The best yet to come to Colorado

: Will rookies be the key to turning around the Avalanche this season?

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 6 years ago
The best yet to come to Colorado
KEYSTONE PRESS

Colorado needs about as much help as they can get, at pretty much every position except goaltender. Hopefully. Fortunately, the Avalanche have some potential rookies who could have a big impact if they’re ready to step into the NHL this season.

First, let’s start with Colorado’s 2016 first-round pick, forward Tyson Jost. The 19-year-old made his NHL debut last season, playing six games with the Avalanche after finishing up the NCAA season with the University of North Dakota. He’s a high-energy goal scorer. He only managed a single goal in that stretch, but it was a beauty. Jost put up 16 goals and 35 points in 33 games for North Dakota last season. Expect to see him playing full time in the NHL this season.

Colorado’s blueline could get a much-needed boost from Cale Makar, Colorado’s first-round draft pick this summer. The 18-year-old drips talent: stick handling, decision making, skating, passing, shooting, this kid has it all. His defensive game isn’t as far along as his offense, but he’s also very young and highly coachable. The only issue here is that Makar might need a season or two more before he’s ready to be thrown to the wolves that are Colorado’s competition in the Central Division. He'll almost certainly be a great long-term solution to help address Colorado’s defensive woes, but he likely won’t be the answer this season.

Unfortunately, besides those two first round picks, the draft hasn’t been kind of Colorado. Players like forwards J.T. Compher, Denis Smirnov, defensemen Nicolas Meloche, and Anton Lindholm all have big questions regarding their ability to play at the NHL level at this point, let a lone improve the team over last year’s squad.

Defenseman Andrei Mironov could debut this season thanks to Colorado’s lack of blueline depth, but that’s saying more about the roster than about Mironov. Forward Nick Henry had a great season in the WHL but could use more time to develop, and the same likely goes for A.J. Greer who played 63 games in the AHL last season and managed 15 goals and 38 points.

All in all, Colorado seems to have more holes to fill in their lineup than they have prospects to fill them, and that’s a problem for a team that doesn’t look like it’s improved its roster after a bottom feeding campaign.

They need offense, they need defense, they need guys who are ready to play now. The truth is that most of these players have a decent shot at making the team at some point next season, but that doesn't mean they’re ready for the NHL yet.

It tough to look at this and not wince a bit Colorado fans. There is good young talent in the Avalanche system, but they might not be ready to lift the team back to a winning record quite yet.

Source: n/a