Looking at Colorado Avalanche lineup against Minnesota Wild
The Colorado Avalanche look to roll out one of the most talented lineups in the league.
The top line should feature Ross Colton and Mikko Rantanen with Nathan MacKinnon at center. That line looks good with MacKinnon maintaining a healthy four-point lead on the Edmonton Oilers Leon Draisaitl for the NHL scoring lead.
Meanwhile, the second line features Casey Mittelstadt with Artturi Lehkonen and Jonathan Drouin. Both Lehkonen and Drouin have been good this season, giving the Avalanche two more top-six wingers to deploy.
Where things get interesting is the bottom six. The third line features Joel Kiviranta, who’s in the midst of a strong season, with Parker Kelly and the versatile Logan O’Connor. O’Conner had a bit of a slow start but has come on strong lately.
The fourth line continues to be a work in progress. Juuso Parssinen continues to center the line with fellow Finn Jere Innala and Ivan Ivan on the wings. The line looked serviceable against Dallas in their last outing.
In my estimation, however, the Avalanche need more stability in that fourth line. An infusion of solid veteran talent could be an option the Avs could look at heading into the trade deadline. A name I’ve suggested Colorado look into is Derek Ryan of the Edmonton Oilers, who recently hit the waiver wire.
Moving forward, some good players could hit the wire as teams look to make room for potential deadline moves. So, the Avs could find some solid players on the cheap. Keep your eyes on the wire waiver heading into the March 7 trade deadline.
Lastly, MacKenzie Blackwood should be back in the crease after Scott Wedgewood got the start in the Avs’ last game against the Stars. Blackwood has been a revelation since coming over from San Jose, He can hopefully continue showing he was the right choice for the Avalanche this season.