Avalanche roundtable: Which Avs player intrigues you the most this season?

The preseason is over. The roster is set. Opening night in the NHL is tonight.

We’ve done podcasts and preview videos and written pieces about the team. It’s just about time for the NHL season to get underway. Before it happens, though, we’re going to do one more roundtable discussion about the Avalanche and the rest of the league.

Let’s just start with the obvious here. Does anyone de-throne the Avalanche in the Central Division or do they win another division title?

AJ:

The return to the Central means no more Vegas and none of the teams they get back into the division appear quite ready to make the leap. There’s competition there as there have been major additions to several clubs but Colorado’s best players are better than everyone else’s best players (in the division) and that’s usually what decides the regular-season race. This is Colorado’s division to lose.

Evan:

Their closest competition is going to be Winnipeg, but outside of that, it’s a cluster of middling teams stuck that are stuck in the mushy middle. The Avs should easily take the division.

Rudo:

It won’t be a cakewalk like the west was last season but I don’t think anyone will come close to really challenging the Avs at the top of the Central. With the addition of Arizona, the bottom of the Central looks the weakest it has in a while. Thunderdome no more.

The opening-night roster features three rookies and is filled with question marks about the quality of the depth. Which one player are you most excited to watch this season?

AJ:

Bowen Byram. I know my preference is almost always defense-first but I just can’t shake the feeling that Byram is a special player working his way through some real growing pains right now. There’s an elite player in him and with the Makar/Toews/Girard holy trinity already in place, the Avs have an unbelievable luxury in putting Byram in whatever positions they want whenever they want and letting him soar when he’s ready. I will always believe he could’ve made a difference in the postseason last year and I expect him to be a bonafide top-four defenseman by the time this year’s playoffs roll around.

Evan:

Bo Byram. I sat through far too many years of mediocre defensemen running the show on the Avs blue line, and I want to be spoiled. Byram is going to have a chip on his shoulder after how the season ended last year, and I think he’s primed to have a big year, adding yet another stud two-way defenseman to the Avs backend.

Rudo:

Alex Newhook. I truly believe this kid could be the difference between success and failure for the Avs. If he can provide that additional offensive punch, Colorado’s forward corps can continue rolling along without missing a beat. If he struggles to slot into an NHL role it could be a bumpy road for the Avs forward depth. I’m betting on the former. Third-line center, second-line wing, or with MacKinnon out for the opener even second-line center, Newhook is a critical piece.

Outside of Colorado, which team are you most excited to follow throughout the season? Any grand predictions on surprising or disappointing teams?

AJ:

The Metropolitan Division might be the most competitive division in recent NHL history. Every single team outside of Columbus believes it is a playoff-ready squad so I’ll be fascinated to see how that plays out.

The injuries in Pittsburgh makes you wonder if this is finally the end of the line for the Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin era but Carolina continues to be the team that I’m just not sold on living up to their billing. People love them and I think they took a step back on their talent level and they don’t have Alex Nedeljkovic sitting around to bail them out of their goaltending issues this time around.

Evan:

Florida. I think they’re just going to be an absurdly fun team to watch, and because Bobrovsky forgot how to play goalie after becoming a billionaire, they’re probably going to have to do it with a rookie goaltender. I drafted as many players in their top six as I could because I think it’s going to be a run and gun show. Florida/Tampa matchups will be must-watch TV. As for disappointments, I think this is the year that Washington finally hits a wall. Questionable goaltending and aging stars is going to catch up to them.

Rudo:

Following Vegas as the other top team in the west is always exciting as it’s nice to have an opponent that is in direct conflict with the Avs to compare against. Elsewhere around the league, Florida continues to be a fun watch for me. They have seemingly made it their mission to acquire every player that I show interest in and if Spencer Knight can be the guy everyone thinks he is they could be poised for a bit of a run in a division that has seen Tampa go backward and is riddled with bottom feeders.

We do this every year so why deviate from tradition? Give us your bold prediction for this upcoming season.

AJ:

Mikko Rantanen wins the Hart Trophy. I just cannot shake that we are walking into the very best of what the Finnish forward can do. Something in the neighborhood of a 50-goal, 120-point season. I’m all-in on Rantanen doing something special this season.

Evan:

SHANE BOWERS IS A REGULAR BY M….ok I can’t do this anymore. I’ve given up hope (that means it will finally happen). My bold prediction is that Justin Barron plays over 20 games for the Avs this season. Given the injury history of Erik Johnson and Ryan Murray, the badness of Kurtis MacDermid, and Jack Johnson being the wild card he’s always been in his career, Barron will get his chances. He has an advantage over everyone being a right-handed shot, and Bednar clearly took to him right away. I’m not sure he’s really ready for that, but they clearly think he’s close to making the NHL the way they talked him up in training camp.

Rudo:

Alex Newhook wins the Calder. The injury to Byfield last week helped this one out significantly. It’s just a feeling, I think that kid has the mojo and he is going to be a key figure in the beginning of a Colorado Avalanche dynasty as an already high-end forward group ascends to a level very few teams have ever seen. Newhook could be the answer to the Avs biggest question this season.