Coming off back-to-back slow starts, the stars of the Colorado Avalanche can find a jump-start this season in World Cup action.
The World Cup of Hockey has been a polarizing subject this off season, and myself and other Colorado Avalanche fans certainly have our concerns about the tournament taking place right before the NHL’s regular season.
To summarize these concerns: several Avs stars will miss training camp — at best — with a new coach and part of the preseason. At worst, they could suffer injuries in this tournament. In either case, the Colorado Avalanche may not enter the regular season as a well-oiled machine.
However, there are benefits to our stars playing in the tournament, despite the risks.
The biggest benefit is that the team will immediately be playing against the best players in the world. Rather than ease into the year with a preseason against rookies and prospects, our boys will go up against names such as Sidney Crosby, Joe Pavelski, Tomas Plekanec, Marian Gaborik, and Alex Ovechkin, to name a few.
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It’s difficult to determine how high the stakes will be for a tournament that only happens when the NHL feels like it. But, it’s rather safe to say playing against other top-tier players early and often could help prevent slow starts, such as Matt Duchene’s issues early last year.
Nathan MacKinnon is already making highlights, as he lead Team North America to a shutout over Team Europe. Check out this nastiness:
A good start is essential for the Avs this year, and having their stars already firing on all cylinders should help with that.
Another advantage will be more playing time and attention for the prospects and depth players on the team during training camp and the preseason.
Chris Bigras and Nikita Zadorov — in particular — will be fighting to claim a spot on the roster. And, playing top-pairing minutes in the preseason could help their cases. Furthermore, with Tyson Barrie looking to improve his defensive game, you can bet that he’ll spend as much time with Nolan Pratt as possible to become less of a liability.
Mikko Rantanen should be a shoe-in for at least cracking the lineup this year, but was not given much time in a top-6 role while in the NHL last year. With several stars out at the World Cup, Rantanen could showcase his abilities with less sheltered minutes and possibly win a spot on a top line.
Finally, with Varlamov out of town, Spencer Martin could get his first taste of NHL hockey. While nobody expects Martin to come anywhere near cracking the main club’s lineup, any time he can spend with Francois Allaire will certainly aid his development going forward.
Again, the risk of injury is scary, and stars missing camp is not ideal. However, if everyone makes it home in one piece, the Avs could absolutely explode out of the gates this year, and the World Cup of Hockey could help with that.
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