Basically, if a player has a lot to gain or lose from the next 82 games, I’ll cover it.

To me, there’s no bigger question right now pertaining to the roster than that of the third-line center role. Assuming no other trades or acquisitions, the first opportunity will go to Jack Drury, who the Avs acquiring just over seven months ago.

He’s the first of the season previews. Enjoy.

When the Avalanche were building towards their 2022 Stanley Cup championship, they had a handful of young centermen trying to solidify key roles in the lineup. Alexander Kerfoot was coming off of a four-year college career, while Tyson Jost and J.T. Comphers left school early to make the leap to the NHL.

They were fighting for open spots as the second and third line centers, and potentially even as a winger in the top nine.

In the end, it was Compher that became a mainstay on the third line. Kerfoot was later part of the package that brought in second-line center Nazem Kadri, and Tyson Jost was traded for Nico Sturm, who was expected to be the 4C for the Stanley Cup team before Darren Helm went above and beyond to keep that spot.

The Avs don’t have that type of depth this time. They barely have competition for their third line center role, and they don’t have many pieces to trade to make it more competitive. But they do have a 25-year-old Drury, who is about to get the best opportunity he’s gotten since entering the NHL.

Drury’s time with the Avs was somewhat up in the year when he was first brought in. General manager Chris MacFarland quickly labeled him a 3C, and that was the role he played. But it was mainly because the team lacked depth.

After trading for Brock Nelson, then sending away Casey Mittelstadt for Charlie Coyle, Drury quick became the fourth center on the depth chart. And he thrived in that role.

On a line with Parker Kelly and Logan O’Connor, Drury was a solid 4C and anchored the trio that gained ample trust with head coach Jared Bednar.

But then Coyle was traded, and nobody came in to replace him.

Drury is entering the final year of a contract paying him $1.725 million. He’ll be a restricted free agent at season’s end and he’s pretty much due for a pay raise no matter where he ends up in the lineup. But how much?

If the Avs bring in another center to kick Drury down to the fourth line, and he grows from the role he had late last season, he might already be able to nearly double his current salary. Or at least get closer to $3 million.

But if he holds the fort down on the third line, and that becomes his permanent role, expect his salary to be at least equal to the $3.5 million Compher made for years. That would probably be the floor of his new deal.

The biggest question is, what is Drury’s ceiling? Offensively, he had 27 points in 2023-24 but just 18 this past year split between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Avs. Can he give you 30–39 points in 2025-26? And consistently after that?

Can he develop into a better penalty killer, and someone that can be relied on to close out games? These are all part of what will determine the role he’s going to play for this team in the upcoming years.

And it all starts with the biggest opportunity he’s ever gotten. If nothing changes, Drury will start the season as the key two-way piece on a third line with wingers Victor Olofsson and Ross Colton, both of whom have an offensive touch to their game.

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Rantanen scored an empty-net goal to finish the hat trick while adding an assist on the eventual game-winning goal to lead the Dallas Stars to a 4-2 Game 7 victory. The Avs led 2-0 with 12:11 remaining before the collapse began. The game winner was scored with Jack Drury in the penalty box — one of the two pieces Colorado got for Rantanen when they sent him to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Now, Colorado heads into the offseason with far more questions than answers while watching the superstar they traded advance to the second round after getting the last laugh.

Still, Rantanen wouldn’t commit that getting revenge was top of mind. Even after scoring a hat trick and recording four points in the last 12 minutes. Even after leading the series with 12 points. Even after getting 11 points in the last three games, and was everything the Stars wanted when they traded for him.

It was another reminder of just how much respect he has for his teammates. And how badly he wanted to stay.

“It’s only a couple of months since I was still with [Colorado] and chasing a playoff spot,” Rantanen said after the game. “Now, all of a sudden, a couple months later, playing against them in a Game 7.”

Colorado’s goals came from Josh Manson and Nathan MacKinnon. The second tally came early in the third period to make it 2-0. It felt like the Avs were going to find a way to win a Game 7 for the first time in the MacKinnon era. It felt like they had what it takes.

But Rantanen had other thoughts.

Rantanen’s first goal was a wrister from the slot. The Avs gave him room to walk in, and he wired it past Mackenzie Blackwood to bring the Stars within a goal.

Three minutes later, Dallas forward Matt Duchene was called for tripping, sending the Avs on the power play with a chance to restore their two-goal lead.

Instead, Makar broke his stick off a shot from the point and had to track back and defend without one. He ended up getting called for tripping on the desperation play, which led to 47 seconds of 4-on-4 before a Dallas power play. Colorado finished 0-for-3 on the man advantage.

On that Stars power play, Rantanen swung around the net and completed the wrap-around with a puck that caromed in off of Samuel Girard. Dallas had not completed a two-goal comeback in the third period all season.

But it was a brand new game.

Two minutes later, Drury was called for holding, a penalty that simply can’t happen at that point in the game. He argued his case all the way to the box. It was the game changer. The one that sank the Avs.

Wyatt Johnston scored 17 seconds later to give Dallas its first lead of the game with just 3:56 remaining. Both Duchene and Rantanen assisted on the goal.

