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The Weekly 5-on-5: New guys, rookies, look to leave their mark

Jesse Montano Avatar
Jesse Montano
September 27, 2022

What a week. This has been a funny last few months for the DNVR Avalanche crew. We went from a dead sprint during the Stanley Cup Final and the week or two after, to a nice quiet offseason for about six weeks, then all at once last week we were back at full-go.

It has been great to be back at the rink again, and finally getting some clarity on an entire summer’s worth of speculation. 

Normally the Weekly 5-on-5 features five thoughts and observations from around the league, and then five thoughts and observations for the Colorado Avalanche. With so much going on though, I thought this week we’d focus solely on the Avalanche, breaking it up by Veterans/“things to expect”, and the rookies/“roster spots in question.”

Let’s do this. 

1. Nathan MacKinnon 

As of last week, Nathan MacKinnon is set to become the highest-paid player in the National Hockey League once his new contract kicks in. 

Eight years, $100.8 Million, making for an average annual value of $12.6M. A nice little raise that will see MacKinnon’s salary double from where it currently sits. To say he has earned it is an understatement. MacKinnon has been viewed as one of the most underpaid players in pro sports for the last four or five seasons, given the caliber of player he is and especially now that you factor in his major role in bringing the Stanley Cup back to Denver for the first time since 2001.

It’s a deal both sides were thrilled with, and I don’t think anybody ever thought that he would or should get any less than that.

With all of that, if you think that just because MacKinnon now has his name on the Stanley Cup and is set for a healthy pay raise that he’d be satisfied just showing up at the rink and having a good time, well you’d be wrong. 

That’s what a winner sounds like. That right there is why MacKinnon is a champion. That mindset is the hallmark of this organization, from Joe Sakic on down, they expect to win every single night, and they don’t accept mediocrity.

I’ll say this as well based on conversations I’ve had with folks inside the organization over the last week, coming not just from Nathan MacKinnon, it genuinely feels like they are more determined to do it again this year than they ever were before. 

2. Training Camp

So MacKinnon officially signed his deal on Tuesday, and Wednesday officially kicked off the start of the new season with Avalanche Media day. It was a little bit more low-key this year, but still at least semi-useful as we were able to start getting a sense from Jared Bednar in terms of what to expect out of this year’s training camp. 

Bednar, on Media Day, talked a lot about the short summer, and how pretty much everyone had to adjust and prepare a little differently than normal. So it was safe to assume that we would see a slightly different look to the way Training Camp was conducted this season, and it has been nothing like what we’ve seen in the past. 

The coaching staff split this year’s camp into two groups, and for the most part, Bednar has more or less had the NHL guys separated from the AHL/prospect guys completely. Furthermore, Jared Bednar and Co. have been running through completely different training programs for each group, with the AHL guys and prospects getting in much more deliberate coaching sessions and on-ice training, plus some rigorous skating and endurance testing. 

All while the (predominantly) NHL group has really just looked like a high-tempo practice. 

Bednar said that this has been intentional (obviously). They didn’t want to burn the NHL guys out with a really tough camp, after all, they were just playing the most intense hockey one could ever play just about 10 weeks ago. 

As for the “kids”? The Avalanche want to make sure that anybody coming into their organization have what they call “Pro Habits”. Meaning by the time a prospect makes his way to the NHL, he already knows what to expect and what will be asked of him. That’s why their camp has been much more intense.

3. Goalies

A new goalie in town means there’s a new goalie tandem, and we have gotten our first look at what a Georgiev/Francouz pairing will look like. 

I thought the first three days of camp I didn’t feel any better about the dice roll the Avalanche are making in net than I did two months ago when they pulled the trigger on this move. 

Having said that, after getting a look at Georgiev in his first preseason game as an Av… I think they’ll be fine. 

That’s not me saying Alexandar Georgiev is going to be the next Patrick Roy, but I think he’s a solid goaltender who tracks pucks well and looked technically sound.

I’ve also been really high on Francouz since he arrived in Colorado. He’s on the smaller size in terms of goaltenders, but I think he has shown some really exciting flashes in the past, and the style of game he plays is why I just can’t get myself to believe he DOESN’T have #1 potential. 

I say often to people (and stick with me here), that he reminds me of Carey Price. No, I’m not saying Francouz is going to turn into Price at 32 years old, but I see similarities in the way they play the position. 

Nothing flashy, nothing extra, just solid positional play. They make the saves because they’re just in the right position. Great goaltending is usually pretty boring to watch, and there have been so many times where I see that out of Francouz. He has the ability to make exciting saves look routine. 

4. Notable Injuries

Short and sweet here. I’m only bringing this up because my dad called me today and said “what’s going on with Landy?!”

So apparently I haven’t done a good enough job at relaying all of the injury information from this week. 

Avs’ Captain Gabe Landeskog is dealing with a lower-body injury that has carried over from last season. My guess is it’s his knee. He had surgery right before the playoffs and didn’t practice almost at all during the postseason. Bednar said there’s no timetable for when Landeskog will be back on the ice, but did say it’s highly likely that he won’t even resume skating until after opening night. 

