Colorado Avalanche

Colorado Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog suffered injuries after taking a massive hit from San Jose Sharks defenseman Brad Stuart, but looks ready to return after an extended absence.

UPDATE: Friday, Feb. 22 at 1:40 p.m. ET by Matt Fitzgerald

Good news for Avalanche fans as it looks as though Landeskog is slated to return to the lineup for this weekend's encounter on the road with the Los Angeles Kings. The team's official Twitter page broke the latest development:

LANDY'S BACK: Gabriel Landeskog will travel with the team to California this weekend & will be in the lineup on Saturday at LA.

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) February 22, 2013

---End of Update---

UPDATE: Wednesday, Feb. 20, at 8:55 p.m. ET by Ben Chodos 

Gabriel Landeskog's recovery from his concussion has continued to go well, and The Denver Post's  Adrian Dater reported the following good news on the Av's star:

"Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog, in his first public comments since suffering a concussion Jan. 26, said Wednesday he is feeling good and is hoping to return to the lineup soon. 

Landeskog skated for a sixth consecutive day Wednesday morning with no ill effects. He might participate in a full, contact practice Friday and travel with the team on the Avs' upcoming three-game California road trip."

---End of update---

UPDATE: Tuesday, Feb. 19, at 2:30 p.m. ET by Timothy Rapp

More good news to pass along about Landeskog, as he returned to practice on Tuesday morning, according to Adrian Dater of the Denver Post:

Avalanche forward Gabe Landeskog returned to practice Tuesday morning after sitting out with a head injury since taking a big hit from the San Jose Sharks' Brad Stuart during a game on Jan. 26.

Landeskog, who had been skating on his own since Friday, was wearing an orange no-hit jersey.

---End of update---

UPDATE: Friday, Feb. 15, at 4:35 p.m. ET by Patrick Clarke 

Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog began skating on Friday for the first time since taking a brutal hit from San Jose's Brad Stuart last month according to The Denver Post's Adrian Dater:

It is unclear when Landeskog will skate next, but the team hopes it will be on a continuing basis.

---End of update---

UPDATE: Friday, Feb. 1, at 5:05 p.m. ET by Ethan Grant

According to Mike Chambers of The Denver Post, Landeskog has been placed on injured reserve and is out indefinitely. Chambers notes he could return as early as Monday, but there's been no timetable placed on his return.

Here's an excerpt from the report:

Landeskog suffered head and leg injuries in last Saturday's 4-0 loss at San Jose. And although he returned in that game, he missed three ensuing games at Edmonton, Vancouver and Calgary. He now only suffers from a head injury, Sacco said, and could return from IR as soon as Monday, but there is no timetable in place.

---End of update---

UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan. 30 at 3:00 p.m. ET by Ben Chodos

The Denver Post and Sports Illustrated's Adrian Dater reported that Landeskog is still suffering from the injuries he sustained from Brad Stuart's hit, and the forward will not play in the Avalanche's game against the Vancouver Canucks:

Landeskog did not skate with Avs this morning. Won't play tonight

— adater (@adater) January 30, 2013

---End of update---

The Denver Post and Sports Illustrated’s Adrian Dater reported the following on Landeskog’s condition:

Landeskog's injuries are to head and left leg. Avs not saying it's a concussion, but also not saying it isn't

— adater (@adater) January 28, 2013

No timetable on Landeskog's return. Avs thought he was OK entering today, but obviously symptoms developed. Horrible news for Avs

— adater (@adater) January 28, 2013

The hard hit came during the first period when Landeskog received the puck near mid-ice. Stuart lowered his shoulder and delivered a crushing blow to the 20-year-old.

Landeskog was able to return to the ice during Colorado’s 4-0 loss to San Jose, but the effects of the hit continued to hamper him afterward. 

The young Swede is in his second season with the Avalanche after being selected with the second overall pick in the 2011 draft. As a rookie, he racked up 22 goals and 30 assists.

