Avalanche Depth Ready for a New Season

After a unique 2020-21 NHL season, the Colorado Avalanche is days away from the start of yet another. The 2021 offseason was filled with new contracts and draft picks, leaving Colorado with new faces on its roster, which means positions to be filled and development to occur.
Since the start of training camp, the players new to the organization have intertwined themselves with the core players on the team and are giving a look at the depth on the Avalanche roster. Up front Colorado added forwards Darren Helm and Mikhail Maltsev.
Helm has played 744 career NHL games and put up eight points (three goals, five assists) in 47 games in 2020-21 with the Detroit Red Wings while Maltsev played 33 games with the New Jersey Devils last season, tallying nine points (six goals, three assists).

"Helm is like Benjamin Button out there, it's crazy," forward Logan O'Connor said. "Obviously that's what his game's known for, his skating ability. Then Maltsev has some good skill, you can tell he has good touch around the net, he uses his patience well. He can use his body to protect pucks and shield plays. Those were two guys that were nice to get familiar with, and we'll see how things shake out going forward."
Helm is a Stanley Cup Champion and has notched 21 playoff points (11 goals, 10 assists) in his career. Proven veteran leadership in Helm and younger talent in Maltsev characterize the offensive changes in scenery for the Avs.

On the defensive end, Colorado brought in Kurtis MacDermid, Ryan Murray and recently signed professional tryout Jack Johnson. Johnson and Murray bring a veteran presence while the pickup of MacDermid adds youthful talent.
"Real steadying presence on the backend. Real calm demeanor to [Murray's] game," Bednar said. "Not the biggest guy in stature but he is able to use his body physically to separate guys. He's got a high hockey IQ, so he is rarely out of position on the defensive side of things."
"I'm excited to have [MacDermid] for sure," Bednar added. "I think he's a big deterrent when it comes to teams running around and taking liberties on our guys. Over the last few years, we've done a nice job of playing through that, I do think it could help you though. If you're asking a guy to do that job and do it on a regular basis and be excited about it, and he's certainly willing to do that, then you have to have him in the lineup to be effective."
Murray has played 395 games at the NHL level, while MacDermid has logged 118. Last season with New Jersey, Murray notched 73 blocks, 38 hits and 11 takeaways. MacDermid totaled 35 blocks, 46 hits and two takeaways with the Los Angeles Kings. These new additions add a gritty, physical demeanor at defense for Colorado this season.
Bednar is optimistic about depth down the line also with the prospects that are on the cusp of taking the next step in their development.

"You lose guys like [Brandon] Saad and [Joonas] Donskoi, guys that we relied upon over the last couple years to help with that secondary scoring and make sure we are deep throughout our line, it's two big pieces we have upfront there," Bednar said. "We do have some new additions we are really excited about, and it starts with a guy like [Alex] Newhook, [Sampo] Ranta, Maltsev, who came over in the [Ryan] Graves trade."
Newhook made his NHL debut in the final weeks of the 2020-21 campaign and registered three assists in six regular season games with the Avs, on top of a goal and an assist in eight playoff games. Ranta totaled 31 points (19 goals, 12 assists) in 31 games at the University of Minnesota, and later contributed seven points (four goals, three assists) in 14 games with the Colorado Eagles before playing in two Stanley Cup Playoff contests.
Even still, no roster spot is guaranteed.
"We have got some guys that I think can grow in their roles offensively that will be given some more opportunity," Bednar said. "To me, guys that stick out in that are [Valeri] Nichushkin, [Tyson] Jost, and [J.T.] Compher, looking for him to have a bounce back season. I think we can make up some of that scoring that we've missed, but there is definitely some competition as to the way our lines shake out."
The Avalanche also developed its depth in net over the summer and it all starts with the addition of Darcy Kuemper.
"We've seen a lot of [Kuemper] and he's tough to score on," center Nathan MacKinnon said. "He's a big guy, and those big goalies, when they're off, pucks just hit them. They don't have to be on all the time to be effective. He's a huge guy. Great personality, great attitude, we're really pumped to have him."

MacKinnon was drafted the year before Kuemper, and with Kuemper starting the first portion of his career with the Minnesota Wild, the Avs have had several chances to see his abilities firsthand. Kuemper has started in 225 NHL games, appearing on two all-star teams.
"Kuemper is our starter, and he will get the bulk of playing time and we will find the right starts for [Pavel Francouz]," Bednar said. "This year probably more than ever we have got the most goalie depth since I have been here with Johannson and now [Justus] Annunen and [Trent] Miner and we still have [Hunter] Miska and [Peyton] Jones. There is a lot of guys there that we feel that can help us and obviously that starts with Kuemper and Francouz."
With Arizona last season, Kuemper held a 2.56 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage in 27 games. Francouz maintained a 2.41 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage in 34 games through 2019-20, prior to a lower-body injury that kept him out of last season.
With the regular season just around the corner, chemistry throughout Colorado's lineup will continue to build and the depth will be relied upon as the Avs work toward the team's aspirations.