The Colorado Avalanche have been one of the three or four consistent Stanley Cup contenders over the last five seasons. Since winning in 2022, the Avs haven’t fallen off the radar despite a couple of disappointing exits.
But like pretty much every contending team, they’re a veteran squad. And that’s something that will have to gradually change.
The path the Avalanche would like to take is one of gradual renewal. In other words, the organization would like the team to get younger. But given Colorado’s contender status, the team can’t jettison a number of veterans and replace them with younger players. Such a move would signal a rebuild.
In this situation, the Avalanche need to gradually infuse young talent into the team. But doing so is easier said than done.
Looking at the lineup, there really isn’t much room for younger players. When looking at up-and-coming pieces like TJ Hughes, Gavin Brindley, or Sean Behrens, there doesn’t seem to be much room for them at the moment.
But that’s something that will have to change. Joe Sakic already addressed that situation earlier this season by trading for Fyodor Svechkov and Zachary L’Heureux. They’re on the younger side and could provide Colorado with some meaningful performances in the coming seasons.
Beyond that, there isn’t much room. Veterans like Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, Brock Nelson, and Nazem Kadri, among others, should get the lion’s share of playing time. But precisely because this is a veteran club we’re talking about, there might be a way to usher in a youth movement without dumping the team’s veteran stars.
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When looking at the grind of the regular season, now set to be 84 games, it doesn’t make total sense to have the veteran lineup play every minute of every game. In fact, it would make sense to have some sort of rotating system in which vets can get some time off, especially towards the end of the season.
It’s worth noting that the part of the Avalanche’s disappointing playoff exit was due to the fact that the team had run out of gas.
That shouldn’t be as much of a factor this upcoming season. The schedule shouldn’t be as packed, as there won’t be any 4 Nations or Olympics to worry about. That situation means that the Avalanche should have some additional time off in between games.
The schedule, coupled with younger pieces ready to get more playing time, should bode well for the Avs. That’s going to be crucial since part of the mission will be to reach the postseason as fresh and rested as possible.
So, let’s see what sort of lineup decisions Jared Bednar makes heading into training camp and into the season this fall.
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