The Avalanche have started their training camp, and things are looking bright so far! I know, its the first few days, and it's not going to speak to the entire season, but hockey is BACK.
There are a lot of takeaways to look at from this experience. Let's start with the camp lineup!
-I expected to see Jo Drouin on the line with MacKinnon, but I had assumed they would start with Mikko Rantanen on a line with Ryan Johansen and maybe Lehkonen or Nichushkin, but I'm sure we will see a plethora of combinations. This is a great way to start for Drouin, and I'm interested to see what a healthy Drouin can do. I read that Drouin has had his first summer in awhile that he wasn't rehabbing an injury for awhile, and that he feels great.
-Culture is the name of the game in Colorado. This is making a difference in bringing players in from free agency, and adds to the mindset coming into this team. Miles Wood mentioned this in an interview with the DNVR crew here.
-This next point is interesting to see. We've seen some undersized players in the bottom 6 (Denis Malgin, Alex Newhook, and so on), but Bednar says here that with all things equal, you take the size.
Size seems to be aplenty in Colorado this year, with some harder nosed physical players like Ross Colton and Miles Wood coming in creating an entirely new line that the Avalanche can use. Colton started day 1 with Wood and Tatar, and apparently that line looked solid.
-On Tomas Tatar, it's interesting to see the contract he got. A 20 goal scorer last year for $1.5 million.... Sold. From the looks of him in camp, he's looked great. I think this is going to be a solid addition to the team, and adds another element of skill.
-Val Nichushkin addressed the media for the first time since his disappearance in the playoffs last year, but it was quickly quieted and moved on from. There were several reporters asking different questions, but his team mates seem happy to have him back, he's excited to be skating and practicing, and Val has said it's something he wants to close the book on and move forward. That's all I'm going to say about that.
-Nathan MacKinnon left practice early, and there was a quick moment of panic through Avalanche fans. Not to fear; He was attending his jersey retirement in Halifax with the Mooseheads... Let's all take a breath.
-Injuries start early....
Credit to Evan Rawal!
Cogliano did skate on day 1, and looked fast and limber. Happy to see him recover from his scary hit he took last year.
Josh Manson was looking "spry", but there is still concern he is not 100%.
Pavel Francouz is having more issues, which is a shame. When healthy, he is a great backup. It looks like the Avalanche are in the market for a backup, weather that comes from waivers, free agency, or internal promotion.
Cale Makar is the biggest name here. He has some lingering issues from his injuries last year, and its gone on a bit longer than expected. He is hopeful to be ready for next week.
Let's move forward and see what the next few days bring. It's exciting to be able to see the team gel and get back to work. After an extended summer following a disappointing round 1 exit, I was hopeful we'd be able to see everyone at 100% health, but this is Avalanche hockey, and injuries seem to be unfortunately part of the fabric of the team the last few years.
Let's go AVS!
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