The Avalanche’s general manager feels calm, and more comfortable with what he has to work with.

He’s got clarity on the captain, all of his top forwards are healthy and available, and following a cap-clearing trade, he has cap space to maneuver with. What a difference a year makes. Especially as it pertains to Gabe Landeskog and planning around his hefty $7 million salary.

Read More: Deen’s View: With Coyle and Wood Gone, Avalanche’s Main Focus Should Shift to Defense (+)

“The last three years we didn’t know (if he would play). So you’re in that wonky space of if he comes back, what do we do, and how do you plan for that exactly? And last year, Val was also suspended,” MacFarland said Saturday at Ball Arena. ” Those are vice-like grips on what you’re doing in the summer, because if you don’t have escape hatches, sometimes teams will look to exploit you if you have to get in those situations where you have to move money suddenly.”

Last year, MacFarland straight up told us that his targets would be low AAV signings. He got Parker Kelly on a low-cost deal and it paid off. But Oliver Kylington, Calvin de Haan, and Erik Brannstrom didn’t work out. This time around, there is a possibility that things could really get shaken up.

Is it finally time to remake the defense after the top pair? Who is going to play in the bottom six? Pretty much everything is on the table outside the core group and the goaltending tandem.

Here are the takeaways from MacFarland’s press conference, just days away from the opening of unrestricted free agency.

They Finally Can Operate Without LTIR

Landeskog’s playoff return has almost made me forget that the Avalanche haven’t played a regular season with their captain since March 2022. And for the first time in four years, the front office can plan for opening night without wondering if they can spend Landeskog’s salary on a replacement.

That, in itself, is huge. MacFarland spoke about the possibility of being able to accrue cap space leading up to the trade deadline, something you can’t do when you’re operating in LTIR. If, for example, you enter opening night with around $250,000 in cap space, that daily number accrues over the season and allows you to spend more at the trade deadline.

Logan O’Connor will start the season injured, but depending on the moves they make, they still could probably be under the cap even with O’Connor and his replacement accounted for. Having cap space means less assets get sent out the door for salary retention.

Read More: Deen’s Daily: MacKinnon Has Had Enough; MacFarland Talks Coyle, Wood Trade; Marner to Vegas?!

MacFarland Loves Making Trades. Could More Be Coming?

I’ve written about this before but, traditionally, this front office prefers trades to signing free agents. I asked MacFarland about this, and he said it’s a case by case type of thing. But here’s what he had to say about the plan heading into July.

“We’re going to look at all options. It may not be free agency. We’ll do our assessments, and we’ll see where those markets go, in terms of the terms and the dollars, and maybe a trade is the better way to go,” MacFarland said. “I think we’ve got to look to add at forward and on the back end. So we’ll look at every avenue possible until we find the right fits.”

Martin Necas Extension? Maybe?

MacFarland is well versed at saying a lot, but also not saying much at the same time. Sometimes it’s unnecessary to read too much into what he says. But other times it’s smarter to grab onto clues to really figure out what he’s saying. Is this one of those times? Maybe.

Here’s what he said when I asked him about Necas being eligible for an extension on July 1, and if he has confidence that a new deal can be signed before the season begins.

“I’m not going to comment on any pending contracts or anything like that today, but we’ll chat with a bunch of our guys that are going into the last year in the weeks ahead, and we’ll see if we can find common ground,” MacFarland said. “But Marty played very well for us. He’s a he’s a dynamic winger. I think he was top 20 in the league in scoring, so we’re super excited to have him.”

Is this a non answer? Or is the lack of clarity in his response code for “we have no idea how this is going to turn out.”

I guess we’ll find out soon. This remains the biggest story of the summer for the Avs, in my opinion.

Read More: Avs Still Have Work to Do After Coyle, Wood, and Brindley Trade

Is Drouin Returning? How about Lindgren or Kiviranta?

The Avalanche have three notable pending UFA’s. Technically four, but I’ll get to that shortly.

I asked MacFarland specifically about Jonathan Drouin, and he touched on all three guys. It sounds like there’s a possibility that any one of them could be signed before Tuesday. Here’s what the GM had to say.

“We obviously have a plethora of our own free agents, with Kiviranta, Drouin, and Lindgren,” he said. “We’ll never say never on any of those guys. But I think we’re going to breathe a little bit here and see what shakes off the tree. And if we decide to see if there’s a deal over the next two days before July 1 hits, and it makes sense, maybe we will. But on Tuesday, we’ll be looking to improve the team.”

