Avalanche final roster analysis: This is the deepest team in 15 years

Final cuts were made this afternoon over at Avalanche headquarters, with the team getting down to the 23-man limit. A couple of days before, Jared Bednar said this about how he’d make the final determinations on who would stay and who would get a pink slip:

“It’s gonna go back to what I said in my opening meeting of training camp; When I set a lineup, it’s because that’s how I see it that day. Players are going to have to perform to stay slotted where I see them. That’s going to be a fluid thing all year. The guys that are playing the best and the hardest and the chemistry we like are going to play. And, honestly, it doesn’t matter to me if you’re a young guy, an old guy, been around, haven’t been around. You’re gonna have to earn it.”

Conor Timmins, Val Nichushkin, Ryan Graves, Vladislav Kamenev – guys who were considered question marks to make the club – well, they all apparently have earned an NHL job.