Nathan MacKinnon doesn’t always enjoy speaking with reporters, but there’s no question he is one of the most honest superstars in the NHL if not all of professional sports.
He will often say what is on his mind, is blunt when he needs to be and doesn’t sugarcoat the situation when the Colorado Avalanche is scuffling. While the Avs have started the season 0-4 for the first time in 26 years, the missing players from what could be one of the most talented teams in the NHL are a problem.
“Every year, we don’t have our team,” MacKinnon said Thursday. “It’s just really annoying. We would just love to have our team. I mean, we’re like $40 million under the cap right now. It’s probably not great.
“We have a lot of guys out and it would be great to have them back. They are pretty good players.”
The actual number is closer to $30 million, but MacKinnon’s assessment is correct. There is no other NHL team missing nearly as many key players as Colorado. The Avs are without five of their top 10 players. No other team in the Central Division is missing more than two.
It’s impossible to fully extract the roster issues from any diagnosis of what’s gone wrong this season for the Avalanche. Should Avs fans hit the panic button? Have a finger ready if they lose Friday night at home to Anaheim? Just be patient and wait for the reinforcements?
The logical answer is the last of those three options. But sports fandom isn’t always logical, and there are other issues beyond the shorthanded nature of the roster.
And while it is certainly possible that Colorado will look like a Stanley Cup contender in January, the Avs do need to start collecting some points to put less pressure on the club later in the year.
“The urgency for us to get on the board with a win is here,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said.
There have been some positive developments nestled into the four losses, but some real areas of concern as well. Let’s dig into both, and what they might mean for the rest of the season.
Pro: Without four key forwards, Casey Mittelstadt and Ross Colton have stepped up in support of MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Mittelstadt’s underlying numbers don’t look great on the surface, but dig into who he has played with and you’ll find some very encouraging stuff. Put two of Artturi Lehkonen, Valeri Nichushkin, Jonathan Drouin or Gabe Landeskog next to him, and the Avs should have a dynamite second line later in the year.
Or maybe Colton ends up there, as well. The Avs have used him primarily as the No. 3 center, but he’s looked great in the top six as a wing. Maybe Colorado can eventually find a 3C on the trade market and allow him to stay on the wing?
Con: Logan O’Connor looks like he’ll need some time to get back to his peak form after the season-ending hip surgery from last year. He hasn’t had quite …read more
Source:: The Denver Post – Sports