Val Nichushkin (foot), and Darren Helm (lower-body) have both been skating on their own in non-contact jerseys. While neither has joined any team sessions, it is expected that they’ll be ready close to, if not ON, opening night.

5. Evan Rodrigues

The one newcomer whose roster spot isn’t in question. Rodrigues has definitely impressed and even surprised me a bit with his skill level. I’ve always viewed him as more of a skating/grinder-type, but I didn’t know that he had the kind of “touch” that he does. 

Really good puck mover, great at finding open lanes, and really isn’t afraid to shoot. He told us after Day 2 of camp that he is “most confident” when the puck is on his stick, and he’s really tried to embrace that in recent years. 

After seeing him on the ice, it really just reinforces what I already thought… this was a great pickup for the price, and it’s a player who gives you some great versatility in your lineup. He can play up in your top six because he has the skill to hang, or can be a big boost to your bottom six with the way he checks the puck and some smart play in his own end. 

———

So now we get into the question marks, the storylines that we still don’t have answers to after five days of camp. While there just aren’t many roster openings in the defending Stanley Cup  Champs’ lineup, that doesn’t mean there’s any shortage of drama as several guys are fighting for their NHL lives at this year’s camp. 

1. Martin Kaut

Wrote about him last week, and there are lots of eyes on him. So, I’m just going to leave you with these thoughts from Colorado Eagles Head Coach Greg Cronin.

2. Oskar Olausson

Like Kaut, this is a big Training Camp for Olausson. Unlike Kaut, this is the first year where some folks are hoping Olausson can show glimpses of his potential NHL future. 

A former first-round pick, it’s obvious right away when you’re watching him that Olausson has all the tools needed to build an NHL career, it’s just a matter if he can put them all together. 

His shot is NHL-ready, he’s a strong skater, and he’s got good size. Now, I know you’re reading this thinking “nice! Another offensive weapon about to hit the Avs lineup!”, but hold on just a second. 

While his upside is promising, Olausson is still a way out from being a full-time NHLer, but that’s okay. On the inside of the organization, they recognize what they have, but are in no hurry to rush this along. Keep an eye on the first-year Swede, but understand this is going to be somewhat of a slow burn. 

3. Shane Bowers

A  player that has done seemingly everything the coaches have asked, plays the exact type of game the Avalanche are looking for, and seems to just have a great head on his shoulders, Shane Bowers is once again banging on the door of an NHL roster spot, and he looks better than ever.

Bowers is another player it feels like we’ve been waiting to take that next step for years, and it just hasn’t come. He’s had some injuries and some just brutal luck along the way that hasn’t helped either. This year though, he has poise and a focus that I personally just haven’t seen from him in the past.

Jared Bednar eluded to the consistency in Bowers’ game being one of the things that has kept him from a full-time gig with the NHL team. Bednar also said that in years past Bowers didn’t do enough with his opportunities in preseason to warrant a look once the games started to count. 

This has easily been Bowers’s best camp to date, and he even picked up a goal by going to the net in the first preseason game. 

I’m not necessarily predicting that he’s on the opening night roster, but I think we may actually see his long-awaited NHL debut this season. 

4. Alex Galchenyuk

The lone PTO of this year’s Avalanche Training Camp. I didn’t understand this one at all when they agreed to give Galchenyuk a look 48 hours before camp opened, but after five days (I know, huge sample size right?) I’ve really liked what I’ve seen and I think he has a serious chance to win a contract when it’s all said and done. 

He’s a former #3 overall pick, former 30-goal scorer, and not the type of player most people thought would be having to earn a contract via a PTO before his 29th birthday. He’s highly skilled, and has some great scoring touch, his career just went off the rails back in 2020, and Galchenyuk just hasn’t been able to get it back on course. 

He’s getting some great opportunity here with the Avs, given some of those injuries we talked about earlier, and so far I would say he’s taken advantage. Galchenyuk has shown some nice chemistry with Alex Newhook and Evan Rodrigues and isn’t shying away from embracing what he does well.

As we continue to progress through games, we’ll get a better look at where his all-around game is at, and that may give us a better idea of how likely it is that he makes the team. Until we get that extended look though, count me as a fan of what Galchenyuk has brought to the table so far. 

5. Pavel Francouz

Ok ok, I know I probably shouldn’t even be writing this because the team has already said Georgiev was acquired to be the team’s #1, and bringing this up all because a lot of people tend to overreact a bit, but I just can’t shake this feeling that Francouz may make it hard on the coaches to not give him more ice time.

Jared Bednar said on media day that the starting role would be “up for grabs”, and that they felt very confident in both goaltenders they have. He then said that Georgiev will essentially get the benefit of the doubt, and be given an opportunity to prove he’s a #1, but I really got the sense that if push comes to shove, they’re going to roll with the goalie who is playing the best. 

Francouz seems dialed in, and I think he knows there’s an opportunity for him to steal a starting job. All I know for sure is, it’s never a bad thing when you have two goalies pushing each other to be better. 

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