Colorado Avalanche Mix Youth and Core Against Kings
As the Colorado Avalanche head into their third preseason game, the coaching staff continues to look at prospects, while peppering in members of the core.
At long last, members of the Colorado Avalanche core will be returning to Pepsi Center tonight. According to a tweet from the Colorado Avalanche PR department, the lineup will include Semyon Varlamov, Nathan MacKinnon, and Erik Johnson:
Game Notes: vs. Los Angeles Kings (Sept. 30, 2016): https://t.co/gO3qiPgn5M
— Avalanche PR (@AvsPR) September 30, 2016
This makes plenty of sense, as E.J. and MacK have been back from the World Cup the longest. Their understanding of the new systems will likely benefit from some in-game experience, and Coach Bednar will get to see his systems using two of his best players.
I’m especially excited to see MacKinnon operate in a North-South system that stresses being on the attack as much as possible. MacK was dangerous already, but I feel Bednar’s systems will allow him to play to his strengths even more.
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Plus, since Varly didn’t see any action in the World Cup, getting him back in the net ASAP will ensure he hits the ground running when the season starts.
These three returning marks a pivotal point in the preseason, as the Avs work to cut down their roster to one group. It would be unsurprising to see Gabriel Landeskog and Carl Soderberg return October 4 against the Wild, as well.
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In addition to integrating some of his best players, Coach Bednar will take another look at prospects, borderline NHL-ers, depth players, and the Bourque PTOs. In fact, there is the (highly unlikely) potential of seeing Gabriel Bourque, Rene Bourque, and Troy Bourke on the same line tonight. All three are natural wings, however, so that seems doubtful.
Varlamov will be backed up by our likely third string goalie, Spencer Martin, who will hopefully see some action in the third period tonight. Martin has been impressive throughout camp thus far, so getting him some NHL experience before he joins San Antonio would be nice for his development.
One pairing I hope to see is Chris Bigras with Erik Johnson. Bigras is considered the future of the Avs’ blue line, so seeing him paired with a current top-2 defenseman could be exciting.
Mikhail Grigorenko, who has had an impressive preseason, will also be in the lineup once again. Grigs appears to be realizing his potential — based on his preseason performance — and evolving into the top-6 forward we all hope he can be. Of course, how he functions with the true core remains to be seen, but he’s captured my attention, nonetheless.
Tonight’s game will start at 7 pm MST, and can be heard on Altitude 950.
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