Aarif Deen
As I was sifting through the Mailbag questions, I found three from the same reader that all seemed interesting so I’lll get to all of them below.
If you missed it, you can also click back and read the first part of the July Mailbag. Enjoy!
Question from aghadden
I thought Cale Makar had a bit of an off year, still great stats, but not on par with HIS stats. I thought both he and Nathan MacKinnon disappeared a bit in tough games. Fair assessment or no? Did the Olympics affect them? With the big losses (no Olympic Gold, no Stanley Cup), do you expect them to be more motivated next year?
Aarif’s Response
This is a loaded question with a few parts, and they’re all good ones.
It might sound crazy given Makar’s talent, but I agree that he had a bit of a down year. It reminded me a lot of his 2022-23 season. He was still excellent, still one of the league’s best, but he wasn’t quite at that otherworldly Makar level we’ve come to expect. What’s even crazier is that once he got hurt in the playoffs, you could immediately see how lost the team was without him. And that’s with him not being as good as he can be.
As for MacKinnon, I thought he played like he was possessed this season. He was incredible and came through in big moments all year, just like Makar did. We saw that in the first round against Minnesota. Unfortunately, the way the Vegas series ended has overshadowed so much of what both players accomplished.
I’ve always thought the Olympics would have some sort of effect on Makar and MacKinnon. I just don’t like using it as an excuse because it’s what the players wanted. They wouldn’t trade that experience for anything, especially if they had come home with a gold medal.
And yes, I think every season that ends without a Stanley Cup only adds to their motivation for the next one.
Question from aghadden
Any of our potential bottom six forwards a good prospect to try out on the PK?
Aarif’s Response
I slightly edited the question to say “bottom six” instead of “fourth line” because the Avalanche will need more than one new penalty-killing forward with Jack Drury and Valeri Nichushkin gone. And as we know, Jared Bednar loves having a surplus of PKers.
I think you can pencil in Nic Roy and Nazem Kadri right away. Roy has been a regular penalty killer throughout his career, even if Colorado didn’t use him much after acquiring him in March because its PK units were already set. Kadri was also an important penalty killer during his first stint with the Avalanche.
Beyond that, I could see Fedor Svechkov and Zachary L’Heureux getting opportunities to develop into full-time penalty killers. Both have some experience, and Bednar has always liked turning young bottom-six forwards into reliable PK options. It could help them develop a role with the team, too, just like it did for Parker Kelly before.
Question aghadden
How does this roster compare with the roster from the first half of last year, both head-to-head and vs the league.
Aarif’s Response
I think it’s better. I really do.
I pulled the lineup below from my opening-night preview last season.
Compared to this year’s group, replacing Nichushkin with Jaden Schwartz is obviously a downgrade. But adding Kadri and Roy — along with the possibility of Gavin Brindley, T.J. Hughes, or Zachary L’Heureux earning meaningful roles — gives me a lot more confidence in the bottom six than I had a year ago. I’d also take Kelly on the fourth-line left wing and Logan O’Connor on the right over the combination they opened with last season. And if we’re comparing centers, I’d probably still take Jack Drury over Svechkov today.
On defense, Brett Kulak is an upgrade over Samuel Girard in this lineup. And assuming the “Lumberyard” tandem is healthy from Day 1, that’s another improvement over where they started last season.
2025-26 Opening Night lineup
Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Martin Necas
Gabriel Landeskog — Brock Nelson — Valeri Nichushkin
Ross Colton — Jack Drury — Victor Olofsson
Joel Kiviranta — Parker Kelly — Gavin Brindley
Devon Toews — Cale Makar
Samuel Girard — Josh Manson
Sam Malinski — Brent Burns
Scott Wedgewood
Trent Miner