The fourth free agent I hinted at, is, of course, Erik Johnson. Should I be reading between the lines, or did MacFarland simply forget to mention him when he began his response?

Defense Changes Are Coming

Going back to reading between the lines, it sure sounds like MacFarland wants to shake up the blueline. I’ll drop the full quote of what he had to say when he was asked about changes on defense after the top pair.

“We’re very fortunate, obviously, to have Taser and Cale and Sam Girard and Josh Manson. Sam Malinski also played very well. I’d be very curious to see Keaton Middleton’s continued evolvement as training camp comes,” MacFarland said. “But whether (we add) a second pair guy, or a number five type of guy hat can be paired with Malinski, I think we have guys that can play decent minutes throughout our lineup.

“If you’re just looking at the obvious, to continue the left-right theme, a left shot would go a long way. And if he was 6’3, 220 lbs and skates like the wind and pounds people, we’d love to find that. But those are unicorns. I don’t think we have these specifics. Just, does it make us better, and how do we get it? Is it a trade? Is there a UFA that makes us better? And if we can’t find it, then we’re gonna have great competition with some of the depth with the Eagles.

“We’ll definitely look at improving that slot one way or the other here.”

Read More: Avalanche Select UMass Defenseman Francesco Dell’Elce, Two Others in 2025 NHL Entry Draft

O’Connor’s Hip Surgery

Speaking of O’Connor, the hip surgery he had was not on the same hip as the one he operated on in 2024. So, thankfully, it’s not a re-aggravated injury.

Coaching Staff Hires

The Avs still need a new power-play coach to assist on Jared Bednar’s staff. They also need to replace Aaron Schneekloth and Dan Hinote, who departed the AHL Colorado Eagles for NHL jobs this summer.

“We have got a lot of great candidates, and that process is ongoing,” MacFarland said of the AHL openings. “Similar here with our assistant coach position. I don’t know exactly the timeline, but I would like it to be sooner, rather than later, that we get those three positions filled.”

The Sidney Crosby Rumors Reached The Front Office

MacFarland was jokingly asked about how Georges Laraque’s tweet, and eventually Kevin Weekes’ coded comments on live television sort of led to this crazy idea that Sidney Crosby could be heading to Colorado. Did he hear about it? And if so, what was the reaction?

“You get texts. I think Joe (Sakic) got something,” he said. “You get used to it. Like most of the time it’s just good fodder, right? It’s good chatter. So obviously I’m not going to comment on rumors or other teams (players), but it makes for good hockey talk, that’s for sure.”

Somebody texting Sakic to ask if the Avs are actually getting Crosby is hilarious. Imagine trying to work through an NHL Draft and suddenly being blindsided with something like that.

The post Chris MacFarland Ahead of Free Agency: ‘We’ll Look At Every Avenue’ to Improve Roster appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

I often have several thoughts that come to mind, but none that are enough to write an entire article about. But some have been worthy of sharing.

With that, I’d like to introduce the first Offseason Musings of the year.

Throughout the summer, I’m going to release pieces like this as often as needed. What ever is on my mind, I’ll jot it down for all of us to discuss in the comments section. I have 10 musings today, but I’m not going to cap them at any specific number.

On this edition, I’ll uncover my thoughts on the most recent trade around the league and several opportunities the Avs could explore to improve their roster.

1. The Chris Kreider trade is a reminder that any contract and player is tradable. His game fell way off this year, and the Rangers still managed to get off his $6.5 million deal while upgrading from a fourth-round draft pick to a third (and sending a prospect the other way).

I only mention this because I know many are wondering how the Avalanche are going to get out of the Miles Wood contract — if that’s the route they want to take.

The rising salary cap means several teams have a lot of cap space that needs to be used to reach the floor. For this season and beyond. Having someone like Wood on the fourth line making 2.5 million makes sense for one of those clubs. Not so much for the Avalanche.

Let’s use the Chicago Blackhawks as an example. They already have 12 forwards, seven defensemen, and two goalies under contract for next season, with nearly $30 million in cap space to spare. They’re also $4 million from the cap floor.

I’m not saying that’s what will happen with Wood, I’m just saying it’s very much possible.

2. Trade and free agent rumors are in full force right now, and it’s honestly interesting to hear some of the names Colorado might be targeting, and the players the team is considering trading.

In years past, I wouldn’t believe that someone like Charlie Coyle is on the market. But now? You never know.

Chris MacFarland and the front office have proven time and time again that they have zero issues moving off a player that was just acquired. They have no problem trading players with term (like Samuel Girard), and they aren’t afraid to reset their depth.

