Avalanche roundtable: What we learned from training camp

Avalanche training camp officially came to an end this afternoon as Colorado prepares to make its first round of cuts and head into their first preseason game tomorrow against Vegas.

Let’s kick it old school with an Avalanche roundtable from all of us who attended.

What/who were you most excited to see coming into training camp and what are your thoughts about that/them on the other side?

AJ:

It’s always great to see the prospects who you don’t see very much of during the season, especially live. The kid I was most excited about coming into this year was Jean-Luc Foudy and he didn’t disappoint at all. While NHL camps saw him start to phase out a little bit more, he still found ways to stand out. His skating would play in the NHL right now and his vision and playmaking is a lot of fun. He doesn’t appear to have any interest in shooting but he’s so good with the puck on his stick and he’s such an elusive skater with both high-end edgework and impressive burst and acceleration that he can shake even the stickiest of defenders.

After watching him against some limited NHL competition, my excitement about his future has probably turned up a notch or two. I struggle to see a player who lands in the top six (at least at center) but he’s such a play-driving force and zone-exit/entry monster that I love his stylistic fit both in Colorado and in this version of the NHL. His ceiling looks limited to more of a depth guy but he has a chance to really develop into a unique weapon in a few years, especially if he really sharpens his defensive acumen. It’s not hard to see a poor man’s Phil Danault if he can do that.

Evan:

I spend very little time watching the vets in these camps now. A lot of them have spots locked up and only need to go 85-90%, so there’s really no point in focusing on them too much. The one exception to that, however, is Erik Johnson. The team is clearly banking on him being healthy to help round out the defensive core, and in camp, he looks to be. He’s moving well and is obviously sick of sitting around, as he was one of the few players out there throwing his body around. He’ll be a welcome addition behind the big three on defense.

Beyond that, the focus is on young guys fighting for their careers in Colorado like Martin Kaut and Shane Bowers. Kaut looks great, and as Bednar said, the game is slowing down for him. Lots of quick puck decisions at both ends of the ice have helped him have a much better showing than he did entering camp last season. For Bowers, it’s clear he’s further down the depth chart, but I’ve loved his compete and attention to detail. Defensively, he looks strong, but offensively, it’s clear he’ll never be a scorer. Hopefully he is able to show a bit in the preseason to work his way up the depth chart.

Rudo:

I was most excited to see Oskar Olausson and Martin Kaut coming into training camp. Two players in very different situations had very different experiences in this camp. Kaut skipped the rookie tournament and has looked fantastic all camp putting him squarely in the mix of a top call-up spot if not a legitimate roster spot. This camp was critical for Kaut if he wants to become an NHL regular in the Avs organization and he took care of business.

Olausson looked entirely unprepared for professional hockey and the speed of thought which is required on smaller ice, on draft he was someone I had hoped would be ready to jump into the AHL but it’s clear now that going to the OHL was the correct decision for him.

Who was your biggest surprise from camp?

AJ:

It’s basically impossible to evaluate goaltenders from training camp because the majority of the drills are them getting hung out to dry but I’ve learned over the years to try to pull little pieces from goalies in these spots and Justus Annunen really stood out to me. I love how unbothered he is by everything going on around him. He’s focused on himself and takes to coaching immediately. He’s an eager worker and clearly cares about getting better.

Seeing him up close in Arizona, it was interesting to see him play his only game against the stacked Kings and have a tough outing (a 4-0 loss) and as soon as the game was over, he was one of the first players out of his gear and off to the makeshift workout area they had set up. He understands the grind of being a professional, something that is always hit/miss with prospects.

I have no idea what kind of season is ahead of him but watching the way he worked and how receptive he was to coaching had me feeling very encouraged about him.

Evan:

I realize I just said I don’t watch vets much in camp, but my biggest surprise is that Darren Helm can still absolutely fly. I will be honest and say that I completely forgot the guy was still in the NHL when the Avs signed him, and even when we got to camp, I forgot he was on the team, but he still moves really well for a guy in his mid-30’s and he and LOC could create some havoc as a fourth line combination.

Rudo:

Sampo. Ranta.

Realistically going into this camp I had him written off as a guy that would spend the majority of the year in the AHL and be hopeful for a call-up late in the season. Even with the Avs taking an obvious shine to him it felt like he had a long way to go to be a proper NHLer. After this camp, it’s safe to say he is a lot closer than I thought. There are still going to be a number of kinks to work out in proper games but from a camp standpoint, I don’t think he could have done much more for himself.

Who was your biggest disappointment?

AJ:

Evan wrote his before I got to mine so I’ll defer to his answer because it’s exactly how I feel.

Evan:

Mikhail Maltsev. He has shown flashes of skill, but I see a lot of Vladislav Kamenev in how he plays. Keep in mind, I am a Kamenev fan, so that’s not an insult to him, but I just wonder if he is a guy that will fit in with how Bednar wants that fourth line to play. The two wingers he seems destined to play with are fast and want to grind it out down low. Is he going to be able to keep up with them and play that style? I guess that’s what we’ll find out soon enough, but didn’t come away super impressed initially.

