The 2023-24 NHL season starts Oct. 10. With training camps underway, NHL.com is taking a look at the three keys, the inside scoop on roster questions, and the projected lineup for each of the 32 teams. Today, the Colorado Avalanche.
Coach: Jared Bednar (8th season)
Last season: 51-24-7; first place in Central Division, lost to Seattle Kraken in Western Conference First Round
3 KEYS
1. Refreshed after a long summer
The Avalanche didn't want it, but they did have the luxury of a long offseason after playing until June 26 the previous season. Yes, they won the Stanley Cup two seasons ago, so they wouldn't trade the summer of 2022 for anything, but they were eliminated by the Kraken on April 30, giving them nearly two more months to recover and prepare for this season. If Colorado can turn that into a positive, it will be set up for success again. However, defenseman Cale Makar is still recovering from injury issues that slowed his offseason and the hope is that he's ready to go by opening night, Oct. 11 against the Los Angeles Kings. The Avalanche had 463 man-games lost to injury last season, third most in team history. They know they won't have forward Gabriel Landeskog for a second straight season as he recovers from cartilage transplant surgery on his right knee, but health will be a factor. They found a way to skate through their injury woes last season, but struggled in the playoffs.
2. Johansen's impact
Ryan Johansen is Colorado's new No. 2 center behind Nathan MacKinnon, acquired in a trade with the Nashville Predators on June 24. He replaces J.T. Compher, who signed a five-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings on July 1. Johansen had surgery on his right leg and missed the final 27 games last season after he was cut by a skate blade. The 31-year-old had 28 points (12 goals, 16 assists) in 55 games before the injury, but the Avalanche are hoping he can match or exceed his production from 2021-22, when he had 63 points (26 goals, 37 assists) in 79 games. The hope is Johansen can provide a bigger boost to the offense than Compher did last season, when he had 52 points (17 goals, 35 assists) in 82 games. Colorado won the Stanley Cup in 2022 after Nazem Kadri put up 87 points (28 goals, 59 assists) in 71 games as the No. 2 center behind MacKinnon.
3. Forward depth
The Avalanche added Ross Colton, Jonathan Drouin, Tomas Tatar and Miles Wood in addition to Johansen. They should slot into the top-nine forward group that will also feature core players MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin. Logan O'Connor, Ben Meyers and Andrew Cogliano are options too, but likely ticketed for fourth-line roles. Bednar said on Wednesday that he likes the forwards Colorado added and it reminds him of the summer of 2019, when Andre Burakovsky and Joonas Donskoi came aboard. They were key contributors to the Avalanche’s Stanley Cup run in 2022. Colorado could line up with MacKinnon, Johansen and Colton as their top three centers, which means Rantanen can play on the wing, where he's been for most of his career. He had to play some center last season.
ROSTER RUNDOWN
Making the cut
The Avalanche brought in Joel Kiviranta on a professional tryout contract, and he will have a chance to make the final roster depending on how many forwards are kept. Colorado has 13 forwards on NHL contracts, including Fredrik Olofsson, who was acquired from the Dallas Stars on June 15 and signed to a one-year contract. Kiviranta had nine points (eight goals, one assist) in 70 games with the Stars last season, averaging 12:09 of ice time per game. He also had five points (one goal, four assists) and averaged 12:38 of ice time in 15 playoff games.
Most intriguing addition
Drouin signed a one-year contract on July 1 and it's an opportunity to have his best season in what has been a turbulent and injury-riddled nine-year NHL career. Drouin is reunited with MacKinnon, his former teammate with Halifax in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from 2011-13. MacKinnon was the No. 1 pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, soon followed by Drouin at No. 3. Drouin had 29 points (two goals, 27 assists) in 58 games with the Montreal Canadiens last season. His NHL career high is 53 points (18 goals, 35 assists) in 81 games with the Canadiens in 2018-19. If he stays healthy and plays with MacKinnon, 50-plus points is not out of the question with Drouin's skill.
Biggest potential surprise
Meyers signed with the Avalanche in April of 2022 after finishing his junior season at the University of Minnesota. At the time he was a sought-after, undrafted college free agent. He's still trying to secure his role on the NHL roster, but this could be the season he does that. Meyers appears to be the Avalanche's fourth-line center at this point. He can bring some offense to that line. He has scored at every level leading up to the NHL, and had 24 points (six goals, 18 assists) in 30 games with the Colorado of the American Hockey League last season. But Meyers had four points, all goals, in 39 games with the Avalanche last season.
Ready to contribute
Bowen Byram has been a contributor for the Avalanche for three seasons, but injuries have kept setting back his development into a top NHL defenseman. Byram, the No. 4 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, has played in just 91 games over three seasons. He was limited to 42 games last season because of injuries, recording 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists). His goal is to play a full season and be a top-four defenseman all the way through it. Byram has all the tools, but his body has to cooperate.
Fantasy sleeper
Johansen, C (undrafted on average in fantasy) -- He has had five seasons with more than 60 points in his NHL career and should have plenty of strong wing linemates on Colorado’s second line from Lehkonen or Nichushkin to fellow deep sleeper offseason additions in Drouin, Colton or Tatar. Johansen will also add plenty of depth to the Avalanche’s power play having had four seasons of at least 20 power-play points. -- Pete Jensen
PROJECTED LINEUP
Jonathan Drouin -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Mikko Rantanen
Artturi Lehkonen -- Ryan Johansen -- Valeri Nichushkin
Miles Wood -- Ross Colton -- Tomas Tatar
Andrew Cogliano -- Ben Meyers -- Logan O'Connor
Devon Toews -- Cale Makar
Bowen Byram -- Josh Manson
Samuel Girard -- Jack Johnson
Alexandar Georgiev
Pavel Francouz
Injured: Gabriel Landeskog (knee)
