Avalanche practice groups starting to look like Opening Night lineup

The Colorado Avalanche look to have given fans their first look at what the Opening Night lineup could look like on Tuesday.

The coaching staff divided the entire camp into two groups, with the first batch pretty much looking like the final roster. Meanwhile, the second group was a pretty good look at what the Colorado Eagles will look like this season.

The top line of Nathan MacKinnon-Martin Necas-Artturi Lehkonen is hardly a shocker. The second line, consisting of the veteran trio Brock Nelson-Nazem Kadri-Gabriel Landeskog, looks solid as well.

Things change a bit when looking at the bottom six.

One of the names we’d figure would step into the third-line center role was Nic Roy. However, he’s projected on the wing with Fedor Svechkov down the middle and Jaden Schwartz on the other wing.

That’s a fine combo. The trio should do well, especially since Roy is a more versatile scorer than Svechkov. But what does seem surprising is that Svechkov would be on the third line as opposed to the checking line, where initial returns saw the Russian center land.

That also makes the fourth line look a little bit different than what some might have expected. Parker Kelly looks to be the 4C, with Zachary L’Heureux and Logan O’Connor on the wings.

Now, Kelly and L’Heureux are fine on the fourth line. But you have to think that O’Connor would be better off on the third line, where he could provide a little more scoring.

But let’s see. These are the forward lines for now. Things could change, and they should, once the season begins and the real competition hits.

No surprises on the blue line for Avalanche

As for the blue line, well, there are no surprises whatsoever.

The top pairing of Devon Toews and Cale Makar is a no-brainer. Brett Kulak and Sam Malinski on the middle pairing look good. The club will be teaming up a defensive defenseman in Kulak with a puck-mover like Malinski.

Meanwhile, the third pairing, the veteran duo of Josh Manson and Brent Burns, actually makes sense. In particular, giving the older pair a little less ice time will allow them to do more. The last thing that Jared Bednar should be looking at is overly taxing some of the older guys on the team.

The seventh defenseman is expected to be Noah Juulsen, something that was evident from the moment the club signed him this past offseason.

The crease looks set in Colorado

There’s not much that needs to be said regarding MacKenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood in the crease. This is the duo the club will be rolling with, and it should not result in any unexpected situations.

All told, 21 roster spots look set. That still leaves room for two more names. That should be the 13th forward and potentially another defenseman. Perhaps we could see Taylor Makar and TJ Hughes make the team, or have one of Makar and Hughes make it, with another blueliner like Alex Gagne getting a shot at the bigs.

We’ll see. There doesn’t seem to be a need for another defenseman. So, it could be two extra forwards making the team. And if it’s Makar and Hughes, the Avalanche could have some very interesting combinations early in the season, helping keep some of the veterans fresh throughout the season.

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