His career is off to an incredible start, as he proved enough to his organization to be named captain for this season. Landeskog was just 19 years old when he was given the honor, making him the youngest captain in NHL history, as Dater notes in a separate post. 

Colorado now has to figure out who will pick up the slack on offense by filling in for Landeskog at left wing.

The Avs are 2-2 this season and are taking on the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night, Jan. 28. With just 48 games in the lockout-shortened regular season, the importance of each contest is amplified. 

If Landeskog is forced to miss a significant amount of time, it will have a major impact on Colorado’s season. With little information on the details of his injuries or the timetable for his return, the prospects for the Avs’ quest to return to the postseason are uncertain. 

Three minutes into the third period of a January 22 matchup between the Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings, David Jones scored a power play goal for the Avs.

Jones’ goal is the only Colorado goal scored on the man advantage through its first four games of the 2013 NHL season.

In case you were wondering, the Avalanche have had more than one power-play opportunity this year—they’ve had 12. Colorado has gone 0-for-3 against the Minnesota Wild, 1-for-4 against the Kings, 0-for-3 against the Columbus Blue Jackets and 0-for-2 against the San Jose Sharks.

Collectively, the Avs have been horrible on the man advantage. Colorado’s 8.3 power-play percentage is the fourth-worst in the NHL this season, just a hair better than the Detroit Red Wings’ mark of 7.7.

On the other side of Colorado’s special teams play, the Avs haven’t been that great either. Colorado sits in the middle of the pack in the NHL with an 80 percent penalty-kill percentage.

The problem has been that the Avs have put themselves into a hole far too often. They have the second-most penalties in minutes this season with 112 and have been shorthanded 25 times. Despite the fact that Colorado has killed off 20 power plays—which is nothing to scoff at—the dumb penalties cannot continue.

Steve Downie—who is now out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL—took six minutes of unnecessary penalties against the Wild. And although Ryan O’Byrne was sticking up for his captain, Gabriel Landeskog, after a “dirty” hit, he earned himself 19 minutes in penalties.

The Avs have having an extremely tough time scoring when up a man and also struggling to keep opponents from scoring when Colorado is down a man. Head coach Joe Sacco has to find a new strategy on both sides of the puck.

When on the power play, the Avs have to get more shots on net. In general, Colorado is averaging the 25th-most shots on net per game. If you don’t shoot the puck at the net, you aren’t going to score. Putting constant pressure on the defense and the goalie is the key to succeeding.

Clearly whatever the Avs have thought would work isn’t working. They can no longer continue to try and setup the perfect shot by making pass after pass, taking up valuable time.

Quickly find the open man and fire it toward the net. If the goalie makes the save, hope for a rebound and put it by him. A power-play opportunity where Colorado only gets one shot on net is bound to be a failure. And when Colorado isn’t taking advantage of these chances, it’s losing games.

Defensively, blocking shots has been one of Colorado’s biggest strengths. Several players have taken a puck off the body—and also in the face—in order to put the team first and their health and safety second. Prime examples of this type of attitude have been shown in the play of Matt Duchene and John Mitchell.

Colorado mainly has to avoid putting itself in tough spots. Extended power plays are the ones where goals are scored. Semyon Varlamov has been great in net for the Avs this season, but he can’t do everything on his own. It’s not his fault his team in down a man for two or more minutes. His teammates need to play smarter.

The Avs are even through their first four games of the season at 2-2 and there’s still plenty of season left to be played. But if Colorado continues to play poorly when up a man and continues to take penalty after penalty, 2013 is going to end in disappointment.

The red-hot Colorado Avalanche start a four-game road trip on Saturday with a matchup against the undefeated San Jose Sharks.

Colorado has won its last two games after opening the season with a loss at the hands of the Minnesota Wild. The Avalanche shut out the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night behind a great performance by goalie Semyon Varlamov. Matt Duchene also played well, scoring twice and adding an assist in the 4-0 victory.