With that being said, Pierre LeBrun wonders about a fit for Jonathan Toews in Colorado. Would he play on the wing? Or would they trade Coyle and free up a spot for Jack Drury and Toews to center the bottom two lines?

3. The Dallas Stars ended the postseason 9-9. They weren’t as good as they should’ve been, and that’s part of the reason why Pete DeBoer is out of a job. It just serves as another reminder that the Avs really let one slip away here.

I don’t believe Winnipeg would’ve beat Colorado. I also can’t say for sure that the Avalanche would’ve eliminated Edmonton. But even if not, they would’ve at least made it to the Western Conference Final and put up a better fight than the Stars did.

Despite the disappointing first round series loss, the Avs’ roster is already loaded with talent far greater than what they’ve had on opening night in any of the last three years. I expect a massive redemption season, which will include a No. 1 seed in the Central Division.

4. Speaking of the Stars, having Mikko Rantanen fall into their laps has completely changed their salary cap outlook. It sounds like they made that move with the thought in mind that it’ll lead to a Jason Robertson trade. And that’s fine. Rantanen is a better player, and they weren’t all that happy with negotiations with Robertson the last time he was up for a new deal.

Between the changes coming to their core and a new head coach on the horizon, I really wonder how much of a threat they’ll be next season.

5. The Brock Nelson contract is a tidy piece of business from MacFarland. The initial sticker shock was very much a thing, but once other deals are handed out on July 1, Nelson’s will look better.

Getting the 2C thing figured out before the draft and free agency is also a smart play. It allows the front office an opportunity to focus on other priorities.

6. I still think their next move should be to upgrade their defense after Cale Makar and Devon Toews. The Avs need a three-headed monster on the blueline. When Chicago was winning all those Stanley Cups, they had Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, and Niklas Hjalmarsson playing heavy minutes. The other three defensemen were more interchangeable. This is part of the reason why I was on the Seth Jones bandwagon a few months ago.

7. This obviously would mean Girard needs to get traded. I like the player and have defended him for years, but I do believe he’s reached his ceiling and the Avs need more from their third-best defenseman.

Could they get into a bidding war for Ivan Provorov? Maybe. But I’d imagine they prefer a trade candidate rather than a potential free agency overpayment. That’s traditionally how this current front office iteration has operated.

How about K’Andre Miller?

8. Seeing Corey Perry and Brad Marchand thrive in the Stanley Cup Final should serve as another reminder that even though the league is getting younger, the older veterans aren’t going to just fizzle out.

This generation’s athlete takes care of their bodies more than ever before. I don’t believe aging curves are what they used to be, at least not for everyone. This is why the Avs should’ve signed Nazem Kadri back in 2022. Sure, he was going to be 32 when the season began, but even his play over the last three years in Calgary has proven that he isn’t slowing down.

Keep that in mind when thinking about Nelson’s deal. Or the fact that Colorado might look at other veterans to round out their roster. You need a veteran mix in the room, even if they play bigger roles than Andrew Cogliano, Darren Helm, and both Erik and Jack Johnson did three years ago.

9. I’m going to address the elephant in the room in a separate article. That being Martin Necas and the fact that he needs a new contract soon.

I’m in the camp that if the Avs moved on from Rantanen to not pay three stars a large portion of the cap, then Necas for anything more than the $9.25 million Rantanen made on his last deal should not be an option. Go all in on spreading the wealth and find someone else to attach to Nathan MacKinnon. Maybe someone younger than Necas.

10. I love the creativity we’re seeing around the league with deferred salary and long-term extensions for guys that are clearly not going to play through their deals (see Chris Tanev and eventually John Tavares).

The best way to win in a hard cap league is to be creative. We saw the Avs flex some of that this past year with the goaltending trades, etc. But they have to find more ways to be creative and give themselves the best chance to win.

For starters, I would not be surprised in the least bit if Logan O’Connor starts the season on long-term injury reserve and his money is used elsewhere. By the time O’Connor is ready to return, they can do something creative to clear the space.

The post Offseason Musings: Rumors Galore — An Avalanche of Opportunities to Explore appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

All that and more on this edition of Deen’s Daily — June 7.

Colorado Hockey Now

The Avalanche dropped a considerable bit of news on Friday. Forward Logan O’Connor had hip surgery that will keep him sidelined for 5-6 months. That means the soon-to-be 29-year-old will not be ready for training camp and will miss the first part of the regular season.

O’Connor had another hip procedure done in March 2024, and it kept him out of the playoffs that year. He had an excellent postseason this year before opting for another surgery.

