Over the coming weeks, I’m going to preview several Avalanche players. I’m not sure if I’ll do every piece of the roster, but I want to make sure I cover anyone who has an intriguing season ahead.
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.
