Colorado Avalanche Lineup Shakeup Coming For Tonight Against Jets?

Hello from Ball Arena, where the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche just finished up an optional morning skate in preparation for tonight’s contest with the Winnipeg Jets (6 p.m. start). There could be a brand new assortment of forward lines for the contest.

First off, Martin Kaut was out there for the optional – and so was Anton Blidh.

Blidh was recalled this morning by the Avalanche from the Colorado Eagles, so he and Kaut effectively have now replaced Ben Meyers and Lukas Sedlak in the lineup.

Martin Kaut is here, and so is Anton Blidh, who was recalled by #Avs pic.twitter.com/oupPOwtw3e

— Adrian Dater (@adater) October 19, 2022

A couple of guys who weren’t out there for the optional: Alex Newhook and Evan Rodrigues. Jared Bednar wouldn’t tip his hand as to what his lines would be, but most of us ink-stained wretches are under the belief that he’ll have some new lines out there. At the optional, Nathan MacKinnon, Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin skated on a line together. Will that be the case in the game? We’ll see.

“I want guys here helping us win, not just out there playing hockey,” Bednar said.

That was Bednar’s response when asked about the personnel changes, but it wasn’t as big a knock on Meyers and Sedlak as it sounds. He said the team identified some things Meyers needs to work on down with the Eagles, and that coach Greg Cronin will be on point about that.

He also said it was a “close contest” in training camp for guys like Kaut and Blidh, and that the decision to bring them up wasn’t just based on how they did in the first couple of Eagles games.

NOTEBOOK: Bednar said Jayson Megna will skate at center tonight, presumably on a fourth line, replacing Sedlak. … Alexandar Georgiev will start for the Avalanche in net. Connor Hellebuyck will start for the Jets.