It has been a relatively quiet offseason for the Colorado Avalanche as the team did much of their work before or on July 1st. The biggest question the Avalanche face with their roster is who makes the team in place of the injured Logan O'Connor at the start of the season. O'Connor is likely out until sometime in Novemeber or even early December. Many of the moves the Avalanche have made this offseason address the bottom six and further depth pieces.
The beginning of last season shed light on some players
Because of the injury-plagued start for the Avs last year, there are multiple players in the organization who received a bit of NHL experience. Players like Ivan Ivan, Nikita Prishchepov, Matthew Stienburg, and Tye Felhaber are often mentioned as part of the competition for the final roster spot. With multiple forwards in the top-9 out during the beginning of last season, players like Ivan and Prishchepov got opportunities to play up into the middle six. That's not something coaches usually like to do with guys playing their first few NHL games.
But each of these players shined in their own way. While I think all of them could be the one to step up and grab the roster spot, I think Ivan Ivan stands the best shot to make the opening-night roster of these four players.
What Ivan Ivan brings to the table
The first major thing that Ivan has going for him is that he's a center. Currently, the Avalanche have a gap down the middle, specifically in the bottom six. The consensus is that they need a 3C, but they have Jack Drury who may be able to step into that role, and I believe he can, especially now after the team signed Victor Olofsson. Therefore, the gap now becomes 4C and that's a role that Ivan could fill. However, Ivan Ivan is a dismal 40.9% in the dot in the NHL. The only other in-house option would be to move Parker Kelly back to center, but that diminishes his effectiveness.
The next thing is playing time. He had 40 games during the NHL regular season last year, which is much more than Prischepov, who had 10, Stienburg with eight, and Felhaber with five. More to that, Ivan Ivan was the only one of those forwards to contribute on the scoresheet with five goals and three assists.
Lastly, I really liked the drive that Ivan brought when he got slotted higher up in the lineup. For a guy just getting his chance in the NHL and playing second-line minutes, he worked hard and made an impact. He capitalized on a few powerplay opportunities by scoring two goals, including his first career NHL goal.
How Ivan fits into the lineup
After the signings of Joel Kiviranta and Olofsson, the Avalanche have filled out the bottom of the lineup nicely. If we move Drury to 3C and pair him with Ross Colton and Olofsson, that leaves Parker Kelly, Kiviranta and then Ivan Ivan, if he can win the job. Kiviranta and Kelly have already established good chemistry together. Ivan's hustle and willingness to get down in front of the net should complement Kiviranta and Kelly very well.
The other likely option would be to see Ivan centering a line between Kelly and Olofsson, which would kind of spread the scoring out on the bottom half of the lineup. With this setup, on each line you'll have a reliable winger in Kiviranta and Kelly, a winger with high offensive upside in Colton and Olofsson, and a center who works hard and can grind it out in Drury, and Ivan.
With the NHL experience Ivan has and the drive that he brings, I do think Ivan has a good shot to make the roster. There are other players who have yet to play their first NHL game who could win the spot, like Zakhar Bardakov or Danil Gushchin. The other thing barring Ivan from landing the job is the potential for a trade for a bottom six center. I would love to see Ivan nab the spot and prevent the front office from trading away more valuable assets.