San Jose has been on fire since the season started, winning three straight games. The Sharks aren’t squeaking by either—they’re averaging five goals per game. Goalie Antti Niemi has been strong in net with a 2.34 goals against average and a .927 save percentage. San Jose's Joe Thornton leads the NHL in points while Patrick Marleau leads the league in goals.

Where: HP Pavilion, San Jose, California

When: Saturday, Jan. 26, 4:00 p.m. ET

TV Information: NHL Network, Altitude TV (check local listings)

Live Stream: NHL GameCenter

Colorado Projected Top Lines

Forwards 1: Jamie McGinn-Paul Stastny-David Jones

Defense 1: Erik Johnson-Shane O’Brien

Goalie: Semyon Varlamov

Forwards 2: Gabriel Landeskog-Matt Duchene-P.A. Parenteau

Defense 2: Jan Hejda-Ryan O’Byrne

Colorado Injury Report

John Mitchell, Forward (Probable)

In the first period of Colorado’s most recent game, John Mitchell attempted to block a shot and got a puck to the face in doing so. Mitchell would return later to the game and scored the Avs’ third goal of the night. Mike Chambers of The Denver Post reports that he should be available in San Jose.

 

Matt Duchene, Forward (Probable)

Much like Mitchell, Matt Duchene also took a puck in the face, but this came against the Los Angeles Kings. The puck hit Duchene right in the chin and he got 11 stitches. There is still some swelling, but according to Chambers, he won’t wear a chin guard. Duchene seemed fine against the Blue Jackets, racking up three points.

Colorado Key Storyline: Can Semyon Varlamov stay hot?

It may only be three games into the season, but goalie Varlamov has easily been Colorado’s Most Valuable Player.

Varlamov has a 1.68 goals against average and a .948 save percentage—both of which are among the top ten in the NHL. After allowing four goals to the Minnesota Wild in the season opener, he’s had only one shot get by him since. He’s actually been perfect the past five periods.

Varlamov is going to have to be on his best game when Colorado takes the ice against San Jose. The Sharks have some of the best players in the NHL and are a very dangerous team. As I mentioned earlier, they average five goals per game—the second most in the league.

The Sharks also own one of the NHL’s best power-play squads, scoring 38.9 percent of the time. San Jose will likely get around 31 shots on Varlamov, and he’ll have to save nearly all of them for Colorado to come out with a win.

Prediction: Colorado 3-2 (OT)

The Sharks have yet to lose and will be tough to beat at their home rink, but Colorado has been playing exceptionally well lately and will take the road victory.

The Avs will come out firing shots at Antti Niemi, hoping to sneak one by the San Jose netminder. P.A. Parenteau will come away with his third goal of the season on a wrist shot from the middle of the zone, but San Jose will respond quickly on a goal from Joe Thornton.

Varlamov will get blinded midway through the second period, and the Sharks will take a 2-1 lead. Colorado will get the equalizer from Milan Hejduk with time winding down in the period.

After a scoreless third period, Colorado and San Jose will head to overtime. The Avs will go on the power play and Matt Duchene will take full advantage on a breakaway, breaking the tie and giving the Avs their third straight victory.

Ryan O’Reilly is coming back to the United States, but it isn’t to sign with the Colorado Avalanche.

Metallurg Magnitogorsk—the KHL team O’Reilly has been playing for—announced that they have terminated his contract. Adrian Dater of the Denver Post confirms the news, but isn’t sold on why they did it:

The player and team have “mutually” agreed to terminate his contract. The team, Metallurg, issued a release in the wee hours (American time) saying as much. Where it gets a little confusing is the team cites a foot injury that O’Reilly “aggravated” in his last game. There is also an issue about looming KHL transfer deadline protocols that may have played into this.

O’Reilly, a restricted free agent, went overseas during the recent NHL lockout but remained unsigned once the season began. He had scored five goals and racked up five assists through 12 games with Metallurg. But clearly something is up as to why they released him.