I don’t have full details of his latest surgery, but it seems to me like the one he had in 2024 was more of a quick fix before opting for a more serious procedure with a longer recovery timeline. I can’t confirm that, but it’ll be one of the first questions we ask the front office when they speak around the draft and free agency. Let’s hope all goes well for his recovery. We saw just how important a player he was in the postseason, especially on that line with Jack Drury and Parker Kelly.

Use promo code Deen10 for 25% off an annual subscription to this article and ALL future CHN+ content.

Read More: Deen’s View: Nelson Deal Sets the Table — Now the Real Work Begins for the Avalanche (+)

Dan Hinote accepted a job as assistant coach to Jon Cooper in Tampa Bay. He’s already got eight years of assistant coaching experience in the NHL, and needed just one season in the AHL with the Colorado Eagles to get another NHL gig.

Hinote was one of three names I wondered about for the open spot on Jared Bednar’s staff. All three of those names are now off the board.

Hinote is in Tampa Bay.

David Quinn joined the New York Rangers staff.

Derek Lalonde accepted a job on Craig Berube’s staff in Toronto.

Who will replace Ray Bennett? I guess we’ll find out soon enough.

Stanley Cup Final Recap

Game 2: This might be one of the more opening two games of a Stanley Cup Final that I could remember. The Oilers and Panthers exchanged goals throughout the first period before Florida took control in the second. The reigning Stanley Cup champions held a 4-3 lead late in regulation. But with the goalie pulled, Edmonton would not be denied. Corey Perry scored the latest game-tying goal in Stanley Cup Final history at 19:42 to force overtime.

Neither team was able to capitalize in the first OT period before Brad Marchand scored his 10th career SCF goal at 8:05 of the second OT to lift Florida to a 5-4 victory. The series is knotted up at 1-1 heading to Sunrise for two games.

Stanley Cup Final Series

Game 1: EDM 4-3 OT (Series: 1-0 EDM)
Game 2: FLA 5-4 OT (Series: 1-1 tied)
Game 3: EDM at FLA (Monday, June 9)
Game 4: EDM at FLA (Thursday, June 12)
Game 5: FLA at EDM (Saturday, June 14)
Game 6: EDM at FLA (Tuesday, June 17)
Game 7: FLA at EDM (Friday, June 20)

Around The NHL

Jack Adams Award: The winner of the Jack Adams as coach of the year is Washington’s Spencer Carbery. The first year head coach  collected a whopping 81 out of a 103 first-place votes. Avs coach Jared Bednar had two second-place votes and a third-place vote.

Pete DeBoer Fired: The Dallas Stars fired Pete DeBoer on Friday with one year remaining on his contract. DeBoer’s tenure lasted three years, which included the most points in the regular season in that span and three consecutive Western Conference Final appearances.

It’s a shiny record for a guy that was let go, but it likely had to be done after the way the Jake Oettinger pull was handled in the series-ending Game 5 loss to Edmonton. DeBoer has a history of being tough on his goalies, and Oettinger is about to start an eight-year contract with an $8.25 million AAV. He’s not going anywhere anytime soon. The coach had to be let go.

I feel like it wasn’t a coincidence that Dallas waited until Boston hired Marco Sturm as head coach before announcing that DeBoer would not be returning. There were a ton of rumors out there that the Bruins were awaiting Dallas’ decision just in case DeBoer became available.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Like the Avs, Pittsburgh is another team looking for assistant coaches. Here’s a name that could make sense.

Philly Hockey Now: Should the Flyers try to acquire Martin Necas?

New Jersey Hockey Now: What about Necas in New Jersey? There’s a common theme with some of these teams… They’re all on the East coast. If in fact Necas is unhappy in Colorado, could a return to the East and easier travel be the thing he’s looking for?

Boston Hockey Now: How Sturm can improve the Bruins in his first year as coach.

Vegas Hockey Now: There was a lot of discussion between Vegas and Toronto last year regarding Mitch Marner. Could he still be a landing spot for the Golden Knights on July 1?

The post Deen’s Daily: O’Connor Has Hip Surgery; Finding a Fit For Necas; DeBoer Fired! appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

The Avalanche announced Friday that the forward underwent successful hip surgery and will be out for 5-6 months.

O’Connor is coming off an incredible playoff performance, scoring two goals and posting six points in the seven-game series loss to the Dallas Stars. He had just five points in 31 postseason games before this.

The 28-year-old, who will be 29 this summer, had a lingering hip issue in 2024 that ended his season early. He missed the entire 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. O’Connor said last fall that he was skating normally for a month heading into training camp and thought that his hip issues were behind him.

