Avalanche Training Camp Observations: Defense might be taking shape

 

The second day of Avalanche training camp saw some players really begin to separate themselves in the battle for opening night third pairing.

With Ian Cole still expected out until December and the expected top four to be some combination of Cale Makar, Sam Girard, Erik Johnson and Nikita Zadorov, there could be up to four jobs in play if Colorado chooses to go with eight defenders on opening night.

That battle got off to a good start yesterday but really ramped up today as there was actual defense being played.

D battle picks up

Yesterday there were some very solid moments from the Ryan Graves – Mark Barberio pairing. It was a good reminder that had Colorado not gone after anybody over the summer, they could’ve had decent depth on defense already.

But the Avs did make some big moves over the summer on the blueline.

The Bowen Byram-Calle Rosen pair was, simply put, awesome today. They are each great skaters and they played off each other perfectly. Each capable of moving the puck, that pairing not only looked the part when they had the puck but they were very good defensively, too.

Byram’s aggressive nature defensively was on display once again but today the work forced him to defend in his own zone and he handled the assignment well. It was an impressive display from him given he’s 18-years-old.

The real standout, however, was Rosen. I don’t remember much of him from the first day of camp but on day two, he lit it up. The skating was great, the decisions with the puck were crisp and on point, and that’s all well and good.

What I really liked was Rosen’s defense. His reads were excellent and the hockey IQ really jumped off the ice to me. I thought that pairing made a case to play a preseason game together and very much hope they stay together for the expected scrimmages tomorrow.

Forgotten man reminds the world he’s still here

It seems like the Avs have been waiting on A.J. Greer for a number of years now. For one reason and another, it simply hasn’t all come together for him yet.

After a tumultuous offseason that included an arrest in New York, Greer entered camp with an enormous chip on his shoulder and maybe the future of his career on the line. Day one came and went without much mention of him but that changed in a real big way today.

Greer was finding the back of the net in a variety of ways and his energy level was consistently through the roof. He played with intensity, pace, and skill.

More than us in the crowd noticing, head coach Jared Bednar said it might be the best he’s ever seen Greer play. It’s obviously asking a lot of Greer to reach “highest level ever” every single day but that might just be what it takes to break down the barriers in front of him to make the NHL roster and see regular ice time.

It’s obvious Greer has nothing left to prove in the AHL. The only question is whether he can translate the skill portions of his game to the NHL on a consistent basis. If he keeps up something close to his performance from today, it will be extremely difficult to send him back to the Eagles.

More like Burawowsky

Andre Burakovsky’s performance on day one didn’t inspire much confidence from his coach or onlookers as he displayed his elite shot but not much else.

That all changed in a hurry today as he was much sharper with the puck and crisp on his passes. His skating was really undersold by those in Washington because he is not struggling to keep up with the pace MacKinnon is setting out there.

The all-around ability of Burakovsky on offense really stood out to me today. We knew about the shot being special when he got here and we’ve seen it on display both days. What came as a bit of an added surprise for me today was how well he fit into the flow MacKinnon and Landeskog were producing.

We see guys get swallowed up all the time when trying to play next to both skilled and creative players but Burakovsky hummed right along with them.

Hit it right on the Naz

It’s only been two days but Nazem Kadri sure appears to be as advertised. He comes with a certain intensity even during training camp and that kind of attitude is infectious.

The newly remade second line with Kadri centering Tyson Jost and Joonas Donskoi has found instant chemistry and they look like a line worth giving a longer look even when Mikko Rantanen inevitably comes back.

The on-ice chemistry even carried over to the locker room today as the guys continued talking through certain situations. That kind of communication is always huge for successful teams and it is especially encouraging to see from newer players who are still trying to tackle the intricacies of a new system.