Contract negotiations hadn’t been going well between Colorado and their top scorer from last season. It’s unclear as to how much O’Reilly is seeking from the Avalanche, but Mike Chambers of the Denver Post has stayed up to date with the latest news.

Chambers reports that O’Reilly’s agent suggests that he isn’t looking for a short-term deal of $5 million per year. The Denver Post had heard that he was looking for that type of money and had turned down two offers from the Avs of different lengths but around $3.45 million per season.

But for all those who think that O’Reilly has “mutually” agreed to leave Russia to come back to Colorado to sign, that’s not the case, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie:

 

 

Yes, Ryan O'Reilly is coming home from KHL. No, he is not any closer to deal with COL. There's been no progress. None.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) January 24, 2013

 

 

McKenzie does admit that everything can change with one phone call, but as of now, they haven’t gained ground.

Colorado—who is 1-1 through its first two games of the season—could really use O’Reilly. Yesterday, it was reportedly that forward Steve Downie would miss the remainder of 2013 with a torn ACL.

During training camp, head coach Joe Sacco described the absence of O’Reilly as a situation “when you have a guy injured.” Well now Sacco is in a situation where he has two guys injured—Downie, who’s out for the year, and O’Reilly, who’s unsigned and potentially injured.

The corresponding move after losing Downie was bringing up Brad Malone—a confusing decision in my eyes. Malone isn’t going to put up the numbers that Downie was capable of and will likely be a healthy scratch for the upcoming couple of games. Chuck Kobasew will probably get the start on third line in Downie’s place.

But no matter who Colorado brings up to try to replace Downie, the Avs still haven’t replaced O’Reilly. He’s a player unlike any other on their roster, and they do need him in order to be a playoff team this season.

Now Colorado needs to find a way to sign him. If he’s actually injured like his KHL team says, then maybe they can sign him at a discount and hope he’s healthy enough to play in 2013. If he actually isn’t injured, then the Avs just have to cough up the money we all know that they have. CapGeek.com projects Colorado to have around $18.5 million to spend.

If I’m general manager Greg Sherman, I’m meeting O’Reilly at the airport to work out a new deal.

The Avs need O’Reilly and O’Reilly now needs the Avs.

The Colorado Avalanche are faced with their first big problem of the season after learning the results of Steve Downie’s MRI.

Downie suffered a knee injury in Colorado’s first victory of the year on Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Kings.

The Avs announced via Twitter on Thursday that Downie will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a torn ACL. Adrian Dater of The Denver Post later reported that Brad Malone has been called up from the Lake Erie Monsters to take Downie’s spot on the roster.

Downie had registered one point—an assist against the Minnesota Wild in the season opener—through Colorado’s first two games of the season. He also had trouble staying out of the penalty box in Minnesota, part of the reason the Avs lost.

But Downie’s absence weighs more than it would have in a normal season. This is because restricted free agent Ryan O’Reilly is still without a new contract and has missed both of Colorado’s games thus far.

Mike Chambers of The Denver Post has the latest on recent negotiations between Colorado and O’Reilly:

The agent for Avalanche center Ryan O’Reilly on Monday said the restricted free agent is not asking for a short-term contract at $5 million annually, but Mark Guy declined to specify what has been offered by Colorado or how far apart the sides remain.

With Downie sidelined for the entire year, the urgency to re-sign O’Reilly has definitely increased. O’Reilly led the Avs in points last season and would be a major upgrade to the team’s offense.

But even without Downie or O’Reilly, it was interesting that Colorado decided to bring up Malone.

Malone has played 37 games for the Monsters this season, scoring six goals and tallying eight assists. He wasn’t a part of Colorado’s roster when the team was practicing before the season started. Instead, he remained in Lake Erie.

Michael Sgarbossa, on the other hand, was one of the final cuts in camp and is one of the Monsters’ top players. Sgarbossa has 32 points on the season compared to Malone’s 14.

Malone is three years older than Sgarbossa and played in nine games for the Avs last season, but Sgarbossa is one of the top prospects in the organization.