“I’ve actually had the torn labrum side of it for six years, which a lot of hockey guys would have,” O’Connor told Evan Rawal last summer. “For whatever reason, come November, it just became symptomatic. I missed those two games (in the) middle of November, and then it was something I was managing along the way. The pain, I could always sort of manage and get through.”

O’Connor appeared in 80 regular-season games in 2024-25 and had 10 goals and 11 assists. When he returns, he’ll likely slot back in on the fourth line with Jack Drury and Parker Kelly. The trio developed incredible chemistry down the stretch and into the playoffs.

Next season will be the first of a six-year, $15 million contract ($2.5 million AAV) that O’Connor signed nine months ago.

The post Avalanche’s Logan O’Connor Has Hip Surgery, Out 5-6 Months appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

The post 10 Observations: I’m Not Sure How Gabriel Landeskog Is Doing This (+) appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

Gabriel Landeskog scored his first goal in 1,041 days on Saturday, helping the Avs to a crucial 4-0 victory in Game 4. The series is tied 2-2, heading back to Dallas for Game 5 on Monday.

“There’s only one Gabe Landeskog in the world,” superstar center and longtime teammate Nathan MacKinnon said.

Colorado led 2-0 after the first period thanks to tallies from Logan O’Connor and MacKinnon. One came shorthanded, the other was on the power play. Still, the Avs were struggling to beat Oettinger at 5-on-5.

In the second period, they outshot the Stars 22-5 and could’ve completely run away with the game had the goalie not been playing that well. Landeskog’s tally ended that run.

The 32-year-old received a drop pass from Brock Nelson and fired it past Oettinger to make it 3-0. It was not only his first shot on goal since returning, but it was his first shot attempt entirely.

“I’ve envisioned scoring again for a long time. And then there were obviously days where I didn’t know if I was ever going to get to score again,” Landeskog said. “It feels good. It’s a tight playoff series and a big game here at home, to get to do it in front of our fans means a lot.

“Hopefully more to come.”

Following Wednesday’s 2-1 OT loss, Avs coach Jared Bednar was looking for a shake-up to awaken his top-six group. Landeskog was elevated to the second line, swapping places with Jonathan Drouin, who had played previously on both the first and second lines.

It certainly helped. Artturi Lehkonen was reunited with Martin Necas and MacKinnon on the top line, and that trio, despite not scoring at even strength, had an exceptional performance.

But the second line was the one that got a bump on the scoresheet. It wasn’t just Landeskog; center Brock Nelson, who didn’t have a point in the first three games, had two assists and nearly scored if not for a big save from Oettinger.

Colorado outshot Dallas 48-23. The top six accounted for 18 of them. Goalie Mackenzie Blackwood earned his first career playoff shutout.

“It was his best game of the series, for sure,” Bednar said. “We needed our big boys to step up tonight, obviously, and make a difference, and I thought all of them were outstanding, including Brock.”

Colorado came out flying to start the game. It was the type of energy that was lacking from their start three nights earlier.

The team had the first handful of chances and even killed off an early O’Connor penalty. But a few minutes later, Devon Toews shot the puck over the glass and was called for delay of game.

On the ensuing Stars power play, O’Connor took the puck away from Thomas Harley at the blueline. The Stars defender lost his balance as he tried to get back and was suddenly chasing behind the Avs forward.

O’Connor entered the Dallas zone and wired it past Oettinger, getting his second of the series and fifth point. For the fourth time in four games, Colorado had the first goal in the series. And for O’Connor, it’s his fifth point, which is tied with MacKinnon for the most on either team through four games.

“He’s taken steps every year. And I think it starts with his work ethic. It’s hard to match,” Landeskog said of O’Connor.

The Avs added to their lead late in the period. Just 24 seconds before the intermission, MacKinnon scored on the power play from the circle. His shot looked to be initially stopped by the goalie, but it squeaked by and went past the goal line.

The Avs’ dominating effort in the second period carried over into the third. But they went up against backup goalie Casey DeSmith. He replaced Oettinger to start the third, and head coach Pete DeBoer later said it was to get him in a game. Ultimately, Oettinger was on an island and his head coach wanted to pull him to prepare for the next one.

The Avs added a goal from Girard to make it 4-0. Girard shot it from the point while Landeskog was in front battling with big blueliner Lian Bichsel. The puck deflected in, and Landeskog was credited with the secondary assist.

Good: Landeskog Battles

This entire performance from Landeskog has been unimaginable. It’s been a blur for him. But, to me, his play on that Girard goal was the cherry on top.

