3 Colorado Avalanche players taking full advantage of preseason

So, just like the Rookie Faceoff the Avalanche are 0-3 in the NHL preseason. Luckily, just as I argued in the case of those results, preseason isn’t so much about a win-loss record. What matters now are individual performances that impress the coaching staff.

The Avalanche are in an interesting position right now with three top-six forwards who will be missing when the season opens. Of course we know about still-rehabbing captain Gabriel Landeskog and the suspension status of Valeri Nichushkin. Although their returns are expected, their absence will loom large over the early season. Artturi Lehkonen will also miss time as he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery.

In addition, the defensive room looks pretty packed. The organization was active on that front in the offseason with signings, but the third pairing might surprise folks on opening night.

In other words, the door is clearly open for some prospects or vets to earn ice-time. This slideshow will showcase guys I thought were effective in proving why they deserve a shot with the big club.

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare

Sure, the scoresheet in the first game against Dallas featured other names, most notably Calum Ritchie. But for me, the play of Pierre-Edouard Bellemare was exactly what you wanted to see. Bellemare is with Colorado on a PTO, and he knows what he needs to do.

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare was the most experienced guy suited up for the Avalanche and he did the little things the team expects. He won faceoffs, a Colorado weakness, and he played solid structurally. This is what you need from a fourth-line player who will see some duty on the PK in regular season games.

Speaking of penalties, there were a boatload in the preseason opener. So many in fact, that I lost count. We saw three 5-on-3 situations in the game, which is never good. I believe all three ended with a puck in the net.

While it doesn’t make a lot of sense to judge young guys on the fringe of pro contracts playing in situations they absolutely won’t see later on in the year, it’s still useful as a way to assess adversity.

I may be reading more into things than is necessary, but I also liked that Bellemare was wearing an A on his sweater in the game. If nothing else, it speaks to a coach’s trust level in a player. Now maybe it just means that Bednar believes Bellemare knows the systems better, that could be true. But that is also an endorsement of his confidence. After some years away from Colorado, that feels even more meaningful.

Throughout the year, the team will need gutsy guys. Certainly they will need guys who can win some tough faceoffs in the defensive zone. Before the game on Monday, the Avalanche extended Logan O’Connor. LOC is a key contributor on Colorado’s PK. Bellemare makes a lot of sense on that unit as well.

Yes, it may have been a loss, and messy at that, but through a lot, the team hung in there until literal last-second luck won it for the Stars.

Nikolai Kovalenko

Nikolai Kovalenko had a relatively quiet night in the first tilt against Dallas. However, the Russian winger really came out with an attitude to prove it on Friday. He was all over the ice, creating opportunities for his teammates.

Kovalenko was particularly exciting in front of and around the net. The obvious impact was felt when he delivered a behind the net pass to Ivan Ivan for the Avs‘ first goal. Later on, Kovalenko assisted Parker Kelly on a second Colorado score.

The Kelly goal was a real positive for me because it was a rapid response from the Avalanche and Kelly in particular, who got a bit lost on the previous Dallas goal. Sometimes that added bit of context illustrates team cohesion.

Kovalenko had two more beautiful looking feeds that could have resulted in goals with just a little more luck. One of those chances was with Kelly again, and the other was with Jean-Luc Foudy I believe.

The ability to find space and move pucks where plays could be made is crucial to production at the top level. If anything, I think Kovalenko could have looked to shoot it a little more himself, but an instinct to turn good looks into great ones is also welcome.

It might seem like making excuses for a 4-2 loss, but the talent and experience disparity was large. Dallas dressed something like ten NHL regulars against the Avalanche on Friday. The Stars’ top line of Tyler Seguin, Matt Duchene and Jamie Benn produced the lion’s share of points.

Colorado will gradually insert more of their big names into the lineup as the preseason rolls on. But for now, I actually love that Kovalenko was able to stand out against so many NHL veterans.

Ordinarily I would have slotted Kovalenko in for a bottom-six role. Something similar to where his name popped up late last year when he came over from the KHL. But quite frankly, with the Avalanche’s injury concerns where they are currently, I could feasibly see him on the second line.

I really want to see Kovalenko get some minutes next to Casey Mittelstadt going forward in these preseason games. Mittelstadt is going to be asked to do a lot in his first full season for the Avalanche. Yet, as of now, he still doesn’t know what the composition of his line will even look like.

Sam Malinski

Sam Malinski just might be the most intriguing name on this list. I might have gone with someone like Calum Ritchie, who as a first-round pick is much more highly touted. Ritchie did score a beauty last night to cap off Colorado’s tally in the 6-3 loss to Utah.

But from my perspective, it is perhaps more fun to talk about an undrafted success story like Sam Malinski. Avalanche fans no doubt remember Malinski from his call-ups last season. The kid is fun to watch. We here at MHS are well-documented believers in Malinski’s talent.

Last season I went as far as comparing some of his blueline moves to Cale Makar. Well, in Sunday’s matchup with Utah he went coast-to-coast to score like a mini-Makar! With that kind of determination and aforementioned long lead-pass to Ritchie, Sam Malinski was the headliner from Colorado’s third preseason game.

It should also be noted that Malinski is the only one of the three players in this slideshow to dress for all three games thus far. He’s been noticable every game too. Why I think that matters is that the coaches want to give him the chance to prove he deserves a spot even in a crowded defensive group.

Colorado has added a lot on the backend. With guys like Calvin de Haan, Erik Brannstrom and Oliver Kylington coming in this offseason, the roster looks full. Kylington was a bit of a surprise to be honest. Thus far I haven’t loved what i’ve seen from the former Flame. But I do think he wore an A for Colorado in that first game out against Dallas.

At this point, I do tend to think Colorado will carry an extra D on the roster. Even so, with the third defensive pair being a question, and an extra accounted for but unnamed, it still feels like someone is getting left out in the cold.

I am personally stoked for Malinski that he’s making the choice this difficult for the coaches. But at the same time, I fear that if Colorado has to try and place him on waivers for reassignment to the Eagles, he’s probably getting claimed.

What Malinski has in his favor, aside from his clear raw talent, is a level of familiarity with the organization. If he does make the team, his offensive instincts have already proven a good match for how the Avalanche love to play.