Colorado Avalanche 2017-18 Outlook
Forwards
The Colin Wilson trade and the Matt Duchene non-trade have created more uncertainty. Until Joe Sakic makes a move, there will be much speculation.
No one has a true sense of how much Colorado’s forwards will have to compensate defensively. There is a concern because this team was among the worst in giving up high danger scoring chances, goals, etc.
Can Sven Andrighetto continue his run as a top six player? He had 13 points in his final 16 games in Colorado. Tyson Jost is a rookie who can surprise. Colorado has its share of reclamation projects, including Nail Yakupov.
Will Gabriel Landeskog bounce back from an awful 2016-17? That goes for a lot of Avalanche players. Duchene has been mentioned plenty as his production fell off a cliff. Colorado must get more from its top players.
Defense
While the same as last year, the Avalanche blue line is a challenge as far as stopping the bleeding.
The problem is can the unit step up in any way? Could they fare as poorly as last year? A lot of circumstances have to go poorly for this defense to be that bad. Mark Barberio and Erik Johnson as a potential first line pairing is problematic.
Colorado’s initial top six looks to include Barberio, Johnson, Barrie, Zadorov, Siemens. Lindholm, Mironov and maybe other prospects could compete for a roster spot. Cale Makar (2017 fourth overall pick) could have a shot.
We’ll see what happens during training camp because there are expected to be a shakeup or two. Colorado’s prospect depth is currently not very good.
With some rearguard uncertainty, expect Avalanche forwards will have to carry more of the defensive load as well.
Goalies
After a disastrous (6-17-0, 3.38, .898) campaign, Semyon Varlamov is still the number one. He will be expected to play way more than 24 games. Varlamov’s durability is an issue.
Jonathan Bernier was signed as a backup because of that problem. He showed last season that he could play a run of games for Anaheim. He may not be someone to rely on in a big game. However, the goaltender may become a 1A if conditions warrant.
Questions
Looking ahead to trade deadline – if sellers who could be on the move, if buyers what area might they need to improve? Colorado still is in the market for defensive help at the deadline. They will be mostly content with selling their forwards unless injuries should occur. MacKinnon and Rantanen appear to be the only untouchables up front.
What rookies could make the team? Jost is one player who could make an impact. Alexander Kerfoot has a shot a playing time if he has a good camp. Kerfoot’s skating has come into question. Makar is a draft pick that has a shot to play right away too. It all depends on how the Avalanche dictates their development.
Which player could take a step forward this season? Tyson Jost has the most potential here. Jost could see an increasing role especially if Duchene finally gets traded. After the trade deadline could be a boon for players like Kerfoot.
Which players could regress? Sven Andrighetto could be that person simply because he broke out so much. The Avalanche regressed so much that production could not get much worse.
Are there any training camp battles expected? It comes down to the resolution of a Duchene trade. If it does not happen, then the bottom roles will feature some serious battles. Watch the Avalanche rookies as they hold the key.
What sticks out about Colorado? The Avalanche have done little in the offseason to fix their problems. Will Colorado be historically bad again? That is the unknown. They are a team that might be worse on paper but still have more points than last year. Youth will play a much more prominent role.