Aarif Deen
Question from Derek
The team will look different this year without Valeri Nichushkin, Jack Drury, and Ross Colton. In the past, Jared Bednar liked experimenting with lines. Do you think there will be a lot of line juggling to start the season? Given that we probably won’t have the incredible start to the season we had last year, how quickly do you think Sakic will pivot if we get to the quarter mark of the season and the Avs are 3rd in the Central?
Aarif’s Response
I would like to, and hope we see Bednar get a little bit creative with line combinations to start the season. At least give some new looks a change during training camp and preseason to earn a roster spot.
Even if the Nathan MacKinnon line with Artturi Lehkonen and Martin Necas remains the same, Bednar has an opportunity with a full season of Nazem Kadri and Nic Roy, and without Ross Colton and Valeri Nichushkin, to mix things up in the middle six. For example, Why not pair up Brock Nelson with Gabe Landeskog, and Kadri with Jaden Schwartz, and give Gavin Brindley, T.J. Hughes, or Zachary L’Heureux each a chance to play on one of those lines? This would push Nic Roy to 4C between Parker Kelly and Logan O’Connor, and keep Fedor Svechkov on the outside. But it gives the kids a chance in October to make a good impression.
Or, you can also shift Kadri to the wing and load up with Nelson and Schwartz, which allows Roy to center a third line with any combination of Hughes, Brindley, L’Heureux, or perhaps even Fabian Lysell. This scenario would slot Fedor Svechkov into the 4C role.
I think I’m going to write a series of articles analyzing four or five different line combinations with a fully healthy lineup. It would be fun to debate those ideas with readers.
One more thing. I wouldn’t rule out an incredible start. Am I expecting two losses in 40 games? No. But this is still an incredible team with a highly skilled lineup and could easily be No. 1 in the league by November 1 again.
Question from dk
How short will Bednar’s leash be this fall? If he were to be replaced, what would a potential coach look like? Or will Joe do the obvious and bring in one of the usual recycled dinosaurs?
Aarif’s Response
I don’t think Bednar’s leash will be short in the fall. I think how his team performs in the spring is what matters most. We all know the loss to the Vegas Golden Knights wasn’t ideal, and it’s why I, for the first time, even discussed the idea that maybe the Avalanche would finally make a coaching change.
How Bednar and his team responds next April, and whether or not the Avalanche have a giant Cale Makar injury in the middle of it, will determine a lot.
Bednar currently doesn’t have a contract past the 2026-27 season and Sakic was a little mum on committing to an extension when I asked him about it last month. We’ll see if things change here later in the summer after Makar is locked up and we get closer to training camp.