Landeskog already defied the odds by making a comeback. He’s already shown that he can throw his body around, lay some hits, and even score a goal on his first shot. But those battles in the crease are what make him the effective player he always was.

Against a behemoth of a defender, Landeskog was successful in that puck battle and it led to a goal. If that’s a sign of things to come, this entire Landeskog thing is about to become a serious problem for any team facing the Avalanche.

Bad: Pete DeBoer… Waved the White Flag?

If I’m a Stars fan, I’m very upset with this decision. DeBoer said after the game that he pulled Oettinger after the second period to get him some rest and give DeSmith a little bit of game action.

I mean let’s face it. There was almost nothing that was going to help Dallas overcome that three-goal deficit at the second intermission. Three-goal leads aren’t always safe, but in a game as one-sided as this, it felt like it.

But that doesn’t change the fact that it sure feels like a coach threw in the towel on a game that wasn’t entirely out of reach. Maybe I’m overreacting, but the optics don’t look great.

The post Good & Bad: Landeskog Scores In Avalanche’s Dominating Game 4 Victory appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

Head coach Jared Bednar said the problem is the team “had some quiet players, players that we can’t afford to have be quiet, and then we flip things out. Some of those players got going, then other guys got quiet.”

It’s not for lack of effort; some players are just not at playoff intensity. But now is not the time to dial back.

READ MORE: Flynn’s Takes from Game 3: Avs’ Issues and How to Fix Them

In three games, Martin Necas has only one point and four shots on goal. Timing could not be worse for him to hit a slump. He had 10 points through the last 10 games of the season, and his production is noticeably missing.

“I thought he was a little quieter in Game 2. And tonight, again, I’d rather look back at it and study it, but I thought he did some good things, at times, maybe a little inconsistent tonight,” Bednar said after the 2-1 overtime loss on Wednesday.

Necas has not been very effective both 5-on-5 and on the power play. It appeared at Friday’s practice that Nathan MacKinnon was working with Necas to get his linemate in sync with him.

“We’re just talking about the power play stuff there, and it’s always a good thing. When you’re pretty quiet, you don’t really solve anything. Just talk about stuff — what to do better and it’s just a big part of the game and we’re trying to get that goal,” Necas told me after practice.

“I always been the guy wherever I played to try to talk a lot. It helps me and it helps my linemates out because they know where you’re going to be at and create some more chemistry.”

Necas is not the only Avs player who has been reserved in the playoffs. Brock Nelson and Joel Kiviranta are both scoreless. Although Jonathan Drouin has two points, he is a minus-2 and Bednar moved him to the third line in Friday’s practice. Gabriel Landeskog was on the second line. Morning skate was optional, with a handful of players who participated, and no inclination of what the lines will be come game time.

READ MORE: Landeskog Earns ‘Remarkable’ Promotion Ahead of Crucial Game 4 For Avalanche

The only way Colorado will get past the Stars is with the entire team operating effectively together. Bednar said they are on the same page but need to be on the same level.

“Some guys have played better in certain games than others. When you’re playing a team like the Dallas Stars, we need everyone firing on all cylinders,” Bednar said. “It’s just conversations with those guy, talking to them about what they’re feeling on the ice, and trying to give them any sort of tactical or positional advantage that we can get that might be able to help them out a little bit if we’re noticing some tendencies in their game.”

The Avs’ leaders said in the regular season that the team holds each other accountable, and that hasn’t changed with the increased pressure in the postseason.

“You’ve got to just, to some extent, control what you can control, and that’s your own work ethic and own process, but having good dialog with other guys. Everyone’s trying their best out there, but some guys have been quieter than others throughout the series,” Logan O’Connor said. “The more passengers you have in the series, the tougher it’s going to be, especially as the playoffs go on. So it’s on us to try and collectively get all the lines firing on all cylinders tonight, all the D-pairings — we need this game.”

The Avs need the focus and intensity they had in Game 1 to win Game 4 and even the series up going back to Dallas. The message to the team is everyone needs to be firing on all cylinders.

The post Now is Not the Time for Avs to Be Quiet appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

The post 10 Observations: The Plan All Along Was For Landeskog To Sit Out Game 2 (+) appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

The Avalanche led by a goal entering the third period on Monday, but the Dallas Stars tied it up with 9:47 remaining before winning late in the first overtime period at American Airlines Center. The Avs even had a power play late in regulation that carried into OT but couldn’t capitalize.

The series shifts back to Colorado knotted up at 1-1.

