvious one: Calum Ritchie.
Heading into training camp, it was unclear whether Ritchie was ready for the NHL. Ritchie put those questions to rest as he had an impressive camp highlighted by several solid preseason games. As such, the Avs found themselves compelled to put him on the opening night roster given the options available to Ritchie.
In the end, keeping him on the Avs’ roster is a much better way to spur his development than to send him back to the OHL. Ritchie will have an opportunity to learn the NHL ropes while playing with some of the league’s best players.
Then, there’s Sam Malinski. Malinski has done phenomenally well for an undrafted player. While he’s a bit on the older side, his upside is undeniable. Malinski should start the season in the third pairing but is poised to move up if injuries unfortunately strike.
Malinski played so well in fact, that the Avs were able to move Erik Brannstrom in order to clear a roster spot for him. Moving forward, the Avalanche figure to get a highly motivated Malinski. He’ll certainly try his best to stay on the big club as there is no going back to the minors.
Lastly, Ivan Ivan had to be the biggest and most pleasant surprise in camp this season. Ivan plays like the little engine that could, running around making plays and generating offense. Ivan looks like a prototypical bottom-six powerhouse that adds grit, tenacity, and depth scoring.
While Ivan may not see action in every game this season, his overall performance could earn coach Jared Bednar’s respect and trust. If that’s the case, fans can expect to see bigger and better things from Ivan.
On the downside, news broke that defense prospect Sean Behrens will miss the season with a knee injury. It’s too bad as Behrens has the potential to join Malinski as part of the Avs’ youth movement.
There’s little wiggle room for Georgiev
Alexandar Georgiev is heading into the final year of his current deal. In short, Georgiev needs to play well in order to ensure a new deal, whether in Colorado or elsewhere.
However, Georgiev looked shaky at times during the preseason. In particular, an ugly 6-1 preseason loss to the Vegas Golden Knights raised questions about Georgiev’s overall performance.
Of course, the hope is that Georgiev shakes off a couple of bad outings and gets back on track during the regular season. But in case he struggles, Justus Annunen could take over.
Now, it’s important to keep this in mind as there was little chance for Annunen to leapfrog Georgiev in the preseason. Nevertheless, the full 82-game schedule is an entirely different animal. The Avs will need to play solid defense in front of Georgiev to keep his confidence high.
Similarly, if Annunen is called upon to take the reins, the Avs will need to rally around their netminder to ensure he performs up to his capabilities.
Now, can it be said there’s a goalie controversy in Colorado? At the moment, no, there is none to speak of. However, there’s little wiggle room for Georgiev. There’s no telling how long the Avs will wait before pulling the plug on him and giving Annunen a real shot at becoming the team’s number-one goaltender.
Ultimately, the worst-case scenario would be to see both netminders struggle. Such a situation could send Avs’ management scrambling for a solution. But Avs’ fans certainly hope it doesn’t come to that. There are two solid goalies on the roster, giving the club a chance to win every night.
The 13th forward and the 7th defenseman
The biggest questions remaining are the final roster spots. Let’s start with the 13th forward. According to Brennan Vogt, there appears to be a four-way competition for the three fourth-line spots. Ivan, along with Parker Kelly, Chris Wagner, and Joel Kiviranta will most likely rotate for those three spots.
#Avs lines based on sweater color this morning #GoAvsGo @TheRinkColorado pic.twitter.com/ud7lAB6nVd
— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) October 8, 2024
So, who becomes the 13th forward?
On the whole, Ivan is too good to sit in the press box. But then again, Wagner and Kelly provide grit and toughness along with solid defensive play. So, does that mean Kiviranta becomes the 13th forward? Not necessarily.
At the end of the day, the Avs will do well to keep a rotation of forwards on the fourth line, altering the lineup based on specific opponents.
Now, let’s look at the 7th defenseman. According to Vogt, the fourth pairing appears to be newcomer John Ludvig and Oliver Kylington. At the outset of training camp, the projected third pairing was Kylington and Brannstrom.
Brannstrom has since been traded and Malinski seems to have overtaken Kylington. Thus, it appears that Kylington will be the 7th defenseman while Ludvig could be the eighth blueliner.
On the whole, allowing Malinski to play this season is the smartest choice the Avs could make. They lose nothing by giving Malinski the opportunity to show what he can do. Meanwhile, Kylington could become valuable insurance in case of injuries and scheduled rest for regulars.
As for Ludvig, he was a waiver pickup from the Pittsburgh Penguins. That’s not to say he’s a bad player. It’s just that Ludvig should not see much game action unless in emergencies. He’s a low-cost insurance option the Avs will need in case of injuries.
In conclusion, the Avs have one of the deepest rosters in the NHL. The key will be consistency. Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar are as close to a sure thing as possible. Mikko Rantanen and Casey Mittelstadt are tremendous players. Things look bright for the Avs this season as long as injuries don’t derail the season.
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