Colorado pulled its goalie to attempt to tie it up, but to no avail. Rantanen added an empty-net goal in the dying seconds to complete the hat trick and send his former team packing.

The post Season Over: Mikko Rantanen Gets Last Laugh — Avalanche Blow It in Game 7 appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

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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.

Without them, or Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Devon Toews, Josh Manson, Ryan Lindgren, Ross Colton, or Jonathan Drouin, the Avs defeated the Anaheim Ducks 4-2, mounting a third-period comeback after surrendering the first two goals.

Colorado scored all four of its goals in a 9:07 stretch, getting tallies from Wyatt Aamodt, Jack Drury, Charlie Coyle, and Erik Johnson. Scott Wedgewood got the nod in goal, making 18 saves to finish the season 13-4-1 with Colorado since being acquired in November. Wedgewood is 8-0-1 in his last nine games.

The Ducks opened the scoring late in the first period off a tally from Mason McTavish. They added to the lead 7:35 into the second period with a goal from Sam Colangelo.

The score remained 2-0 for well over 20 minutes of gameplay. Then the comeback began.

Aamodt’s goal, the first of his NHL career, came with 9:55 remaining in regulation to pull the Avalanche within a goal. Colorado continued to control play and eventually got a power play.

On that advantage, Drury redirected a point shot from Sam Malinski to tie things up at 2-2.

But they weren’t done.

Coyle wired it from the circle with 2:09 remaining to put the Avs ahead. His 17th of the season, along with an assist on the Drury goal, helped him extend his point streak to six games. Coyle has two goals, eight assists, and 10 points during that stretch.

The empty-netter came from Johnson, who tallied his first Avalanche goal in nearly two years, and first in the regular season in almost three years.

The Avs are off on Monday and will resume practice on Tuesday as they prepare for a first-round matchup against the Dallas Stars.

Good: No Stars, No Quit, No Problem

Good teams have the type of organizational culture to make comebacks like this, regardless of who is or isn’t playing.

Coyle was the leader and proved again why the Avs are lucky to have him through next season. Drury, usually the fourth-line center, also had a multi-point game. He played a career-high 19:32 and didn’t look out of place.

The other depth guys, whether Parker Kelly, Logan O’Connor, or Sam Malinski, also grinded to make this comeback possible. It was nice to see them get rewarded with a lot of ice time.

Malinski played a game and career-high 25:15.

Bad: No Home-Ice Advantage?

I’m not entirely sure the team cares about this anymore. If they did, they wouldn’t have sat as many guys as they did down the stretch.

But home-ice advantage throughout the entire postseason is in jeopardy. There’s a realistic possibility that could see the Avs finish as low as 10th in league standings. The only teams that can’t pass them in the standings are any of the four wildcard teams, the New Jersey Devils, and the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.

The post Good & Bad: Shorthanded Avalanche Close Season With 4-2 Comeback Win in Anaheim appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

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Colorado is all but guaranteed the third seed in the Central Division. What happens between now and the start of the postseason won’t change that, outside of an epic collapse.

“They all look at the standings, and know the standings, and know if you win a handful of games here, you stay ahead of St Louis, and the likelihood of catching Dallas is kind of gone now, so that’s the challenge,” head coach Jared Bednar said. “But I think there’s things we can work on. As a coach, I understand it. I just don’t like it.”

The Avs finished their homestand 2-1-1 after losing the last two games by a goal. The one bright side is the lack of goals against. Despite the bad turnovers and the lack of urgent to close out games as of late, Colorado gave up just six goals in four games.

The pattern of blowing a third period lead is ultimately something that would need to get worked on before the playoffs begin. They all know that.

“It’s not gonna be easy every night, and you’re not gonna roll teams over, and they’re not gonna quit and go away, especially this time of year,” center Brock Nelson said. “Teams are fighting for playoff spots. Even if they get one [goal], just responding and getting right back at it, kind of flushing it. Getting back to our game, and know that we can control the play again and get the job done.”

Calgary natives Cale Makar and Logan O’Connor had the goals for the Avalanche, who fell to 12-2-2 in their last 16 games despite being winless in two straight.

Scott Wedgewood got the nod in goal and made 28 saves, including four in overtime. Wedgewood’s personal five-game winning streak came to an end. He’s 10-4-1 since being acquired from the Nashville Predators in November.

“It’s three weeks right now until the big dance,” Wedgewood said. “So there’s also maybe a little bit of that managing ice time and schedule and everything that’s going to come into play. But once it’s all settled down, we’ll make sure everything’s kind of ripe and ready for the right time.”

The game started a little sloppy, but the Avs eventually started to come on. Late in the first, Nathan MacKinnon fed Makar, who did his usual Makar thing and dipsy-doodled through the slot before picking his corner and firing it past goalie Dan Vladar. Calgary’s Mackenzie Weegar was tasked with covering the Avs’ star defenseman and ended the play off of his feet. It was also an excellent screen by Jonathan Drouin at the top of the crease.

