In the first installment of this series, we looked at the most obvious and straightforward lineup the Colorado Avalanche could open next season with. You can read that scenario below.<\/p>\n
But when you look back at the trade deadline, the first thought that immediately came to mind after the Avalanche acquired both Nicolas Roy and Nazem Kadri was that it was center insurance.<\/p>\n
Jack Drury\u2019s future with the team was uncertain. Roy could play the wing for the rest of the 2026 run, but he could also slot in as the 4C in Drury\u2019s absence.<\/p>\n
Now it\u2019s July. Drury is gone. Roy as the 4C is a legitimate option. <\/p>\n
Scenario 2: Loading Up Down the Middle<\/p>\n
Artturi Lehkonen \u2014 Nathan MacKinnon \u2014 Martin Necas
Jaden Schwartz\u2013 Brock Nelson \u2014 Gabriel Landeskog
Zachary L\u2019Heureux \u2014 Nazem Kadri \u2014 Gavin Brindley
Parker Kelly \u2014 Nicolas Roy \u2014 Logan O\u2019Connor<\/p>\n
Devon Toews \u2014 Cale Makar
Brett Kulak \u2014 Sam Malinski
Josh Manson \u2014 Brent Burns
Noah Juulsen<\/p>\n
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood<\/p>\n
This scenario still keeps the Avalanche\u2019s top six relatively intact. Jaden Schwartz remains in the direct replacement role for Valeri Nichushkin, while the biggest changes come in the bottom six. <\/p>\n
Instead of immediately forcing Fedor Svechkov into Drury\u2019s old role, the Avalanche could slide Roy into the fourth-line center spot, keeping Kadri on the third line.<\/p>\n
The biggest question becomes what that does to the wingers around No. 91. Can he play with two young wingers? Or would you need to separate Parker Kelly and Logan O\u2019Connor to spread the veterans out?<\/p>\n
Honestly, I wouldn\u2019t be against the first option. Especially if L\u2019Heureux is one of those wingers. <\/p>\n
When the offseason began, I thought Kadri and Michael Bunting would be an intriguing combination on the third line. The Avalanche didn\u2019t sign Bunting, but they did add another player who brings a similar type of competitive edge in L\u2019Heureux.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d love to see L\u2019Heureux get an opportunity alongside Kadri at some point, perhaps even from the start of training camp.<\/p>\n
Kadri has always been at his best when playing with linemates who can match his competitiveness. L\u2019Heureux brings the physicality, while still having enough skill to keep up, albeit that skill hasn\u2019t popped at the NHL level yet.<\/p>\n
On the right side, Brindley becomes the wild card.<\/p>\n
The 2023 second-round pick has to continue on his development track from early last season. His game is built around many of the traits that could translate well alongside Kadri. He\u2019s relentless, he competes, he isn\u2019t afraid to play with an edge, and he has enough skill to make plays offensively. We saw it for a brief stint.<\/p>\n
Basically, the Avalanche would be betting on development. <\/p>\n
Of course, you could always move O\u2019Connor into that spot and give the third line a veteran presence. But if you\u2019re committing to this scenario, I wouldn\u2019t want Brindley pushed down to the fourth line.<\/p>\n
At that point, you\u2019d probably want Fedor Svechkov in the lineup instead.<\/p>\n
Why It Works<\/p>\n
The Avalanche front office has spent the last two seasons rebuilding their center depth. Now they have it.<\/p>\n
Colorado has an opportunity to create matchup problems by distributing their four most capable centers throughout the lineup.<\/p>\n
This scenario also allows the Avalanche to be patient with Svechkov.<\/p>\n
The organization clearly believes he can eventually become their 4C. It might be as early as opening night. But if not, he\u2019d probably want to develop into that role permanently by the time Roy inevitably departs as a free agent next July.<\/p>\n
There is no reason to rush him into that role immediately unless he earns it. <\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Roy\u2019s transition to the fourth line should be relatively seamless. His best NHL season came while centering Vegas\u2019 fourth line during its 2023 Stanley Cup run, where he played alongside Keegan Kolesar and William Carrier. He doesn\u2019t necessarily need elite offensive talent around him to make an impact.<\/p>\n
And if Kelly and O\u2019Connor remain together, that chemistry gives Roy a reliable foundation to step into.<\/p>\n
Biggest Questions<\/p>\n
Can two of Brindley, L\u2019Heureux, Svechkov, or T.J. Hughes handle top-nine minutes? This is the biggest question with this lineup. If Kadri remains the third-line center, Roy moves to the fourth line, and Kelly\/O\u2019Connor stay together, then Colorado is asking two young forwards to become legitimate top-nine contributors. That\u2019s not a small responsibility. The Avalanche have prospects who could push for those roles, but there is still a level of uncertainty.<\/p>\n
Can Roy fit well with O\u2019Connor\/Kelly? I believe he can, but it is still something worth monitoring. Roy has shown throughout his career that he can drive play without needing offensive stars around him. His role with Vegas proved that. The question isn\u2019t whether Roy can play fourth-line minutes. It\u2019s whether Colorado sees that as the best way to use him.<\/p>\n
Can Kadri keep up? Age is the obvious concern. Kadri will turn 36 years old in October, and Colorado would be asking him to play alongside two younger, faster wingers. But his time in Calgary showed that he can still succeed while playing with younger players. His experience, competitiveness, and ability to drive offense should allow him to adapt.<\/p>\n
Coming Next<\/p>\n
What if Jared Bednar loaded up the top six with all of his best forwards? <\/p>\n
I\u2019ll dive into that next.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the first installment of this series, we looked at the most obvious and straightforward lineup the Colorado…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":526627,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[1223,385,99],"class_list":["post-783446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-colorado-avalanche","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/783446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=783446"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/783446\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/526627"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=783446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=783446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=783446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}