Colorado Avalanche and Possible Forward Line Combinations
Despite not very much turnover among the Colorado Avalanche, there are a lot of questions about who is actually going to play with whom.
One of my favourite things to do as a hockey fan is think up line combinations. All season long, whenever the team isn’t performing perfectly I’m thinking about different ways the lines could be shuffled to produce better results.
Well, before we get too far into the preseason and it becomes obvious, I want to tell you the lines I would like to see come opening night for the Colorado Avalanche
Nov 28, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Avalanche left wing Gabriel Landeskog (92) celebrates his goal with center Matt Duchene (9) and center Nathan MacKinnon (29) and defenseman Erik Johnson (6) and defenseman Francois Beauchemin (32) in the first period against the Winnipeg Jets at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
First Line
Landeskog – MacKinnon – Duchene
I believe that you should ideally have your three best forwards playing together on the top line, so I’ve put our three best together. But it goes deeper than that.
In the World Cup, I was able to watch these three play a different role than they have with the Avalanche.
What I’ve learned is that these three have play styles that compliment one another perfectly.
Matt Duchene loves to control the puck down low, especially behind the net. I noticed this especially because Joe Thornton likes to do the same thing, so early in the tournament when playing together they kept getting in each other’s way.
Nathan MacKinnon on the other hand likes to play in front of the net. He likes being that net-front presence and getting scoring chances from up close. I noticed this especially when, just before a late game faceoff, he had a talk with Austen Matthews (another net-front player), and the result was Matthews spending most of that shift in the high slot.
Gabriel Landeskog spent most of the World Cup playing a tough forechecking cycling game, and he’s been good at it. I see him complementing Duchene and MacKinnon perfectly by forechecking hard and getting the puck for the other two, then when they get control, moving to an open area for a shot.
So with this line, you have MacKinnon and Duchene who can carry the puck in, Landeskog who can retrieve it in a dump in, and then once they have the puck, guys who can specialize in different parts of the ice.
MacKinnon can work the front of the net while Duchene and Landeskog work the boards.
We already saw the magic these three were capable of last season. I want to see these three as a unit long-term to see what happens when they develop some real chemistry.
Mar 5, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Carl Soderberg (34) talks with defenseman Mattias Ekholm (14) in the first period against the Nashville Predators at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Second Line
Colborne – Soderberg – Comeau
This one is less set in stone for me, but putting Carl Soderberg back with Blake Comeau is a no-brainer. Soderberg definitely deserves to be on the 2nd line, and while there are other players that might compete with Comeau for a 2nd line winger spot, he already has chemistry with Soderberg that the other players may not. That being said, I think Soderberg was wasted much of last season playing with less skilled wingers such as Andreas Martinsen, so I’m giving him Colborne.
Joe Colborne is big and likes the front of the net, so he should fit with the physical style Soderberg and Comeau like to play, but Colborne also has some offensive skill, as demonstrated by his 44 points last season.
Now, if Colborne proves that he’s much more valuable at center (he’s good on faceoffs), then I’d slot Mikko Rantanen here instead.
Feb 6, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Mikhail Grigorenko (25) scores a goal in the first period against the Winnipeg Jets at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Third Line
Grigorenko – Rantanen – Iginla
This is my offensive line. All three of the other lines should get their share of defensive zone starts. This line should almost never start in the defensive zone.
As I already stated, Colborne might be a better fit in the middle here, but I know the Avs want to see how Rantanen performs at center, and that’s where he played much of last season.
I put Mikhail Grigorenko here instead of the top line like many other would because I think Grigo needs to earn it. He has yet to show in his career that he truly deserves top line minutes and responsibilities.
What he did show at the end of last year is that he has some chemistry with Jarome Iginla.
We know Iginla isn’t as fast or effective at 5 on 5 as he used to be, but my numbers show that overall last season he proved to be a borderline 2nd/3rd line player. I still think if used in the right situation, he can still put up some points.
And what better situation than to put him with an elite passer like Grigorenko.
Rantanen to me is the perfect fit to center these two. Both Iginla and Grigorenko can take faceoffs if needed, and playing on an offensive 3rd line would put a lot less pressure on Rantanen and allow him to develop his game.
I also think it’s important that Grigorenko plays with high skill players given his talents, and I’d love to see if he could develop some chemistry with Rantanen.
Dec 9, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Ian Cole (28) battle for the puck along the boards with Colorado Avalanche center John Mitchell (7) and left wing Cody McLeod (55) in the second period at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Fourth Line
Who knows?
At the beginning of the offseason, the 4th line seemed clear: McLeod – Mitchell – Martinsen
Now, not so much.
In theory, the 4th line seems like an open competition between 9 players:
John Mitchell, Cody McLeod, Andreas Martinsen, Ben Smith, Mike Sislo, Rene Bourque, Trent Vogelhuber, Gabriel Bourque and J.T. Compher.
Of those, I think Sislo and Vogelhuber are definitely destined to start in the AHL, since that’s where they’ve spent most of their career. Don’t be surprised to see them as in-season call-ups though.
The PTO players (Bourque & Bourque) are anyone’s guess, although based on last season’s numbers and their ages, I give Gabriel Bourque a huge leg up over his unrelated namesake.
Ben Smith has certainly got as good as shot as anyone, but he’s not a young kid, and may really be in the same boat as Sislo and Vogelhuber.
In the end though, despite all this choice, I think the 4th line and the healthy scratch as likely going to include the original three options: McLeod, Mitchell and Martinsen.
This because those three are the only ones of the 11 (other than the PTO players) who are on one-way deals. All the other guys can be sent down to the AHL without having to clear waivers.
So those 4th line jobs are McLeod, Mitchell and Martinsen’s to lose. That leaves one spot remaining, which I am tentatively giving to Gabriel Bourque.
Bourque hits a lot, scores at a decent rate, doesn’t give the puck away, and is good on the penalty kill. What more can you ask from a 4th liner?
So in conclusion, my ideal 4th line is:
G. Bourque – Mitchell – Martinsen
(Healthy scratch: McLeod)
To be clear, I’m least confident about this line, and if any of my choices plays poorly in the preseason, they should not make the team.
I’d love for the other Bourque or someone like Compher or Ben Smith to play their way into a roster spot, but there’s no way to know if they will or not, and the safe bet is on all the two-way deal players starting in the AHL. They can always be called up later.
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