Thoughts on Colorado Avalanche's surprising new-look lines  

The Colorado Avalanche are virtually at full strength for the first time this season. With the exception of Ross Colton, every regular will hit the ice on Friday against the Washington Capitals.

Here’s a look at the lines slated to see action on Friday night:

Lehkonen – MacKinnon – Rantanen

Drouin – Mittelstadt – Nichushkin

Wood – Kelly – O’Connor

Kovalenko – Ivan – Kiviranta

Captain Gabriel Landeskog’s status remains unchanged. There is still no timeline for his potential return.

Now, these lines show some surprising shifts. First, the top line stays intact. It seems coach Jared Bednar is applying the old saying, “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” Since Artturi Lehkonen joined the top unit, the line has been humming. Mikko Rantanen had a hat trick recently, while Nathan MacKinnon is on pace for video game numbers.

Second, Jonathan Drouin will slide into the second line with Casey Mittelstadt and Val Nichushkin. Nichushkin’s placement on the second line is on point. However, I believed Drouin would return with MacKinnon and Rantanen. Perhaps it’s only a matter of time before Drouin finds his way back to the top line.

Third, Miles Wodd’s return places him on the third line with Parker Kelly and Logan O’Connor. This line seems perfectly reasonable. Colton would have been the center on that line. However, his injury gives Kelly a shot.

Lastly, the biggest surprise is the new-look fourth line. Nikolai Kovalenko and Ivan Ivan were designated to the AHL and then subsequently recalled. Such paper transactions are common. What seems somewhat uncommon is Ivan at center with Kovalenko and Joel Kiviranta on the wings. This line should not see much ice time but will be fun to watch.

Ultimately, the Avs appear to have the most enviable depth in the NHL. Aside from clubs like the Dallas Stars or New York Rangers, it’s hard to find other teams with as much talent on each line. Even the relatively inexperienced fourth line has so much talent that it could turn out to be the best one in the league.

Georgiev out with upper-body injury

The Avs announced that netminder Alexandar Georgiev is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Presumably, Georgiev sustained the injury in his last outing against the Los Angeles Kings. According to reports, it’s nothing serious.

Consequently, Trent Miner was recalled from the AHL Colorado Eagles to backup Annunen. The injury’s timing is quite interesting as the Colorado Avalanche recently put Kaapo Kahkonen on waivers. Nevertheless, it appears Georgiev’s injury is nothing to worry about, at least for now.

On a side note, Chris Wagner cleared waivers and is expected to report to the Colorado Eagles. Wagner filled in well during the injury-plagued start of the season. Wagner should be among the first call-ups should another forward be needed.