Avalanche Roundtable: Predicting the expanded Avalanche roster

The NHL hinted a little more at their plans for the expanded rosters as they mentioned a 28-skater roster with an unlimited number of goaltenders as the current expectation once play resumes.

We talked black aces yesterday and have touched on all kinds of different roster scenarios, including some specific line combos, but let’s go prediction time for today’s topic: Predict the 28-skater roster and which goaltenders Colorado will go with when play resumes.

AJ: Forwards (18):
Landeskog MacKinnon Rantanen
Donskoi Kadri Burakovsky
Namestnikov Compher Nichushkin
Jost Bellemare Calvert
Wilson Kamenev Nieto
Bowers Tynan Kaut

Defenders (10):
Girard Johnson
Graves Makar
Cole Zadorov
Barberio Connauton
Byram Timmins

Goaltenders (4):
Grubauer
Francouz
Hutchinson
Miska

Evan: I will predict the following. Up front, I go with 18 forwards: MacKinnon, Rantanen, Landeskog, Kadri, Burakovsky, Nichushkin, Donskoi, Compher, Namestnikov, Nieto, Bellemare, Calvert, Wilson, Jost, Kamenev, O’Connor, Kaut, Tynan.

On the blue line, that leaves 10 spots for: Makar, Girard, Johnson, Graves, Zadorov, Cole, Barberio, Connauton, MacDonald, and…Bowen Byram. I could see Timmins taking MacDonald’s spot, but I think they’ll go with the AHL All-star.

In net, I say because you’re allowed too, bring four, with Hutchinson and Werner coming with your NHL guys. Practicing against NHL shooters could be good for Werner. The only concern is taking away shots from the NHL guys, but since we don’t know how much practice time each team will be allotted, I’ll just say bring all four of them.

That was fun. Hockey starts tomorrow, right? No? Oh. Okay.

Rudo: For sake of brevity there are 15 forwards, seven defensemen, and two goalies that are locks for the roster as you can see listed by both AJ and Evan. That leaves six skaters to add and as many goalies as they would like. On the forward side, I think they go with the three players with the most NHL games played, that being O’Connor, Tynan, and Kaut.

On defense, they have a little more leeway. Connauton seems like a lock to me as why else would you bring in a tweener vet if not for something exactly like this, it’s the other two spots that get interesting if they stick to their NHL experience scheme it would be Lindholm and Timmins but with Bowen Byram lurking you have to think one of them get dropped for him. I’ll go the youth route and say Lindholm does not make the roster and they run Connauton, Byram, Timmins as part of the 28 man roster.

For goalies, they should absolutely bring four or even five. With Hutchinson and Werner on the inside track and if they feel the need Miska as well.

For a 32 player roster, there really wasn’t as much decision making as I thought there would be.