“It’s gonna be a long, tough series,” Cale Makar said. “Obviously it would’ve been nice to get this one. But we gotta the positives. We felt like we controlled the game a lot of different times. Just gotta find ways to create a little bit more.”

Nathan MacKinnon, Jack Drury, and Logan O’Connor had the goals for the Avs, who led 1-0, and 3-2. Neither team led by more than a goal at any time. Colin Blackwell got the game-winner for Dallas after sitting as a healthy scratch in Game 1.

Late in the second period, O’Connor put the Avs ahead 41 seconds after exiting the penalty box. He shot the puck over goalie Jake Oettinger on his backhand while falling to the ice. The first goal and fourth point of the series for O’Connor looked like it might be a game-changer.

But the Stars came out for the third period on a mission, and Evgenii Dadonov beat goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood to make it 3-3.

The late penalty was a hook called on Mikko Rantanen. Colorado couldn’t score in the 1:26 of PP time to end regulation or the 34 seconds that started OT.

Both teams exchanged chances but the more dangerous opportunities came from the Stars. Early in the period, Blackwood robbed Mason Marchment on the doorstep with a sliding pad save. But the Stars kept pressing, and Blackwell tallied the winner.

Blackwood stopped Blackwell’s first chance, but the rebound was buried. The puck sat a few feet ahead of Blackwood with no defenders around to clear it away. Miles Wood, trailing back after a turnover, ran into Erik Johnson, and both players couldn’t regroup fast enough. Blackwell got there first.

“He came out of the corner really quickly [on the rebound], and I was facing kind of up ice and not to the post,” Blackwood said, recalling the overtime winner. “So he kind of beat me to the spot.”

The next two games will be played at Ball Arena, and the Avs, after winning Game 1, now control home-ice advantage. Taking Game 2 could’ve put added pressure on the Stars.

“Every time you lose a game that you played pretty good, you lose an opportunity to take control of the series,” Bednar said. “But like, they’re going to have something to say about it, too, right? So we controlled part of that game, and they controlled part of it, and a lot of it was played pretty even.

“That’s life when you’re playing a team like the Dallas Stars.’’

The Stars didn’t quite have a strong start to the game, but they did come out with a clear plan to throw the body around. They had several big hits early, knocking down both MacKinnon and Johnson on the same shift.

But the Avs didn’t let that deter them from playing their game. They had most of the chances early, eventually drawing a penalty when Marchment tripped Wood.

On the ensuing power play, MacKinnon wired a wrister past goalie Oettinger to make it 1-0. The lead held until the later stages of the first period. Colorado had chances to add to the lead, but Oettinger shut them down.

Before the break, Parker Kelly was called for holding, and Tyler Seguin scored on the man-advantage to make it 1-1.

The momentum carried into the second, and Thomas Harley shot it past Blackwood to give Dallas its first lead of the series.

It didn’t last long. Just 62 seconds to be exact before Drury answered quickly to even the score at 2-2.

It was the first of two big goals from Colorado’s fourth line.

“You’re looking at the pace and physicality and disciplined hockey from both sides throughout the course of the game, there’s no let-up,” Bednar said. “That means the depth is there throughout both lineups.”

Then the penalties began to pile on. First, a tripping call on Mikael Granlund that the Avs were unsuccessful on. Then, Joel Kiviranta was nabbed for interference, but Dallas failed to capitalize.

In the later stages of the period, the Avs had to weather a storm of opportunities for the Stars after taking two more penalties. Josh Manson was called for interference; the Avs were great in the first half of that kill. They even got a 2-on-1 break from O’Connor and Kelly but the latter shot it just wide of his target.

The Stars’ PP sent it back the other way and pinned Colorado in its zone long enough for O’Connor to take a tripping penalty. The seven seconds of a two-man advantage didn’t amount to much, and the remainder of O’Connor’s penalty was killed.

The game ended with the shots at 39-37 in favor of the home team. Blackwood made 35 saves and Oettinger stopped 34.

Bad: Wood’s ‘Exceptional’ Game Spoiled in Overtime

By the time overtime had begun, Wood was a net positive for the Avs. He drew the penalty that directly led to the opening goal and filled in nicely for an injured Ross Colton on the third line.

But the overtime blemish — a gigantic black mark on his overall performance — might erase everything else that came before it. It even seemed like Wood himself felt defeated after the turnover that led to Blackwell’s winner.

“The last goal was my fault,” he said postgame.

The Avs obviously have a giant elephant in the room in captain Gabriel Landeskog, who was possibly an option to play tonight. Instead, they opted for Wood.

You have to imagine Bednar has another lineup decision to consider before Wednesday.