It would have made more sense to give Sgarbossa a shot over Malone since he’s played much better this season and was good enough to get an invite to camp. The reason for choosing Malone over Sgarbossa hasn’t been announced yet, but I’m sure we’ll get an answer sooner or later.

It’s expected that Chuck Kobasew—who missed the opener due to the flu and was a healthy scratch on Tuesday—will take Downie’s spot on the third line for the near future.

Malone is a candidate to be scratched for Colorado’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday.

The Colorado Avalanche are reporting that winger Steve Downie will be out for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. The team shared the news via Twitter:

Steve Downie will undergo season-ending knee surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) January 23, 2013

Downie suffered the injury Tuesday night in a 3-1 win over the LA Kings. He underwent further tests on Wednesday that revealed the tear.

The 26-year-old will have season-ending surgery to repair the tear, though it hasn't been released when that will take place.

While it's expected that veteran Chuck Kobasew will take Downie's place in the lineup, it's being reported by the Denver Post's Adrian Dater (via Twitter) that the Avalanche will call up Brad Malone:

Steve Downie torn ACL, out for season. Brad Malone called up

— adater (@adater) January 23, 2013

Colorado had three other forwards miss practice on Wednesday, but it has since been reported that it was just a normal rest day, according to a separate report from Dater.

Downie—who spent the majority of his career as a backup—enjoyed a breakout season in 2011-12, notching 41 points in 75 games spent between Colorado and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

This is quite a blow to the Avalance, who are 1-1-0 on the young season. Downie's 27 assists and 41 points were fourth for the team last season, and he was expected to be a key contributor in 2012-13.

Thirty-year-old Chuck Kobasew is in his second season with the Avs. He registered 14 points in 58 games last season.

Meanwhile, this will mark Brad Malone's second callup with Colorado. The first came last season, in which he played in nine games with a pair of assists.

He was second on Lake Erie last season with 36 points, and has 14 points (six goals) with the Monsters in 2012-13.

Things didn’t go as planned for the Los Angeles Kings or the Colorado Avalanche in their respective season openers and both come into Jan. 22 seeking win No. 1.

Colorado took an early 1-0 lead over the Minnesota Wild on Jan. 19, but played extremely poor thereafter. The Wild wound up scoring three goals in the second period and kept the Avalanche contained in the third for a 4-2 victory.

Colorado goalie Semyon Varlamov saved 31-of-35 shots while John Mitchell and Cody McLeod were credited with the two goals.

The reigning Stanley Cup champions didn’t get off to a great start either, taking on the Chicago Blackhawks at home. Chicago scored three quick goals in the opening period and then added two more throughout the game to win, 5-2.

Los Angeles goalie Jonathan Quick was extremely shaky in net, allowing all five goals and making just 17 saves. James Nolan and Rob Scuderi scored for the Kings.

Which Western Conference team will get their first victory on Jan. 22 in Colorado?

Where: Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado

When: Tuesday, January 22, 9 p.m. ET

TV Information: Altitude TV (check local listings)

Live Stream: NHL GameCenter

Colorado Projected Top Lines

Forwards 1: Jamie McGinn-Paul Stastny-David Jones

Defense 1: Erik Johnson-Shane O’Brien

Goalie: Semyon Varlamov

Forwards 2: Gabriel Landeskog-Matt Duchene-P.A. Parenteau

Defense 2: Jan Hejda-Ryan O’Byrne

Colorado Injury Report

Chuck Kobasew, Forward

Kobasew missed several practices last week with the flu and was unable to play in the season opener against the Wild. Mike Chambers of The Denver Post reports that he will be eligible to play against the Kings.

Colorado Key Storyline: Can Colorado stay disciplined?

Colorado lost its season opener in Minnesota for one reason: penalties. The Avs took way too many penalties to expect to win against the new and improved Wild team.

