10 Observations Heading Into Avalanche Training Camp

Training camp on-ice sessions begin later this morning. Here are 10 quick observations heading into an exciting year ahead for the Avalanche.

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1. I’m already seeing some doom and gloom comments regarding the injuries to start camp. But quite honestly, it’s not that bad at all. We’ve known for months that Logan O’Connor was going to miss time to start the year. It seems like his recovery is going well, and he could be right on schedule or a little ahead of it.

But Mackenzie Blackwood and Samuel Girard’s injuries don’t seem like they’re going to be serious. Jared Bednar sounded pretty optimistic that they’d both be ready for opening night, or maybe a week or two beyond that.

It’s not just better than past Avs years — it’s better than several other teams around the league this year.

2. Bednar said Wednesday that Sam Malinski is going to start on the left side to clear up the RHD logjam. I figured this would be the option all along. It gets interesting without Girard available to start camp, though.

Does Malinski practice with Josh Manson? And would that have been the case if Girard was healthy? When fully healthy, I personally love to see Brent Burns and Girard play together to get away from the Manson and Girard pairing. But without Girard, I think Manson and Keaton Middleton makes more sense. We shall see.

3. Burns playing 20+ minutes is going to help the top pair a lot. I like this addition more and more with each passing day.

4. If Blackwood misses the first week of the season, it’s fine. Scott Wedgewood is very capable of playing all four games to open the year. It’s every other night against Los Angeles, Utah, Dallas, and Buffalo. Two at home, two on the road.

5. I know training camp is all positivity for all 32 teams. But I really, truly do get a different vibe from the Avalanche this year compared to years past. I spent the entire offseason wondering if Martin Necas would get dealt, if the team would massively shake up the blueline or make several depth forward trades. They didn’t do any of that.

I think the quiet offseason was good for them. They have a talented roster and it was nice for everyone involved to have little movement and a lot of familiarity heading into the new season. Especially after a full year of in-season trades.

6. If Gabe Landeskog has the type of year I expect him to, he’s going to cement his legacy as one of the greatest comebacks in professional sports history. I truly believe that.

7. Victor Olofsson was one of six players available for season-opening media day. That was a curious decision, but it reminded me that a good season from No. 95 could be an underrated X-factor for this team. Especially given what little assets they have to work with before the deadline.

8. Having a healthy top six is going to be huge. I think it bodes well for Ross Colton to not start up there or at center. It sounds like he’ll start camp on the third line on the wing with Olofsson and Drury.

9. I honestly forgot to ask Bednar about the decision to not have any PTO’s at camp. But I do think that alone says a lot about how the team feels about their roster. They have Zakhar Bardakov, Gavin Brindley, Ivan Ivan, and Nikita Prishchepov among the group of guys that are fighting for an NHL opportunity. I don’t think it would’ve been worth it to bring in a PTO veteran that might take away from their ice time in preseason.

10. Training camp officially began with physicals on Wednesday — 20 days before opening night. That’s just way too long, but it’s the final season we have before the new CBA shortens this.