The Colorado Avalanche nonetheless have the potential to be a great workforce and make the playoffs this season. Nonetheless, within the first couple of video games, there was a evident difficulty 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. Bear in mind, this workforce remains to be with out its captain, Gabriel Landeskog. Landeskog had career-altering knee surgical procedure after final enjoying within the 2022 Stanley Cup Remaining.
The Avalanche and GM Chris MacFarland haven’t discovered a substitute for him or Nazem Kadri. When Colorado gained the Stanley Cup, they’d nice depth. That they had an incredible second-line heart, had been well-rounded, and performed glorious protection in entrance of their goalie.
That’s not the case proper now. Accidents don’t assist issues, with Artturi Lehkonen and Devon Toews out of the lineup. Valeri Nichushkin is lacking for one more matter. Plus, Landeskog had one other setback, as there was hope he might return.
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As Dave Pagnotta of the Fourth Interval stated 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 type of groups that most individuals anticipate to be fairly good. I’m a bit of bit fearful about Colorado; they’re not as deep as they had been once they gained the Stanley Cup, clearly.
And also you couple that with, who is aware of what occurs with Nichushkin and I assume 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 tackle it rapidly, their season can go very very like New Jersey season, when a 12 months 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 exhibiting this season for this Colorado squad.
And yeah ultimately 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 workforce with McKinnon, Makar, and Rantanen and I discussed contract 12 months for Jake Oettinger in Dallas. It’s additionally contract 12 months for Rantanen in Denver.
So there’s nonetheless plenty of good on this workforce, and I believe they’ll get issues going. And though I’ve Dallas taking the division, I believe they’ll give them a bit of little bit of run for his or her cash. You already know, Dallas, Colorado, and Winnipeg are nonetheless sort of on the high, though Nashville might be going to have one thing to say about that after they get going. St Louis seems like they will get again into reliable playoff rivalry.
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It’s a troublesome it’s a troublesome division in Central. So from a positioning standpoint, we don’t wish to get too behind the eight ball. I believe Colorado is, with out query, a playoff workforce. I don’t know in the event that they’ll go the route of Jersey, until there are substantial accidents to another 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 heart position. As soon as the injured gamers come again, the workforce ought 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.
