A week into training camp the Colorado Avalanche will lace up the skates against their first opponent. Tomorrow night the Avs will play the Ducks at the Pepsi Center. After a disappointing 2014-15 campaign this offseason was a busy one for executive vice president Joe Sakic. Ryan O’Reilly was shipped to Buffalo and Carl Soderberg was brought in to replaced him.
Sakic used the offseason to add youth, size and much needed depth to the blue line. If the Avalanche have any hopes of making the playoffs this season the defensive unit most show significant improvement. Semyon Varlamov can’t be asked to bail out the defense night in and night out again. He needs help from the guys in front of him.
There is plenty of pressure surrounding those at the Pepsi Center to get back on the top of the central division. Here are the five Avs facing the most pressure this season.
5 – Carl Soderberg
Replacing a fan favorite is never easy and that’s Soderberg’s biggest challenge; can he replace O’Reilly’s on the ice presence? O’Reilly’s 55 points don’t tell the full story of his impact on the ice. He is a great two-way player and logged tons of ice on the penalty kills and power plays. With a $23.7 million price tag Colorado will need Soderberg to fill those voids immediately.
4 – Nathan MacKinnon
Before MacKinnon’s season was cut short with a broken foot he was experiencing a major sophomore slump. He struggled all season long to recreate the magic of his rookie year. Heading into his third year the former No. 1 pick needs to become more consistent as he’ll be looked upon to help fill the scoring void O’Reilly’s departure has created.
3 – Nikita Zadorov
Zadorov was the main piece of the O’Reilly trade. Sakic wanted to add youth and size to the blue line and he did both with the 20-year-old Russian. At 6-foot-5, 220 pounds Zadorov is a force of the ice. Zadorov had fallen out of favor in Buffalo and the Avs are hoping that a change of scenery will help the young Russian defensemen reach his sky high potential.
2 – Matt Duchene / Gabriel Landeskog
Duchene and Landeskog are the foundation this team is built and it’s time for Colorado’s two best players to take the next step. They both have 80 point potential, this season that potential needs to be realized. The success of this season will once again fall on shoulders of these two men because as they go so go the Avalanche.
1 – Patrick Roy
Two years ago everything that Roy touched turned to gold. The rookie head coach lead the Avalanche to a central division title and the two seed in the Western Conference. Last year it was a different story. Roy struggled to find the right buttons to push all season long. This is a pivotal year in deciding whether or not Roy’s tenure in Colorado is going to be long and fruitful.