Avalanche Roundtable: Predicting Colorado's fortunes

What are you most excited/worried about for the upcoming Avalanche season?

Adrian Dater: I’m probably most excited about seeing how three forwards who weren’t even with the team to start last season integrate themselves into the team. They are Tyson Jost, Alex Kerfoot, and J.T. Compher. Of course, I know Compher and Jost played some last year, but I really feel like this is their “true” rookie year, and I think they’re going to add a lot of juice to the lineup. Same with Kerfoot. I didn’t think Kerfoot would be given this much responsibility this fast, but here we are. I’m also excited to see if Nail Yakupov can carry his strong preseason into the regular one.

Worried? It’s still the defense. As of Wednesday, the Avs had a guy (Patrik Nemeth), who was claimed off waivers, playing with Erik Johnson on a top pairing. Maybe that will change by Thursday night, but either way that’s a bit worrisome. I also worry about Matt Duchene getting off to a slow start and feeling really unhappy about being here and poisoning the well. We already know he’s feeling like an uninvited guest with the team as it is.

Evan Rawal: Like most, I’m excited to see the young guys and how they perform, but I really want to see how Erik Johnson does now that the coaching staff has made it very clear he’s the guy on the blueline and he’ll play heavy minutes. He came into camp leaner and looks ready to take off, as long as he can avoid injury problems, which has been hard for him to do.

J.D. Killian: I am excited about watching the impact of  young players on how the team evolves over the season. Half the team is different from last year. Because of their youth, I’m expecting the first couple of months may be a little rough with moments of brilliance alternated with “what the heck?” but I expect to see them improve by the end of the year.

Andi Duroux: Honestly, my answer is the same for both questions: the rookies.  After last season, bringing the skill, potential, and attitude of the young players was the right course correction for the franchise.  I’m excited to watch them grow into their roles this season and start to define a new era of Avalanche hockey.

But at the same time, rookies mean rookie mistakes.  It’s going to be incredibly frustrating watching flashes of brilliance mixed with boneheaded decisions. As the youngest team in the league, these incidents won’t be isolated. Will it snowball, and can they get the team back on track if it does?

What areas of the team do you feel have been upgraded the most?

AD: It feels like they’re stronger on the left wing, with Kerfoot and Sven Andrighetto and, depending where they are played at times, a guy like Colin Wilson or J.T. I also feel like Jonathan Bernier is a decent-sized upgrade over Calvin Pickard. I once was high on Picks, but just saw too many weak areas late last year. I just think the forwards are better overall, with Kerfoot, Jost, Compher, a more mature Rantanen, Yakupov, etc. I don’t think they’ll be the lowest-scoring team in the league again.

ER: The forward depth is probably the biggest upgrade. There are still question marks in the forward group, but the additions of Colin Wilson and Nail Yakupov, the signing of Alexander Kerfoot, and the graduations of Tyson Jost and J.T. Compher add more depth to a team that struggled to score last year. Nothing is perfect, but if the Avs run into a game where MacKinnon’s line just doesn’t have it, they now have a little more depth that may help them make up for it.

JDK:

1. The forwards – in particular the third and fourth line. Only five of their current forward corps started in last year’s season opener (assuming Comeau and Soderberg play).
2. I’m also hopeful the team significantly upgraded the assistant coaches.
3. The defense line should be a lot faster.

Andi D: If you look at the opening night lineup from last year, only 9 of those 23 players are still with the team, so pretty much everywhere has been drastically upgraded.

However, with the additions of Ray Bennett (assistant) and Jussi Parkkila (goaltending), I’m most excited about the coaching upgrades. Add in a full offseason to prepare and a far less awkward situation for head coach Jared Bednar, and I expect to see much more stability behind the bench.