The Colorado Avalanche nonetheless have the potential to be a superb crew and make the playoffs this season. Nonetheless, within the first couple of video games, there was a obtrusive challenge on the goaltending place.
As NHLRumors.com has documented, the Avalanche have been seeking to fill their goaltending wants since final season. With Pavel Francouz‘s profession over, they sought a backup to Alexandar Georgiev.
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The Avalanche picked up Kaapo Kahkonen off waivers after Georgiev’s a number of tough outings this season. Not solely is it the goaltending, however the lack of depth as effectively. Keep in mind, this crew remains to be with out its captain, Gabriel Landeskog. Landeskog had career-altering knee surgical procedure after final taking part in within the 2022 Stanley Cup Closing.
The Avalanche and GM Chris MacFarland haven’t discovered a alternative for him or Nazem Kadri. When Colorado received the Stanley Cup, they’d nice depth. That they had an ideal second-line middle, had been well-rounded, and performed glorious protection in entrance of their goalie.
That isn’t the case proper now. Accidents don’t assist issues, with Artturi Lehkonen and Devon Toews out of the lineup. Valeri Nichushkin is lacking for an additional matter. Plus, Landeskog had one other setback, as there was hope he might return.
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As Dave Pagnotta of the Fourth Period said on TSN Radio in Montreal on Monday, the larger concern is the goaltending over the shortage of depth.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Host: “Dave, you talked about the Colorado Avalanche at 0-2 as a kind of groups that most individuals anticipate to be fairly good. I’m a little bit bit fearful about Colorado; they’re not as deep as they had been once they received the Stanley Cup, clearly.
And also you couple that with, who is aware of what occurs with Nichushkin and I suppose they’re nonetheless hoping and praying that Gabriel Landeskog comes again, however they’re not as deep as they as soon as had been. And in the event that they’re not cautious and so they don’t deal with it rapidly, their season can go very very like New Jersey season, when a yr in the past, the place they only don’t get saves.”
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Dave Pagnotta: “That’s the larger concern for me, greater than something. It’s simply the goaltending. Georgiev, he was okay. He’s been okay, however he must be good. These days you don’t want nice out of your goaltender, however you want good, and he must put up a displaying this season for this Colorado squad.
And yeah finally the hope is, and the anticipation is Landeskog comes again, Nichsushkin comes again. There’s a full season of Mittelstadt there. That is nonetheless a powerful crew with McKinnon, Makar, and Rantanen and I discussed contract yr for Jake Oettinger in Dallas. It’s additionally contract yr for Rantanen in Denver.
So there’s nonetheless a number of good on this crew, and I believe they’ll get issues going. And though I’ve Dallas taking the division, I believe they’ll give them a little bit little bit of run for his or her cash. You already know, Dallas, Colorado, and Winnipeg are nonetheless sort of on the prime, though Nashville might be going to have one thing to say about that when they get going. St Louis looks like they’ll get again into reputable playoff competition.
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It’s a troublesome it’s a troublesome division in Central. So from a positioning standpoint, we don’t need to get too behind the eight ball. I believe Colorado is, with out query, a playoff crew. I don’t know in the event that they’ll go the route of Jersey, except there are substantial accidents to every other of their key guys. That occurs that’s a little bit of a tough state of affairs, however I nonetheless just like the make-up of the Avs.”
Colorado is hoping Mittelstadt can fill the second-line middle position. As soon as the injured gamers come again, the crew needs to be higher. If issues don’t change between the pipes for the Avalanche, anticipate the Colorado Avalanche to maneuver to handle their goaltending later within the season.
