It’s the middle of July and very little is happening in the hockey world. The Colorado Avalanche picked up a goaltender this week, but if he ends up playing NHL games, that might not be a good sign. For the most part, the roster is close to set for next season.
While very little is happening, Avalanche fans still have questions about what’s going to happen next season, so let’s answer them. If you have questions for a future mailbag, feel free to comment down below and I’ll keep them in mind for the next one.
From Ash: What level of workload do you think Annunen will get to start the season? Could he thrust himself into the starter role by the end of the year?
In a perfect world, Justus Annunen playing at the level he did last year allows the Avalanche to lighten Georgiev’s workload significantly. It really doesn’t seem necessary to have him starting 63-64 games. If Annunen can keep rolling, having Georgiev starts between 50-55 games and giving Justus the rest seems ideal.
Of course, if Georgiev is as up and down as he was last year, Annunen’s role might increase. I’ll be interested to see what Annunen can do this season, because NHL coaches and shooters watch a lot of tape. There’s now a decent amount of tape out there on Annunen at the NHL level, and they’ll look to exploit any weaknesses he has.
That being said, I’m still a little skeptical of Annunen, just like I am with most goalies. Colorado didn’t really start Annunen against any very good teams last year. Of his 12 starts, only one was against a playoff team, and that was Edmonton on the last game of the season. You may recall that they scratched all of their best players in that game, so it definitely wasn’t the Oilers team that went to the Stanley Cup Final. I still think it would be wise for the Avalanche to find a third goaltender who has more NHL experience, just in case he can’t keep it up.
From Brandon: Any chance the Avs are in on trading for Laine?
If he wasn’t making $8.7 million, sure. He’s a top flight goal scorer and you can’t turn your nose at guys like that. Colorado simply can’t take on that contract, though.
From Blake: Do you think the Avs are still missing one middle six forward?
Yes, but I think they’re still hopeful Gabriel Landeskog can be that guy. Them not spending that money says as much.
From Nate: As our Russian informant, any updates or new information on Nabokov? Realistic timeline? What are the streets saying?
Like I said this week, it certainly doesn’t sound like Ilya Nabokov will be coming this season, but that’s not a surprise. I think next summer is a realistic possibility. I’m working to speak to Nabokov this summer because we haven’t heard much from him since he was picked in the second round.
From Rory: What’s your prediction for what they do with goaltending next offseason? Do they try to resign Georgiev and if not, who are some guys you could see them targeting?
I’d be surprised if the Avalanche tried to re-sign Georgiev. A lot obviously depends on how this upcoming season goes, but he’ll be in line for a raise and Colorado usually likes to keep goaltending costs down to spend on the rest of the team.
As for what they do if they move on from Georgie, Ilya Nabokov coming over seems realistic, but he might not be ready for full-time NHL duty. Colorado really likes targeting RFA goaltenders in trades. We saw it with Varlamov, Georgiev, and Grubauer. Next summer, the most intriguing option would be Lukas Dostal with the Ducks, but at some point, they’re going to move on from John Gibson, right? A guy like Daniil Tarasov could be a target as well.
The UFA crop isn’t that much better, but Karel Vejmelka has always been intriguing. None of these guys are #1’s, so there’s plenty of risk involved, but the Avalanche don’t mind that. Georgiev was coming off a rough season in New York and they still felt he could be a #1.
From Julie: Will Bednar give young players a real chance to play or will he continue to sit them after one mistake?
I don’t know about benching them after one mistake, but with the situation the Avalanche are in, young players should get opportunities to show what they can do in training camp.
We know Nichushkin won’t be at camp, and I’d be surprised if Landeskog is ready to go at full speed. Logan O’Connor is expected to be ready, but you never know if they try to limit him for the first week or so. Same goes with Artturi Lehkonen. If he’s not 100% from off-season shoulder surgery, no need to rush him.
That *should* mean big opportunities for guys like Nikolai Kovalenko, Jean-Luc Foudy, and Calum Ritchie. The former two were around the team the entire playoff run and got to spend some extra time with the coaching staff. The thing about Kovalenko is he’s not that young, as he’ll be 25 in October. If you’re not going to trust him now, when will you? Foudy has four years of AHL experience. At some point, you have to give a guy like that a run to see what he can do. Ritchie is the most talented prospect you have, at least see what he can do with some skilled players.
From Jacob: Can you explain why we’re not projecting Ritchie to be on the big league club this year? I don’t totally get that.
Honestly, I think the Avalanche have controlled a lot of that narrative. They’ve been pretty adamant that they don’t want to rush Ritchie to the NHL and would prefer he continue to grow at his own pace. That doesn’t mean the NHL is out of the question. As I wrote last week, they should give him a taste, but I’d be surprised if he stuck around all year. Here’s what Chris MacFarland said about him after the season ended…
“He’s a young kid that has to get man strong and come into his first NHL training camp and we’ll see what he can do,” the Avalanche GM said. “I think Calum Ritchie, we can wait until he’s ready to thrive and he can come into a role where he doesn’t have to be counted on as a point producing guy from a young age, which I think can be a challenge, right? He can come in and grab a role and grow at a pace that allows him to thrive in the league and not just survive.”
If he comes to camp and earns a job, things could change. He’s got the talent to do so, but heading back to the OHL wouldn’t kill him. It’s just a shame the AHL isn’t an option as a happy medium.