Rudo:

I already mentioned Olausson above so I’ll say Kurtis MacDermid. It’s incredibly likely I set myself up for disappointment on this one but coming into camp I was hoping to see something, anything that the Avs could hang their hat on as to why they had enough interest in this guy to give up an asset for him and I really couldn’t find one. Of course, his expected positives are a lot more likely to show up in a real game but so far it’s very much an “I don’t know what I expected” feeling.

From the ATO/PTO group, which player(s) would you give a contract to?

AJ:

Even I’m surprised to be saying this, but Jack Johnson has been completely inoffensive in camp. I’ve mentioned it before that I’m worried it’s Brad Stuart all over again where he looks good in camp and then folds in real games but Stuart was also expected to be a big piece on that defense whereas Johnson is more of a depth guy going into the year.

My only real qualm with signing Johnson would be that he immediately struggles in games and you’re stuck trying to make the best of it all year, but I suppose that’s the fear with most newcomers. I won’t mind a signing too much.

I’ve been pretty vocal about the team signing Jack O’Brien, who they sent back to Portland of the WHL while we were writing this roundtable. I liked O’Brien’s play during development camp and at the Rookie Showcase in Arizona. He predictably disappeared a bit during NHL practices but he’s just not ready for that level yet and is the second-youngest player in training camp.

The Avs are only at 44 contracts and have a reserve list short on realistic signings in coming years. Coming off a year with just four draft picks and only one top-100 selection (for now) in next year’s draft, O’Brien would essentially be a fifth draft pick for their 2021 class. I’d give him the ELC.

Evan:

The two Jack’s, Johnson and O’Brien. Johnson looks competent enough through camp that given the depth and injury issues the Avs ran into last season on defense, it makes sense to give him a contract. O’Brien is on the other end of the spectrum, a super young player who the Avs should try to sign to an ELC before he heads off to Juniors and potentially gets snagged up by another team.

At one point in his career, Anisimov would have been a pretty solid fit into this lineup, but he’s just not that player anymore. That’s a no from me.

Rudo:

Jack Johnson has absolutely earned it. Unless you are deadset on yolo-ing Justin Barron (I’m not), Johnson has been a better fit than any of the defensemen not already locked into the roster.

Anisimov is a hard no for me. He doesn’t fit the identity of the Avs bottom six and the fear that he is washed on the offensive side is far too great. It doesn’t look like there is any hope of finding a spot in the lineup that makes sense for him.

Fontaine has his AHL deal and that is perfectly fine for all parties involved.

O’Brien and Kaslik can both have deals as far as I’m concerned; the Avs have plenty of contract space and stocking the cupboards with young lotto tickets when you can is just good practice. No expectations either way here but having them turn into nothing is a lot easier to take than passing on them and then watching them turn into something.

What is the top storyline you’re watching going into the preseason?

AJ:

Alex Newhook.

I’ve hyped him as a Matt Duchene type of player in the NHL and I think even more highly of him after watching him up close for the last two weeks. He thinks the game much better than I previously gave him credit for and I am really excited to see how he handles the various assignments the coaching staff is going to throw at him in the preseason.

Does he stick at center on the third line, forcing Tyson Jost back to the wing and a re-adjustment of the role he grew so nicely into last year? Does Newhook at center push J.T. Compher to the center spot on the fourth line if Maltsev isn’t the answer? If Newhook is dynamite at 3C, does he get a look next to Nazem Kadri and Andre Burakovsky, especially if Val Nichushkin can’t produce at the level required of a top-six player? Is Newhook’s defense good enough to stick at center? My focus on Newhook drifted more into a bigger picture than just preseason but Newhook’s adjustment to the NHL has a major effect on the rest of Colorado’s forward alignment. He’s the x-factor of the whole forward corps.

Evan:

For me, it’s two things. How much do you play Pavel Francouz to get him back ready, and where does J.T. Compher fit in this lineup?

Francouz looked pretty leaky at camp, but he’s barely played hockey in the last 18 months, and admitted he’s only been back to 100% for about a month or so. With Kuemper having a history of injuries, it’s imperative the Avs get Francouz ready for the start of the year, and I’d consider giving him three preseason games to do that.

Compher isn’t a bad NHL player by any means, but I really just don’t see a great fit for him anywhere in this lineup. The only spot I think fits him best is on the fourth line, as that’s where he was at his best last season, but the Avs clearly think he’s capable of bouncing back. He’s not a top-six player, and should not be anywhere in the top six, and despite being roommates and spending a lot of time together, Jost and Compher appear to have very little chemistry on the ice, so I don’t like him on the third line. Where does he go? I’m interested in seeing how this all shakes out, because there may be guys that are ready to take his spot here real soon.

Rudo:

How does the Avs bottom-six shake out? The lines are clearly not fully decided and potentially a spot or two may remain up for grabs if someone peaks out and snatches it.  While it will no doubt be a rotating cast throughout the season, who are the first ones to get opportunities and how far can they take them?

What’s it going to take for Martin Kaut to get into the lineup? How much rope do the likes of Maltsev, Helm, and O’Connor get? Where does the balance of the third line land? I have a feeling some of these decisions may come all the way down to the final preseason game or could even be open to interpretation through the first dozen games of the season.