Line Combos: 2019-2020 Colorado Avalanche

Pokecheque

Whack it Hard to Girard
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I thought the whole reason Bura wanted a trade was so he could get top 6 minutes? So putting him on the 3rd line kinda defeats the whole purpose of spending a 2nd and 3rd for him no? Seriously asking and not trying to be condescending

I'm sure he will start out with 2nd line minutes, but I'm skeptical he'll stay in that spot.
 

Gatorbait19

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Apr 2, 2019
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I think Connauton will play at least 50+ games for us this year. He played 50 last year on one of the best defenses in the league, and played to some PK too. He’s going to be a big contributor to that 3rd pairing, especially while cole is out.
 
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CobraAcesS

De Opresso Liber
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I'm gunna need to play my "english is my 2nd language" card on that one :oops::laugh:

And I didn't mean to be entirely dismissive of it. I'm an empiricist, so even if the logic suggests it shouldn't be ideal I'm willing to see how it actually plays out before jumping to any conclusions. I just tend to make snarky jokes when I don't have the time (or desire) to expound on my opinion at length.

This post should be a legit contender for your sig. :nod:

Yeah, it's clear they really want to keep that top line together--they work both on and off the ice with that in mind, so I imagine breaking it up is not at all what they want.

Which is fine, if they get an even-reasonably productive 2nd line that makes it so Bednar doesn't have to overwork that top trio that would work wonders for the team.

I think the top line may end up being together more consistently at home than on the road. On the road it makes a little more sense to break them up especially against teams who actually have the ability to slow them down. I won't stop advocating for Donskoi getting a shot at Landy's defensive role on that line either. At least until it is tried. I'm really confident he can be that on the second line though.

Prediction: That projected 2nd line doesn't work and they end up putting Donskoi and Compher on Kadri's wings, and that trio takes off.

Me you on same page

I could see a Jost - Kadri - Donskoi line too. Basically Bura just stands out to me like a sore thumb in the top six lol.
 

Flanagan

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Here are my predictions. We start with a top-6 of :

Landeskog - MacKinnon - Rantanen
Jost - Kadri - Burakovsky


Burakovsky doesn't work on the first or second line, and by mid-season we are rolling with:

Landeskog - MacKinnon - Donskoi
Jost - Kadri - Rantanen


And on D I think we're going to see Connauton - Johnson as a second pairing for far too long.
 

cgf

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I think the plan heading into camp will be

9296
Jost - Kadri - Burakovsky
Wilson - JTC - Donskoi
Calvert - PEB - Nieto

But I still expect Bednar to experiment with Kadri-Mikko in camp if Bura / Donskoi / Jost can third-wheel effectively for those two & Landy-MacK. What I'd like to see us try:

Landy - MacK - Burakovsky*
Rantanen - Kadri - Donskoi*
Wilson - Jost* - Jimmothy
Calvert - Bellamare - Nieto
( Kamenev / Greer )

Girard - Makar
Zads - Johnson
Byram* - Connauton|Cole
( Graves* / Rosen* )

w/ JTC sliding to Center if Jost gets a top 6 wing spot
 
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Postanin CB Ting

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Apr 6, 2012
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Landeskog - MacKinnon - Rantanen
Burakovsky - Kadri - Compher
Wilson - Jost - Donskoi
Calvert - Bellemare - Nieto
Kamenev

Zadorov - Johnson
Girard - Makar
Cole - Connauton
Byram - Rosen

I think Compher has the potential to outscore both Donskoi and Jost so he gets top 6 for me. Also feel like Jost is better of at C.
Wouldn't mind seeing Kamenev get a crack at Wilson's spot. Sadly pushing out Nieto.

Defense is young.
 

Perratrooper

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May 26, 2016
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Landeskog-MacKinnon-Burkaovsky (Landy MacK Duo should open a lot of room for anyone who has a bit of talent)
Jost-Kadri-Rantanen (Down low/cycling line, who provide good defensive play)
Nieto-Compher-Donskoi (Great speed with good defensive play, will create great pressure off the forecheck and be a pain in the ass to deal with)
Wilson-Bellemare-Calvert (meh is what is, should be fine in both zones and be able to play any style)
Girard-Makar (should be outright dominant at times, will definitely have their ups and downs)
Zadorov-Johnson (Giving EJ more free room to roam will hopefully bring him back to top pair play)
Byram-Cole (experience with skill, Byram will be covered and taught when he makes a mistake)
 

Tweaky

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Forwards:
Landy-MacK-Burakovsky (keeps Landy for half the face offs and D zone coverage, allows Bura to play with skill to prove himself)
Jost-Kadri-Rantanen (gives Jost an on ice example of how he needs to play in the D zone, and Rants still has someone that can bury his pretty passes)
Wilson-JTC-Donskoi (high-end 3rd line that can play anywhere on the ice, should match up well against any other 3rd, hold its own against 1/2 lines if stuck, and have their way with 4th lines)
Neito-Bellemare-Calvert (quite possibly the best 4th line in the league, and probably better than a lot of 3rd lines, keeps the chemistry of Nieto and Calvert, subbing PB for Carl).
Donskoi is the filler for any top 6 F injury, with Jost sliding to C if it is MacK or Kadri (with some wing shuffling likely, or Kadri/Rants playing as the top line if it is MacK). Kamenev and Greer ought to be the scratches...with Kaut being the first call up if there is more than one injury (and playing). Bowers would be my second call up.

