The Colorado Avalanche have a couple of roster spots that are up for grabs in 2026-27. While their top-six are pretty much set in stone, they’ve got some work to do with the other half of their forward group.
One of the players that isn’t garnering much attention is Gavin Brindley. While not a major name in the NHL, Brindley still made an impact with the Avalanche last season, playing in 56 games and recording six goals and seven assists.
Despite his size of 5’8” and 173 pounds, Brindley was able to outwork his opponents and do what is asked of him in limited minutes. We’ve heard it before—a guy like Brindley isn’t expected to put up 30 goals a season. He just has to go out onto the ice and not make major mistakes that cost the team.
It’s possible that Brindley makes the team out of training camp, but perhaps he would be better suited as a winger. He could use his speed to his advantage by disrupting opponents along the boards and fight for the puck to pass along to the bigger players. That might also be more likely with some of the offseason moves the team has made.
It’s also important to note that Brindley doesn’t have a great track record during faceoffs, going just 13 for 34 (38.2 percent) last season. That’s not a big sample size, but that just points towards the point that he might be better on the outside if anything.
He also had just 15 blocked shots last season. It would be good for him to try and increase all of his statistical totals in 2026-27 for a better chance of sticking around. If not, he could potentially find his way back to the Eagles. Given his usage in the NHL compared to the AHL last season, that doesn’t sound very likely, but this is a new season coming up, and with more competition in the bottom-six, it will be interesting to see if he has what it takes.
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