The Colorado Avalanche are once again gaining steam. Winners of four-straight, the club has managed to lengthen their lead in a stacked Central Division to nine points. Outpacing the entire league for the regular season hasn't been as easy as an occasional glance up at the standings might indicate.
In fact, Colorado has been pushed to maintain their consistency by Dallas and Minnesota, who both understand the importance of playoff seeding. This organization is committed to capturing another Stanley Cup. When your roster is this talented, anything but a championship is failure.
Immediately following the acquisition of Nazem Kadri at the trade deadline, I wrote about how his presence could help players further down the lineup solidify their roles. There have been a few wrenches thrown into that process due to injury, but for the most part, the Avalanche are getting healthy just in time.
With captain Gabriel Landeskog recently returning, and Artturi Lehkonen added back to the lineup last night in Winnipeg, the top-six looks just about optimized on paper. Indeed, with Hart Trophy frontrunner Nathan MacKinnon leading the top line, and 30+ goal-scorer Brock Nelson anchoring the second line, Colorado has the horses to run with anyone.
It's especially ironic that after years of searching for a Nazem Kadri replacement to fill out that 2C spot in the lineup, Nelson has finally seemingly done it in terms of production. Just in time for Kadri himself to come home to Colorado and reinforce the ranks even further.
The Avalanche aren't just top-heavy anymore
The Colorado Avalanche’s so called 'bottom-six' might be the beefiest I've ever seen. Certainly, they are the most talented top to bottom we've seen since the 2022 Stanley Cup team. Somehow, Colorado seemingly went from a perpetual search for a good 2C to arguably having two top-tier options in Nelson and Kadri.
The long-awaited return of Logan O'Connor has also bolstered the wing, and specifically the PK unit at just the right time. LOC has spent all year on IR after yet another hip surgery, But lest we not forget how clutch he became last postseason. I know it was a small sample size last year, but in seven games against Dallas, O'Connor tallied six big points, playing the best hockey of his pro career.
Sure, it would be unfair to expect a replication of those stats, but it's great to know he's capable of those kinds of bursts. LOC still looks to be skating fast, and he hasn't lost his trademark fearlessness, which has been on full display since his reinsertion to the lineup. In addition, we know all about the potentially electric chemistry O'Connor has had with his good buddy Ross Colton.
Colton is another player who has battled injury a few times this season. For much of the campaign, Colton has seemed snakebitten when it comes to finishing, Again though, I optimistically see it turning around for Colton as he firmly settles into the third-liner role. Over the years, we have seen Colton get hot when pushed up the lineup card, but on an uncommonly talented third line, he should be able to shine.
One thing you can't forget about Colton is that he, too, has Stanley Cup credentials, albeit in the season prior to Colorado's most recent triumph. Colton actually scored the final goal to seal the win for the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2021. Colton might feel a little unlucky at times this season, but nothing fixes that like playing meanigful minutes in the playoffs for a Stanley Cup favorite like Colorado.
With a wildcard addition like Nicolas Roy, who is currently out, but should return soon, the Avalanche have an extra flex piece to deploy. Roy was a more under the radar add just before the deadline when compared to Kadri, but he's immediately fit in well.
Roy also has his own championship pedigree with Vegas in 2023. Initially, his lack of skating speed and underwhelming numbers accumulated in Toronto this year gave me pause. But since coming to Colorado, he quickly dispelled my personal concerns. In 59 games with the Maple Leafs, Roy had just five goals. Yet in just nine games with the Avalanche, he already has three goals. That's a shocking turnaround. It could be due to a variety of reasons, but the fit seems more than fine.
If a beefed-up third line can give an already-great Colorado club another edge in matchups, the gritty but still goal-hungry fourth line can shut the door on the opposition. I already mentioned how being healthy means line combos are even more finely attuned. Jack Drury as 4C is the pefect fit. It might be somewhat disappointing to Drury himself, who was hoping to make the jump this year offensively.
When you consider that Drury as a borderline 3C struggles to find consistency but is an elite 4C, the adjustment down the lineup became a no doubt upgrade. Drury is Colorado's best faceoff man, and having that on a group you want to help play shutdown hockey is a major asset.
On Thursday night, when Colorado was again having a hard time solving Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck, it was Drury and classic fourth line grinder play that finally broke through late in the first period. You might like to know that was Drury's ninth goal on the year and a new career-high. Even more crucial, though, it was a reminder that sometimes, against the league's best goalies, it's persistence that makes the difference.
The best fourth lines are all about persistence. Consider Parker Kelly, who is also enjoying a breakout season. Kelly has now doubled his previous career high in goals with 16! Coincidentally, that total is the same surprising number that his line mate Joel Kiviranta had last season. Kiviranta has been hampered by injury some this year, and is notably streaky when it comes to finding the back of the net.
However, what ties Kelly and Kiviranta together, other than being great defensive-forwards with sneaky puck skills, is that they know exactly who they are as hockey players. These are guys that get into corners and fight along the wall, they love a greasy goal more than the next guy. The unexpected offensive pop from Colorado's fourth line means that they are not just a pain to play against. They round out the roster so that every line could be the one that beats you.
The Avalanche are as deep as they've been in years. Maybe as deep as they've been in franchise history. They are loaded with Stanley Cup winners and hungry grinders in the midst of career years. Now is the time to capitalize, and nobody knows it better than the players themsleves.