Adrian Dater of The Denver Post recalled this in his postgame notes:

Then came the bad penalties. Steve Downie—six minutes of penalties in the second period, the worst two of which came as a result of his cross-check to pint-sized Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon after he’d already been tripped.

Semyon Varlamov tried to bail out his team with some brilliant saves, especially during a 5-on-3 after Ryan O’Byrne grabbed the stick of Zach Parise and joined Downie in the box with 1:58 left on the second of his two minors on Spurgeon. But Wild forwards like Dany Heatley had free reign in front of the net for rebounds, and nobody can stop one-footers all the time.

Colorado had 19 minutes in penalties against the Wild and despite only giving up two power play goals on seven chances, that’s way too much time spent shorthanded. The Avs have to be better disciplined going forward.

Prediction: Los Angeles 2-1

The Kings were embarrassed on their home ice just after raising their Stanley Cup banner. Coming into Colorado, they’ll be looking to even their record at 1-1.

Varlamov was very good in the season opener for the Avs and was clearly not the reason they lost to Minnesota. He should do a good job at containing the Kings, but should allow two shots to sneak by him—one coming during a power play.

The top-6 for Colorado will continue to struggle—failing to earn a point—and will end up costing the Avs another game. Penalties won’t be as apparent an issue as they were in Minnesota, but Colorado will be shorthanded a couple of times throughout the night. Downie will be the lone goal scorer for the Avs against Quick and the Kings.

The Colorado faithful will be roaring to watch their team at home for the first time in 2012-13, but the game will end in bitter disappointment. Game two of Colorado’s season is another loss.

The anticipation is finally over as the Colorado Avalanche will open the NHL shortened season with a trip to Minnesota to face the Wild on Saturday night.

Colorado finished seven points ahead of Minnesota last season, but neither team made the postseason. The Northwest Division foes split the six games they played in 2011-12, but both come into 2013 refreshed and looking for a great start.

Minnesota highlighted the offseason with two major acquisitions: signing Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to 13-year deals via free agency. Colorado, on the other hand, has made minor moves to improve its team for the upcoming campaign.

With only 48 games on the schedule, each game is extremely important. The Avs and Wild will both be looking for win No. 1 come Saturday night.

Where: Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, Minnesota

When: Saturday, January 19, 9 p.m. ET

TV Information: Altitude TV (check local listings)

Live Steam: NHL GameCenter


Colorado Projected Top Lines

Forwards 1: Jamie McGinn-Paul Stastny-David Jones

Defense 1: Erik Johnson-Shane O’Brien

Goalie: Semyon Varlamov

Forwards 2: Gabriel Landeskog-Matt Duchene-P.A. Parenteau

Defense 2: Jan Hejda-Ryan O’Byrne


Colorado Injury Report

Chuck Kobasew, Forward

Chuck Kobasew has been limited in training camp all week long with a case of the flu. He didn’t skate for a couple of days and the illness will keep him out of the season opener. Mike Chambers of The Denver Post reports that Kobasew won’t travel with the team to Minnesota.


Colorado Key Storyline: How will the Avs play without Ryan O’Reilly?

The biggest story all offseason long has been about Ryan O’Reilly and his contract status. O’Reilly remains a restricted free agent currently playing overseas in Russia—not with the Avs on their way to Minnesota.

Adrian Dater of The Denver Post has the latest on the negotiations:

O’Reilly latest offer from the Avs is the same Matt Duchene signed with the team last summer: two years, $7 million, the sources said. O’Reilly turned down a five-year, $17 million offer last summer. O’Reilly is looking for more in the neighborhood of $5 million per year.

Until O’Reilly signs a new contract, Colorado will be without one of their most prolific stars. O’Reilly led the Avs in assists and points last season with 37 and 55 respectively. He would be playing on one of the top two lines if he were under contract and would be a major asset to have on the ice.


Prediction: Colorado 3-1

Semyon Varlamov was nearly perfect playing overseas during the lockout and will bring his best game with him to Minnesota. He’ll face a lot of shots, but will save all but one of them—a 2-on-1 opportunity taken advantage of by Zach Parise.

