By Corey Masisak

Copyright denverpost

The 2022 Stanley Cup champions were one of the best hockey teams of the 21st century, which sets a lofty standard.

Jared Bednar hasn’t shied away from comparing his recent Colorado Avalanche clubs to the title-winning Terminator that steamrolled through the playoffs. He did it again on Wednesday at media day ahead of the 2025-26 campaign, but this time with a twist.

“Probably the deepest team we’ve had since 2022 to start the season,” Bednar said.

The phrase at the end of the sentence was key. Colorado’s coach said the same thing about the Avs after the trade deadline in both 2024 and 2025.

It’s clear Bednar and his players feel this edition is different than the past three because of where the roster is right now, as training camp begins Thursday with opening night three weeks away Oct. 7 in Los Angeles.

After multiple years without clarity on captain Gabe Landeskog or Valeri Nichushkin, and a chaotic, seismic trade-filled campaign last season, continuity was the theme of the day at Ball Arena.

“Every year, it felt like we didn’t know who was going to be on the team,” Avs star Nathan MacKinnon said. “It just feels like we’re more solidified. There’s no wondering, which is great, and there’s no holes in our lineup.”

There were some important news items at media day, and information to glean about key storylines for the upcoming season, beyond the relative roster stability.

Injury updates

While the Avs look healthy relative to previous Septembers, there are still three key players who won’t be skating with the full group Thursday at Family Sports Center.

Logan O’Connor had hip surgery in early June. Bednar said he’s on track with the initial diagnosis of 5-6 months, and the Avs are hopeful he’ll be back by early November.

Defenseman Samuel Girard and goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood have both been on the ice away from the main group of teammates during pre-camp captain’s skates. Bednar said Girard is dealing with “lower-body injuries,” while Blackwood has been dealing with an “offseason injury.”

The Avs hope Girard can be ready by opening night, while Bednar suggested Blackwood could miss the first few games.

Analysis: It’s not the star power of Landeskog and Nichushkin, but Girard and Blackwood are critical pieces of this team. The Avs are deep when comparing their best NHL lineup to other clubs, but the “next man up” types from the minors are a different story.

Girard’s absence leaves them with only six defensemen who have more than 29 games of NHL experience, and only one left-handed guy with more than 44. Don’t be surprised if the Avs add another defenseman during camp, or right before the season off the waiver wire — regardless of Girard’s progress.

Colorado’s first back-to-back isn’t until Gams Nos. 9 and 10, so expect Scott Wedgewood to handle the early-season workload until Blackwood is ready.

Captain comeback, part two

Landeskog’s return during the playoffs in April was a surreal moment. Now, it’s time for the grind. Bednar said there will be no restrictions on practices or ice time during games to start. Both the coach and captain acknowledged there are still unknowns about how it will go after Landeskog missed three full regular seasons.

“We got seven games out of it (counting two with the Eagles) last year, so we don’t really know what the managing exactly looks like over an 82-game schedule plus,” Landeskog said. “It’s going to be something we just continue working on as we go through the season. But I expect to be feeling good, and I expect to be playing and I expect to be playing a lot.”

Analysis: The addition of Victor Olofsson gives the Avs some insurance, but Landeskog is one of the league’s great X-factors this season. If he plays most of the games at the same level he showed against Dallas, Colorado could have the best top-six forward group in the NHL.

Necas contract

A year ago, the Avs began the season with the No. 1 right wing on the depth chart in the final year of his contract. Martin Necas’ situation is not exactly the same as Mikko Rantanen’s, but it’s also not dissimilar.

We didn’t learn much about where things stand at media day.

“We’re talking, and we’ll see what’s going to happen,” Necas said. “I can’t really tell you. I don’t even know. It will be interesting. It’s more about my agent.”

Analysis: The current situation feels like a bottleneck. Everyone is waiting for Connor McDavid and Kirill Kaprizov to reset the market, but neither of them appears close to signing.

Necas is unique, compared to other stars like Jack Eichel, Kyle Connor and Adrian Kempe. He and his team haven’t had as much time together to figure out if they are a long-term match. It’s a huge pivot point for what the Avalanche will look like over the next few seasons. It’s Necas’ best chance to sign a massive contract.

It could be a tricky spot, and the price isn’t likely to decrease if Necas continues to produce like he did last season. In some ways, Colorado was lucky to be able to replace Rantanen with Necas. The Avs might not be as fortunate if they need to find another high-level forward to replace Necas.

Right-side logjam

Even with a healthy Girard, the Avs have four right-shot guys in their top six defensemen. Someone has to shift over to the off-side.

“We’re going to start with playing Sam Malinski on the left side and see how that goes,” Bednar said.

Analysis: Assuming Cale Makar and Devon Toews stay together on the top pairing, that means Malinski and Keaton Middleton will be on the left side with Josh Manson and new addition Brent Burns on the right. Malinski moved between the third and second pairings last year and showed progress. Now he has a new challenge. How he handles it could have an impact on Colorado’s plans ahead of the trade deadline.

Forward battles

The Avs have two spots open for competition — center on both the third and fourth lines. Bednar said Jack Drury, who was the No. 4 center against Dallas, is “perfectly capable” of handling the 3C role, but also mentioned Ross Colton as a possibility.

He said Parker Kelly proved he can handle the 4C role last season, but the club also intends to give Zakhar Bardakov and Nikita Prishchepov a look during camp.

Analysis: Bednar also mentioned Olofsson as a potential top-six wing. If that happens, one of the established guys among Landeskog, Nichushkin, Necas and Artturi Lehkonen would play on the third line. While the Avs are happy to have roster stability, it’s possible certain players will be shifting up and down the lineup as Bednar experiments.

Bardakov is a wild card, but Prishchepov also had a strong showing while playing center during the 2025 Rookie Showcase. Those two could give the Avs much-needed depth beyond the 12 veterans up front, particularly once O’Connor returns.

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