Colorado took that 1-0 lead into the first intermission with a 10-6 shot advantage. But before the second was four minutes old, the Avs already had seven shots and were pouring it on. Eventually, they doubled the lead thanks to a patient individual effort by O’Connor. The 28-year-old waited out Vladar before tucking it between the pad and post to make it 2-0.

It was O’Connor’s third goal in four games and 10th of the season.

The Flames didn’t have much in terms of a response through nearly 50 minutes. Up until that point, Wedgewood had to make a few big saves but nothing out of the ordinary.

Ryan Lindgren took the Avs’ lone penalty at 8:54 of the final frame. They killed it off but Ryan Lomberg poked home a goal three seconds later to put the Flames on the board.

Trailing by one, the Flames came right back out on the next shift and a Makar turnover ended up in the back of the net off a shot from towering fourth-line forward Adam Klapka.

The teams exchanged chances in OT before the shootout began. Colorado didn’t get a goal from either of its shooters, Ross Colton, Charlie Coyle, or Valeri Nichushkin. For the Flames, Yegor Sharangovich beat Wedgewood to give Calgary the advantage.

Good: The Fourth Line Was Feeling Itself

It’s hard to highlight this after a frustrating loss, but the trio of Jack Drury, Parker Kelly, and O’Connor  had arguably its best game since Bednar put them together after the trade deadline. Bednar even made sure to separate them from the pack when he talked about the lack of intensity and attention to detail against Calgary.

Through 40 minutes, it felt like the fourth line was playing a lot more than they had in previous games. That’s how noticeable they were in a positive way.

But neither of them had played more than seven minutes up until that point. O’Connor was solid again and seems to be finding his offensive groove again. And both Drury and Kelly were excellent at both ends of the ice.

Bad: Where’s The Killer Instinct?

I get the lack of urgency with these games given where the team is in the standings, but let’s not pretend that was the case for the Dallas and Montreal games over the past two weeks. Colorado blew multi-goal third period leads before winning those two in OT or the shootout. In both cases, especially the game against the Stars, playoff implications were on the line.

This one just so happened to be the first to result in a loss. But it’s a pattern that has reared its ugly head time and time again. The lack of a killer instinct is something that needs to be corrected. And it probably will. But it’s hard to ignore how frustrating it is to see that happen again.

The post Good & Bad: Avalanche Fail to Manufacture Urgency, Blow Third-Period Lead in Shootout Loss to Calgary appeared first on Colorado Hockey Now.

Dallas acquired the former Avs superstar winger six weeks after he was sent to Carolina. In return, the Hurricanes received forward Logan Stankoven, two first-round and two third-round draft picks.

Rantanen then signed an eight-year max term contract extension worth $96 million with the Stars as part of the deal. He also got a full no-movement clause.

READ MORE: Necas on Rantanen Speculation: ‘They Probably Should Have Known That He Would Sign In Carolina’

The past six weeks have been quite a whirlwind for all parties involved. Looking back, it’s almost unheard of to see something like this play out, especially given the talent involved and all three teams being Stanley Cup contenders.

“I don’t think it’s something either of us are really looking forward to, playing against each other, just with the history we have with him and winning and him being such a key part of this team and such a close friend,” defenseman Devon Toews said of Rantanen. “It’s always hard to have those matches against each other.

“It just doesn’t sound fun for me to have to deal with.”

Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland spent most of the summer and the start of the regular season trying to lock up his superstar winger. The talks reached a stalemate after reports surfaced that Rantanen’s camp was looking for a deal upwards of Nathan MacKinnon’s $12.6 million AAV — and as high as $14 million per year, matching Leon Draisaitl’s extension with Edmonton.

“We made a really hard decision, and it was a hockey decision,” MacFarland said of the initial Rantanen trade in January. “Mikko is a great hockey player and a great person, and I’ll always wish him the best. But we don’t spend much time on seeing what other teams may or may not do. I think the Dallas Stars got a great hockey player and a great person.”

With both sides far apart on a deal, the Avs decided to move forward with a trade, suddenly shipping off the fan favorite to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Martin Necas, Jack Drury, and two draft picks.

Necas, who was Carolina’s leading scorer at the time, has enjoyed instant success in Colorado. He has five goals and 10 assists in 14 games, which includes three game-winning goals.

Rantanen, on the other hand, struggled in Carolina. In 13 games, he scored two goals and added four assists. He was admittedly blindsided by the trade and needed time to adjust. While dealing with his on-ice struggles, the Hurricanes were also trying to lock him up to an extension, which Rantanen refused to do.

READ MORE: Avalanche Thrilled with Brock Nelson’s Arrival

Instead of keeping him as a rental and continuing extension talks in the summer, Carolina instead chose to recoup assets. The Stars, however, were unwilling to part with this significant of a package without permission to speak to Rantanen first. Talks began late Thursday night and went through the morning before a deal was reached.

The trade was contingent on Rantanen signing an extension with Dallas.

Ultimately, Carolina sent away Necas, Drury, a second, and a fourth to acquire Stankoven, Taylor Hall, two firsts and two thirds. In hindsight, they probably want a do-over.

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