The defense, led by Erik Johnson, will play well and limit chances for the Wild to score. On the offensive side of the puck, P.A. Parenteau will play like he’s been on the Avs his entire career—meshing nicely with Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog.

Landeskog, the newest team captain, will tally Colorado’s first goal of the year and Paul Stastny will follow with one later. Duchene will cap off the night with an empty-net goal late in the third while Minnesota tries to tie up the score.

The first game of 2013 goes to the Avs. 

The Colorado Avalanche finalized their 23-man roster on Wednesday after the team’s fourth day of training camp.

The team announced that defenseman Stefan Elliott and forward Mike Sgarbossa were reassigned to the Lake Erie Monster, and that forward David Van Der Gulik would be placed on waivers on Thursday, leaving Colorado’s roster at the league maximum.

Colorado will open its season on Saturday night against the Minnesota Wild, and here are the players who head coach Joe Sacco will be bringing with him.

Forwards (13): Patrick Bordeleau, Steve Downie, Matt Duchene, Milan Hejduk, David Jones, Chuck Kobasew, Gabriel Landeskog, Jamie McGinn, Cody McLeod, John Mitchell, Mark Olver, P.A. Parenteau, Paul Stastny

Breakdown

There are two big storylines surrounding the forwards who will be on the 23-man roster: one being that Patrick Bordeleau is on the roster, and the other being that Ryan O’Reilly is not.

Bordeleau has played for the Lake Erie Monsters the past three seasons and was also playing for them during the recent lockout. Through 29 games with Lake Erie this year, Bordeleau scored twice and tallied five assists.

It is somewhat interesting that Bordeleau would make the team over Sgarbossa, who was having a much more successful year with the Monsters, but in the end, Sacco must have seen something in Bordeleau that he liked.

O’Reilly remains an unsigned, restricted free agent, who is playing overseas in Russia while Colorado and his representatives try to negotiate a deal. Adrian Dater of The Denver Post reports that the Avs will not trade the team’s leading scorer from last season, though.

Outside of that, the list of forwards is as expected. P.A. Parenteau is the newest name on the team, coming over from the New York Islanders via free agency during the offseason.

It’s expected that linemates will be announced in the coming days.

Defensemen (8): Tyson Barrie, Jan Hejda, Matt Hunwick, Erik Johnson, Shane O’Brien, Ryan O’Byrne, Ryan Wilson, Greg Zanon

Breakdown

The main debate concerning the defense was whether Tyson Barrie or Stefan Elliott would make the 23-man roster. We now know that Barrie ousted Elliott in camp and will travel to Minnesota, while Elliott travels back to Lake Erie.

Barrie and Elliott were both playing for the Monsters during the lockout, with Barrie having been more successful. Barrie was third on the team in points with 27, while Elliott only totaled eight points on his season stat sheet.

Erik Johnson led all Colorado defensemen in points last season and will likely be on the ice first on Saturday night. Who will be paired with Johnson has yet to be announced, but one would assume that it could be Shane O’Brien.

Jan Hejda and Ryan O’Byrne would then be the second pairing, and then probably Ryan Wilson and Greg Zanon would be the third. That would leave Matt Hunwick and Tyson Barrie as the fourth pairing, used sparingly. 

Goalies (2): Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Semyon Varlamov

Breakdown

No true surprises in net with Giguere and Varlamov.

The Avs have a couple of good goalie prospects in the lower levels of the organization, but not one of them was even invited to training camp. It was just Giguere and Varlamov saving shots on net this week.

When the season opens on Saturday in Minnesota, Varlamov is expected to make the start for Colorado, while Giguere sits on the bench. Giguere will definitely get his fair share of starts in net this shortened season, but Varlamov is clearly the starting netminder. 

Oh, what a season it is going to be for the Colorado Avalanche.

