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Avs land Abbotsford, BC native Devon Toews a left D-man. 4 years $4.1 AAV. Nice pickup. Middle pairing guy?

Stats-wise he killed it as a second pairing guy last year. Potential elite puck mover and potentially elite at keeping the puck out of harm's way. This contract could end up becoming a steal.

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He's almost assuredly penciled in as Cale Makar's defensive partner going into next season. Ryan Graves had that spot this last season, and while he did quite well for punching above his weight, he was definitely not a long-term solution and got exposed badly in the bubble playoff series against the Stars. Toews should be just about the perfect guy for Makar and they should wreak havoc on the opposition, especially in the attacking zone.

If nothing else, the Avs are not in a position where they have to rely on a career third pairing guy for major minutes, nor are they in a position where they have to rush Bowen Byram into the big show.

Defense should look like this on opening night:

Toews - Makar
Girard - Johnson
Graves - Cole
Byram

The defense could look radically different next year. Cole's deal expires, and the Avs are going to have to figure out what to do with Erik Johnson come expansion draft time. Since they now have three defensemen they have to protect, they're likely going to ask EJ to waive his NMC, or he'll have to accept a buyout. Highly unlikely he gets taken given his contract and age and injury history, and few guys love playing for Colorado more than he does, so I think he'll just waive.

I'm guessing Graves is as good as gone come expansion draft time and...that's fine. He's a good guy and good player, but ultimately he's expendable.

Avs are around 13th in total payroll, yet only have around $1.3 million in cap space. That's how tight things have gotten. The salary retained on Saad now looms large. Either way, this lineup is pretty much set. I'm excited for the upcoming season...whatever form it takes and whenever it may be...

Oh and I think I completely forgot to mention Conor Timmins. Not sure what, if any future in hockey is there for him. I think the talent is there, but he already missed around 18 months due to a concussion in his draft+1 year, and he managed to finally make it into a game in the playoffs against the stars only to leave a few shifts later after taking a questionable hit from Andrew Cogliano.

Interesting. I'm reading Byram may just play overseas or in juniors. He's still too young to play in the AHL (remarkable that more than a year after he was drafted he's still only 19, but also, that's a dumb rule) and at present, there's not a spot for him in the Avalanche lineup.

I'd still like to see the Avs try and make room for him, but it's nice that the option is there for them.

Colin Wilson's career likely over. He can't even walk properly after hip surgery. Also wrote about his mental health troubles for Players Tribune: https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts ... tal-health

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Yeah, and it was double hip surgery that apparently didn’t take the first time, so he had to do it AGAIN. But This would explain why he wasn’t

I read the piece this morning. Powerful stuff. I’m sad he missed out on enjoying his short stint in the NHL because of this. But I’m also glad he might be embarking on a mission in the field of mental health that could benefit a lot of people. I’m

Jim would probably be very interested in the work he’s starting.

In a move that is sure to spark some controversy, the Avalanche will be sporting modified Nordiques jerseys as part of the NHL's "Reverse Retro" program.



I have mixed feelings about the Avs donning the logo of their previous iteration but these look slick as hell to me. Not perfect by any means but I like them nonetheless. I've been meaning to get jerseys of Rantanen, Makar, and Girard as soon as I can. I got Rantanen in an Avs burgundy home jersey a few weeks ago. Most people think Girard's name would be perfect with this particular look, and I'm inclined to agree. If I have the $$$ to spare this winter, I'm definitely getting one.

Gonna start an international incident. Are these confirmed yet?

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Yep. They're confirmed.

https://twitter.com/Avalanche/status/13 ... 4187213825

Personally I think they're far and away the best of these "Reverse Retro" things but given how awful some of those are, that isn't saying a whole lot.

Well now...this is surprising news--the Avs are making a rather significant change to their look in advance of their 25th season in Denver (yes, I typed that out and immediately felt old).

https://coloradohockeynow.com/2020/11/1 ... ry-season/

In every iteration of their uniforms (with one lone exception) the Avs went with black helmets and pants for their burgundy jerseys and white helmets with black pants for their white uniforms, but no longer--black is being phased out of their color scheme entirely, with blue gloves, helmets, and pants taking their place.



It'll take some getting used to but I'm all for it--I've never been a huge fan of black-on-blue.

https://twitter.com/GeorgesLaraque/stat ... _&ref_url=

Georges Laraque gets his reverse retro jersey with Peter Forsberg's name and number on the back.

Camp due to begin soon. Avs did a good job of solidifying their roster and will enter this shortened season a Cup favorite. I think they'll be phenomenal...IF their goaltending holds up. They certainly didn't end the previous season on a high note.

Somewhat notable news--oft-injured defensive prospect Conor Timmins has switched from 20 to 22 so that new addition Brandon Saad can take it. It's only notable because Timmins was forced to give up 18 (i.e., the cursed number) because of Derick Brassard, and didn't go back. I truly believe the organization hates that number, and given the rather sordid history of players who have worn it, I can't say I blame them. Whether or not this leads to better luck for Timmins in the upcoming season remains to be seen.

Wow, the season is right around the friggin' corner!

https://www.nhl.com/avalanche/news/aval ... -319961222

Home (and season) opener is the 13th at...BALL ARENA, against the Blooz.

We still really don't know what the Avs uniforms will look like, but the team is wearing their blue gear with their practice jerseys.

After 632 games and 11 seasons, Colin Wilson hangs them up.

https://twitter.com/NHLAlumni/status/13 ... 4229754880

Good player whose career got derailed by injuries, and had to battle through OCD and subsequent substance use issues as well. Wish him the best, he seems like a genuinely good guy.

So with the season just around the corner and we're already experiencing shenanigans.

Bednar boldly declared the team fully healthy, and, like, the next day said Grubauer, Landeskog, Saad, Johnson, and Middleton were all "unfit to play."

Also, WJC silver medalist Bowen Byram will not be in the opening night roster as he will have to quarantine following the tournament.