Good: Coyle Quickly Becomes PK Leader

Charlie Coyle was exceptional on the PK and is quickly becoming the go-to option for the Avs. Every time Colorado took a penalty, Coyle jumped over the boards to win a big faceoff. There was none bigger than the draw he took when Dallas had seven seconds of a 5-on-3 opportunity late in the second period. He won it with authority and sent the puck down the ice to help get Manson out of the box.

Coyle played 2:59 of PK time, trailing only Jack Drury (3:04) among forwards.

It’s hard to quantify all of the things Coyle brings to the table for the Avs. But among those is a strong forecheck at even strength, and an aggressive PK ability where he uses his long reach to pressure the puck holder.

We’re starting to see why the Avalanche used as many assets as they did to acquire him.

The post Good & Bad: Stars Fight Back, Tie Series With Overtime Winner appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

Following Thursday’s 4-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks at Ball Arena, the Avalanche ended the year 26-12-3 at home, which is five wins fewer than last year and four more than where they finished in 2023.

Devon Toews had Colorado’s lone tally, and Mackenzie Blackwood made 26 saves in goal. The Avs outshot Vancouver 32-30 but could only get one puck past goalie Kevin Lankinen.

“Not skating. Bad decisions,” a visibly frustrated Jared Bednar said about his team’s performance. “Our breakouts were terrible, so just tough time getting in and out of the zone tonight. Kind of messes up your whole game.”

Just like earlier in the week, the Avs fell into a 2-0 hole before getting going offensively. The first period ended scoreless, but things changed in the second.

First, Jake DeBrusk beat Blackwood at 4:50 to make it 1-0 off a setup from Kiefer Sherwood. And just over three minutes later, Sherwood wired one past Blackwood to put the Canucks up by two.

The Avs needed nearly 10 minutes to pull within one and end Lankinen’s shutout bid. Charlie Coyle put the puck on goal from the blueline, and Toews redirected it past the goalie. It’s his 10th goal of the season, reaching double digits in goals for the second year in a row and the third time in the last four years.

Coyle’s assist was his eighth since joining the Avs while extending his point streak to four games. If that’s the guy centering Ross Colton and (maybe) Gabriel Landeskog in the playoffs, then this team is going to look even more dangerous than it already would with a healthy lineup.

Vancouver added to its lead in the third with a tally from Dakota Joshua and added an empty-netter with 1:58 remaining.

The only other highlight was a fight between a very frustrated Logan O’Connor and a bigger defenseman, Elias Pettersson. Both landed quite a few jabs and were sent to the box for fighting.

Bednar said he liked seeing O’Connor stick up for himself after a missed interference call from the officials.

“I was frustrated with how we played up to that point, and then it sort of boiled over at that moment,” O’Connor said of the fight.

The Avs will practice on Friday before traveling to California for a two-game road trip over the weekend to close out the regular season. Bednar is still undecided on which of his guys will go on that trip. Colorado is almost officially locked into that No. 3 seed.

Good: Nobody Got (Noticeably) Hurt

At this point in the season, this is all you’re hoping to accomplish in these games that are almost entirely meaningless in the standings. The Avs are technically still playing for seeding later in the playoffs, but their first round against the Dallas Stars is pretty much locked in.

Nobody got noticeably hurt in this game, and that’s good news. The keyword here is noticeably.

I almost wrote about this last game before Colorado mounted the comeback and won in a shootout. But, as it turns out, Ryan Lindgren got hurt in that game. Let’s hope the team comes out of this one entirely unscathed.

We all remember Jonathan Drouin’s unfortunate injury in Game 82 last year.

Cale Makar blocked a shot with his leg that looked to sting him a bit. And that O’Connor fight had far too many hits to the head for my liking. But both seemed fine and finished the game. Makar is one of the guys who would welcome a break this weekend, but he’ll do what’s asked of him and play those games if needed.

Makar is the only player to appear in all 80 games so far this season.

Bad: Can’t Stop Kiefer Sherwood

Sometimes a player just has your number. For the Avalanche, it’s usually someone who played for them in the past. At least that’s what it often feels like.

One of the bright spots of the Canucks season has been the play of Sherwood. He’s taken off offensively this year while smashing the record for hits in a season. He broke the record with his 384th hit on March 22 and is well over 400 at this point.

Sherwood had a goal and an assist in this game and recorded his first and only career hat trick in a previous meeting against the Avs. That means he’s scored four of the 10 goals the Canucks have on the Avalanche this season. And nearly 13% of his points this season are in three games against the Avs.

Impressive.

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