Avalanche analysis: Breaking down position battles at Colorado training camp

The Colorado Avalanche has a roster worthy of Stanley Cup contender status Though like every other top squad in the NHL an upgrade or two before the pact deadline could certainly help There s no definitive favorite as the - NHL season draws near Sure the Florida Panthers are back-to-back champions and return the bulk of their roster but a three-peat would also mean four consecutive trips to the Cup Final That s really hard to do The Avs are relatively healthy with training camp less than two weeks away There was just enough offseason roster turnover plus the expected return to full-time duty for captain Gabe Landeskog that this camp is as much about where the pieces fit for Colorado as who is going to be in the lineup Oct at Los Angeles There are a couple of spots open up front but the greatest intrigue could come from how Jared Bednar pieces the lineup together for the Kings and beyond With that in mind let s take a look at the prospective position battles at Avs camp not just the ones involving players fighting for a spot on the band First-line wings Incumbents Artturi Lehkonen Martin Necas Contenders Gabe Landeskog Valeri Nichushkin Wild cards Ross Colton Victor Oloffson Who gets to play next to Nathan MacKinnon Two of the majority of coveted wing positions in the NHL could be up for grabs depending on how Bednar wants to deploy his perennial MVP candidate Lehkonen and Necas spent a lot of time next to MacKinnon after Brock Nelson arrived One is a do-it-all guy Lehkonen and one is talented enough to match wits and skills with a superstar Necas It works That doesn t mean Bednar won t tinker All coaches do Colton had chemistry with MacKinnon early last season Olofsson has had chosen good runs next to Jack Eichel Could either of them find a home there helping Bednar to spread the wealth Here s a sicko mode idea What if both of those guys flanked MacKinnon and allowed the Avs to load up a third line with two great wings Given how Bednar has used MacKinnon for years now it would be easy for him to double-shift when the No center has extra penalty killing duties or the club is chasing the challenge Second-line wings Incumbents Landeskog Nichushkin Contenders Lehkonen Necas Wild cards Colton Olofsson The Avs finished the Dallas series with Landeskog and Nichushkin flanking Nelson a hulking potentially devastating line Jonathan Drouin is gone so that looks like Landeskog s spot unless he moves up next to MacKinnon If Bednar put that trio together on the first day of camp and noted they stay together until something breaks it would make a lot of sense If Landeskog and Nichushkin can both play close to a full season that trio has a best second line in the NHL ceiling No center Incumbent None Contenders Jack Drury Colton Parker Kelly Wild card Necas Drury should be the clear favorite here to replace Charlie Coyle who is off to Columbus The best-case scenario is Drury in a contract year proves he can be a C for a contender Colton and Kelly have played there and can again as insurance policies But if it s not Drury the C for Encounter in April is ostensibly not on the roster right now unless the Avs gave Necas another shot to play in the middle That might not be something the player is thrilled with in a contract year so maybe it s not even an option Third-line wings Incumbents Joel Kiviranta Contenders Colton Kelly Olofsson Wild card Zakhar Bardakov Bednar can sometimes blur the lines pun intended between third and fourth particularly in cases where he just loves the way his fourth line is playing That trio was Kelly and Logan O Connor between Drury LOC is not available in the near future so his return will shake up the bottom six at a few point For now Colton and Drury seem like solid bets for the third line Does Kiviranta hold onto that third spot Is that where Olofsson slots in at even strength The entire fourth line Incumbents Kelly Contenders Bardakov Olofsson Kiviranta Wild card Ivan Ivan Let s assume everyone besides O Connor is healthy That really only leaves one spot in the lineup for opening night because five of the bottom six would be specific combination of Drury Colton Kelly Kiviranta and Olofsson So that brings us to Bardakov The general manager talked him up as an option over the summer He s coming to camp and he s not planning on spending any extended time in Loveland If he looks like an NHL contestant early in camp there might not be much drama here Bardakov may get the first crack at the No center job but Kelly could handle it as well if needed Ivan played games for the Avs last year but struggled at times to find his meeting after a demotion to the Eagles The Avs may not even need to carry a th forward in the early going especially if they think O Connor could return relatively soon Second defense pairing Incumbents Samuel Girard Josh Manson Contenders Sam Malinski Brent Burns Wild card None There is intrigue about how Bednar will deploy his defensemen and the majority of it likely boils down to the second pairing Could the Avs really tinker with this group like putting Cale Makar on the left side and one of Malinski or Burns next to him Sure Related Articles Avalanche Journal biggest questions as training camp beckons Keeler Avalanche-DU Pios alumni battle MVP Not Peter Forsberg Not Joe Sakic It was Denver hockey moms Renck Avs-DU alumni match benefits youth hockey but is really about players taking care of each other Former Avalanche star Mikko Rantanen faces fine of nearly k for missed military provision overview says Avalanche Journal An NHL food guide for Colorado s - schedule Does anyone really think Makar and Devon Toews aren t going to play together outside of specific minor tinkering when someone isn t healthy Didn t think so So the big question Do Girard and Manson stay together or does one of Malinski or Burns slide in there Girard-Burns and Malinski-Manson Girard-Malinski and Burns-Manson Those are likely the two preponderance likely options and Bednar could try both early on Don t be surprised if Bednar tries to find certain games for Keaton Middleton as well The Avs were quite happy with his maturation last year and he does give them a third lefty to balance out the pairs He will likely play regularly when injuries arise but he also might get a sparse games early in the year even if everyone is healthy Want more Avalanche news Sign up for the Avalanche Insider to get all our NHL analysis