With the Memorandum of Understanding being signed on Saturday night, the 48-game NHL season is set to start in less than one week. That means that Greg Sherman has less than one week to sign restricted free agent Ryan O’Reilly and that Joe Sacco and his staff have less than one week to prepare the players for the season opener.

Colorado’s condensed schedule is jam-packed with plenty of great matchups starting from day one. Let’s take a look at who the Avalanche will be facing early on in the year, highlighting the biggest games of January.

Colorado vs. Minnesota, January 19, 9:00 p.m. ET (Season Opener)

Colorado has the tough task of upending one of the most active teams this offseason in Minnesota. The Wild added forward Zack Parise and defenseman Ryan Suter via free agency, signing each to monster contracts.

Playing on the road in a hostile environment is not going to be easy for the Avs, but they are capable of pulling off the victory. Each team is likely to come out flying, but Colorado needs to control the pace early.

If Minnesota is able to fire a lot of shots at Semyon Varlamov early on, Colorado is going to be in trouble. Gabriel Landeskog needs to put the team on his back in his first game as captain. His play—along with the play of Matt Duchene, Paul Stastny and P.A. Parenteau—is vital to an opening-night win—especially if Ryan O’Reilly isn’t signed by then.

 

Los Angeles vs. Colorado, January 22, 9:00 p.m. ET (Home Opener)

Coming home a few days later, the Avs will have to halt the defending champion Los Angeles Kings. The Kings had a fantastic run through the postseason in 2011-12, but only finished seven points ahead of Colorado during the regular season.

In fact, Colorado won all four regular season matchups against Los Angeles.

The Avs will look to continue their success against the Kings, but will have to plenty of shots on Los Angeles’ Jonathan Quick. Quick is one of the top netminders in the NHL and does not allow many goals. It will be up to the top two lines to evade the Kings defense and put shots on net.

One factor in this game will be the health of Anze Kopitar for the Kings and whether Ryan O’Reilly is signed or not. The addition of O’Reilly to the offense would give the Avs a big boost that could propel them to a big, early victory in 2013.

 

Columbus vs. Colorado, January 24, 9:00 p.m. ET

Columbus is one of the weakest teams in the NHL, finishing last year with the fewest points in the NHL. This will be a big game for Colorado, as they need some momentum heading into a four-game stretch on the road after this one concludes. Without Rick Nash, the Avs should have no problem taking down the Blue Jackets.

 

Colorado vs. San Jose, January 26, 4:00 p.m. ET

The Avs didn’t have much success against the Sharks in 2011-12, winning just one out of the four games, and that win came in a shootout. San Jose has several dangerous forwards that Erik Johnson and company will have to keep under control. The play of Semyon Varlamov in net will also be vital in this one.

 

Colorado vs. Edmonton, January 28, 9:30 p.m. ET

Edmonton had the second-fewest points in the Western Conference last season, but still put one of the youngest, most talented teams on the ice night after night. The defense will have a tough time stopping Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle, among others.

 

Colorado vs. Vancouver, January 30, 10:00 p.m. ET

Vancouver was nearly unstoppable during the regular season in 2011-12, leading the NHL in points with 111. The Canucks took all six matchups against the Avs last season in relatively easy fashion. Colorado will look to stop their losing streak with a third straight game on the road.

This game will be all about defense. Colorado has to stop the high-powered offense of the Canucks or this one will get ugly quick. Daniel and Henrik Sedin are extremely talented and not easy to stop. Not to mention several other above-average forwards that Vancouver has. Colorado will have its hands full, to say the least.

One thing to look for in this game will be who is in net for the Canucks. Vancouver may decide to part ways with Roberto Luongo before the season starts, meaning that Cory Schneider would be in net instead.

Colorado vs. Calgary, January 31, 9:00 p.m. ET

The Flames finished just two points ahead of the Avs at the end of the 2011-12 season, and Colorado will be looking for some payback. Calgary took the first four matchups of last season from Colorado before the Avs managed to take the final two.

*Complete 2013 Colorado Avalanche Schedule*