These players have to step up in Gabe Landeskog's absence

 

An 82-game regular season is never easy to navigate.

A week after Mikko Rantanen pretzel’d himself into a lower-body injury that appears to be trending more towards short-term, the Avalanche rocked the hockey world this morning when they announced Gabe Landeskog was going to be out indefinitely with a lower-body injury.

The Avs last played on Saturday night and nothing appeared to be wrong other than a lackluster performance from the captain and his teammates. Landeskog was even seen on social media posts hopping around as recently as Sunday night at the team’s annual Halloween party.

So what the hell happened?

The only people who know aren’t talking and the bottom line is the Avalanche now faces the first real adversity of the season. Two-thirds of their vaunted top line is out with unclear timelines on their return. As a sweetener, Colin Wilson got hurt during practice this morning and is also out.

And the reality is the world moves on. The NHL isn’t waiting for Colorado’s dynamic duo to come back to resume. The Avalanche has to find a way to fight through.

Who is going to help the Avs survive these injury-riddled next few weeks?

Glad you asked.

Tyson Jost

I’m sure half of you rolled your eyes but it’s true. The immediate plan with Landeskog out is to try to combine Colorado’s remaining forces to create as close to a top line as Colorado can get right now.

Nazem Kadri practiced on the left wing next to Nathan MacKinnon and that means Jost moved up to second line center. The 21-year-old has scored five points (4g, 1a) in 11 games this year. Of course, three of those goals all came in one game as the Avs blew out Tampa Bay on the road.

That leaves Jost with just two points in the other 10 games played. While Jost’s process has looked much-improved and convinced the coaching staff he belongs at center, the production has been slow to follow.

Since the hat trick against the Lightning, Jost has recorded exactly zero points and his shots on goal have gone from four to two to zero last Saturday against Anaheim. That’s a trend in the wrong direction and a cause for concern.

The real bump for Jost should come in the form of minutes. His line has been the “third” line but when it’s not played well, it has really been utilized more like a fourth line. With Colorado’s actual fourth line excelling more often than not, it’s fair to expect that group to now be the third line.

All of this means Jost and whoever lands next to him (it was Burakovsky and Compher at practice today) has to play at a high level. This was already a big season for Jost and him carving out a long-term place on the roster. With Landeskog now out long-term, this is the best chance Jost is going to get to punch through that 25-point ceiling and show he’s more than that.

Vladislav Kamenev

It’s a brutal thing to say but this is what Kamenev has been waiting for. He wasn’t going to get into the lineup without some combination of injuries or extended ineffectiveness from the guys in front of him.

In a manner of six days, the Avs lost Rantanen, Landeskog, and Wilson, which would seem to bode well for Val Nichushkin because those are three wings and Bednar has mentioned Kamenev is best at center. But with three guys out and Kadri moved to wing, this is Kamenev’s opportunity to prove something. Anything.

Kamenev’s time in Colorado has been nothing short of a stalled start for a player who the organization specifically targeted in the Matt Duchene trade. Two years of season-ending injuries (though he was eligible to return in the playoffs, the Avs weren’t going to do that) kept Kamenev from finding a spot on teams that were all about letting young players earn jobs.

Now that the Avalanche transitioned into competing for a division title, there was less focus on continuing to use ice time for developing players. Kamenev ended up on the outside looking in but the window once again opened for him.

If Kamenev has a meaningful impact, it may not play a large role in determining the outcomes of games but if he does find his way to sustained success, it could mean much more for the Avs down the road than it does today.

Getting a bonafide NHL player out of Kamenev would once again change some of the roster math and maybe allow the front office to move on from another player or two who may not have futures here (such as Wilson, for example).

If Kamenev fails to impress, it’s an unfortunate outcome of what was a once-promising career but at least then Colorado can move on while not always wondering “what if?”

Cale Makar

When Rantanen and Landeskog went down at the end of the regular season last year, it was Tyson Barrie who stepped up big and went on a brilliant tear to help Colorado buoy the offense next to MacKinnon.

Barrie is now in Toronto answering questions about his slow start and Makar has dropped 10 points (1g, 9a) in 11 games of mostly taking Barrie’s old role.

Makar was the best Av against the Ducks last Saturday and had a superstar’s showcase of skills. He will need to tap into that high-end ability more often than he has to this point if the Avs are going to survive (thrive?) in the wake of these injuries.

Colorado’s entire defense is going to be key but the only one with true game-breaking ability is Makar. They need him to be dynamic and a difference-maker if they want to keep pace with the rest of the best in the central division.

Makar’s ceiling makes him a tantalizing talent to begin with but the Avalanche is going to need to lean on him a little bit more than they would probably like in the next several weeks.

Philipp Grubauer

Obviously.

Your goalie always has to step up.