With Rantanen back in the fold, Avs forward depth on full display

You couldn’t wipe the smile off Gabe Landeskog’s face.

“It felt good,” Landeskog said about reuniting on the ice with his linemate Mikko Rantanen. “He’s a big part of our team, no doubt about it, and on top of just being a good player and having one of your top players back, it’s a good friend that comes back, and I think that’s the main thing.”

Rantanen, who may have gotten even bigger over the summer, if that’s even possible, is a very popular guy in the Avs locker room, and his presence was missed through camp.

“He does a lot for our camaraderie in the locker room,” Landeskog said after Monday’s practice. “He’s a guy that’s well-liked from everybody, and brings a smile on everyone’s faces.”

The addition of Rantanen, who immediately was back in his familiar right wing position with Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog, pushed everyone else down the lineup. For the first time, the Avs got a look at how deep their forward core really is, and knowing that the depth can take some pressure off his line, the Captain likes what he’s seen.

“It’s huge for matchups,” Landeskog told DNVR. “Having other lines that can carry some offensive load, and carry some other matchups, it just gives us that three or four threats and that depth is going to be real important.”

Head coach Jared Bednar couldn’t agree more.

“[Rantanen is] an elite player,” Bednar said after practice. “You slot him in on the first line, and everyone gets bumped down a little bit, and it makes not just our first line better, but makes all of our lines better.”

News and From Practice

• With the top line reunited, the second line consisted of Nazem Kadri centering Tyson Jost and Andre Burakovsky, while Joonas Donskoi slid to the third line wing with J.T. Compher and Matt Nieto.
• Valeri Nichushkin returned to practice and skated with Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Matt Calvert on the fourth line. It was probably his best practice since joining the team. The “Extras” line consisted of Vladislav Kamenev, Colin Wilson, and Jayson Megna.
• Bednar confirmed after practice that Rantanen is playing in the season opener on Thursday.
• The defensive lineup is still undecided. Kevin Connauton cleared waivers today, but still practiced with the team and is an option to start the season with the Avs. The other bubble players on the blueline consist of Ryan Graves, Mark Barberio, Conor Timmins, and Calle Rosen.
• Landeskog joked after practice that he will not be paying for a single meal this season as long as Mikko is around. We’ll see how that plays out.
• The Avs have to have their roster down to 23 by tomorrow afternoon to be compliant with the NHL’s rules. That means that there will be a few more roster moves coming as early as today.