Defense:
Girard-Makar (seems scary to some, but I think the reward outweighs the risk)
Connauton-EJ (To start with, the NHL experience will give KC the edge over Rosen).
Zadorov-Meloche (this will be a mean 3rd pair to punish other teams)
Graves is the scratch, with Cole on LTIR...and I could see Graves/KC platooning next to EJ. Once Cole is back, I think they risk one of KC/Graves to waivers and the other is the scratch if all are healthy. I think MacDonald is a wildcard to be a call up if an RD goes down, as if/when Barbs clears, he stays down....but I would bet on Timmins being the first up after the new year.

I could see Byram getting a few games, and I think he could do fine for the whole season, but I am not sure that Bednar et al. would be comfortable with that. My dream would be Byram next to EJ with the pairs as listed above.
 
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Northern Avs Fan

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May 27, 2019
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Hopefully upwards of 35. I don't think Grubauer is the kind of starter you put in for 60-65 games. It seems pretty apparent they want them to work as a tandem.

What makes you think they want them to be a tandem? I would be very worried, if that were the case.
 

PatrikBerglund

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May 29, 2017
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Bura seems like a player with all the needed skill to be a surefire top-6:er in the NHL, but where the mental game is that of an AHL:er.
 

Pokecheque

Whack it Hard to Girard
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What makes you think they want them to be a tandem? I would be very worried, if that were the case.

Couple reasons. One, I just don't think Grubauer is that type of starter--he's not an elite netminder who can take on that kind of workload. Two, it's trending like that around the league. Where before you could rely on your starter for 65-68 games and use your backup sparingly, virtually everyone is going with a tandem. Because even when goalies do get that type of workload, they're burned out by the time the postseason starts. Grubauer was even part of that when he started the postseason during the Caps' Stanley Cup run. He didn't play many games, but the extra rest likely did Holtby a ton of good and he played well after taking over.

There's obviously some concern but I wouldn't be really worried. This was the plan from the very moment they brought in both Grubauer and Francouz last year. And that's also why they've stated they're on the lookout for a solid #3 goalie. Asking Grubauer to take on a Roy-like workload would be way more worrisome to me. Those goalies just don't exist anymore.
 

Northern Avs Fan

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May 27, 2019
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Couple reasons. One, I just don't think Grubauer is that type of starter--he's not an elite netminder who can take on that kind of workload. Two, it's trending like that around the league. Where before you could rely on your starter for 65-68 games and use your backup sparingly, virtually everyone is going with a tandem. Because even when goalies do get that type of workload, they're burned out by the time the postseason starts. Grubauer was even part of that when he started the postseason during the Caps' Stanley Cup run. He didn't play many games, but the extra rest likely did Holtby a ton of good and he played well after taking over.

There's obviously some concern but I wouldn't be really worried. This was the plan from the very moment they brought in both Grubauer and Francouz last year. And that's also why they've stated they're on the lookout for a solid #3 goalie. Asking Grubauer to take on a Roy-like workload would be way more worrisome to me. Those goalies just don't exist anymore.

I think if they split time, that probably means the Avs miss the playoffs and are looking for a new goalie in the offseason.

Unless, I’m way too low on Francouz.
 

Pokecheque

Whack it Hard to Girard
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I think if they split time, that probably means the Avs miss the playoffs and are looking for a new goalie in the offseason.

Unless, I’m way too low on Francouz.

Not sure why you're that low on him. He was the best goalie in the KHL the season before and was probably the biggest reason the offense-starved Eagles even made the AHL postseason. He also played relatively well in what little NHL time he's had. Don't get so hung up on the fact that they didn't get some grizzled veteran netminder--a rookie goalie just won Stanley Cup after all.
 

Northern Avs Fan

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Not sure why you're that low on him. He was the best goalie in the KHL the season before and was probably the biggest reason the offense-starved Eagles even made the AHL postseason. He also played relatively well in what little NHL time he's had. Don't get so hung up on the fact that they didn't get some grizzled veteran netminder--a rookie goalie just won Stanley Cup after all.

I just don’t know much about Francouz, good to hear you’re high on him.

I feel a bit better now haha
 

flyfysher

Registered User
Mar 21, 2012
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I think the plan heading into camp will be

9296
Jost - Kadri - Burakovsky
Wilson - JTC - Donskoi
Calvert - PEB - Nieto

But I still expect Bednar to experiment with Kadri-Mikko in camp if Bura / Donskoi / Jost can third-wheel effectively for those two & Landy-MacK. What I'd like to see us try:

Landy - MacK - Burakovsky*
Rantanen - Kadri - Donskoi*
Wilson - Jost* - Jimmothy
Calvert - Bellamare - Nieto
( Kamenev / Greer )

Girard - Makar
Zads - Johnson
Byram* - Connauton|Cole
( Graves* / Rosen* )

w/ JTC sliding to Center if Jost gets a top 6 wing spot

If Johnson is healthy then teams are going to hate having to play him and Zadorov.
 
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Foppa2118

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Oct 3, 2003
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If Johnson is healthy then teams are going to hate having to play him and Zadorov.

If they can click well, and EJ gets some mojo back with the increased puck time away from Girard, that could be the making of a great shutdown pair.
 

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