2023-24 Avalanche Position Preview: Defense

1 year ago  /  Mile High Hockey

Photo by Ashley Potts/NHLI via Getty Images


Powered by cover boy Cale Makar, the Avalanche boast one of the best bluelines in hockey. With the season just around the corner and the roster being finalized, it's time to review the 2023-24 Colorado Avalanche roster. This team aims to rebound after a rough Stanley Cup defense routed by injuries and inconsistency.
Will new players be able to make a difference? Who will stand out and shine, and will others take an unexpected step back? Second up to review: the defense.


Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images

We'll start with the starters, the top pair, the golden boy, and the adult in the room: Cale Makar and Devon Toews.
This is, without question, the best defense pair in the NHL. Cale has a Calder, a Norris, and a Conn Smythe trophy on his mantle. With his unique combination of generational skating, brilliant hands, and savvy defending, only a couple of guys can even approach being in the conversation for best defenseman in the NHL with him.
But like any good hero, Cale is flawed, too. He hasn't played an entire 82-game season in his young career and managed to get himself suspended in last year's playoffs when his frustration with the Kraken boiled over into an unprovoked late hit on Jared McCann. This season, he has to find a way to keep himself on the ice without compromising his elite play.

Next to him, Toews has emerged as a guy who comes close to that very same conversation. He's not the ball of raw talent Cale is, but he is a masterful thinker of the game who seems to see every play in slow motion and make the right read almost every time. Toews' primary talent is his composure - you'll never see him rattled. You'll only see him break up whatever play is causing pressure and smoothly transition the puck back to offense.

Together, the duo dominate both ends of the ice with unrivaled intelligence and skill. Having two #1 defensemen on one pair is an absolute luxury.
Beyond them, the Avalanche don't typically work in set pairs, so let's look at each guy individually, starting with Bowen Byram.

I just said it's a luxury to have two #1s, so what is it when your third-best D has the potential to grow into a #1 as well? Avalanche Hockey!
Byram has been hyped as an elite player since his draft year, and we've seen flashes of it - particularly in the dominant postseason run that got Colorado the 2022 Stanley Cup. But injuries and growing pains have kept Bo from turning those flashes in the pan into a consistent cast iron coating. Like Cale, Byram has found a way to stay healthy this year to have a truly successful season.
Samuel Girard has gotten his share of flack from the fanbase over the years, and at the beginning of last year, it even seemed warranted - he struggled coming back from a broken sternum during the Cup run and simply was not very good for long stretches of the season.

But something changed in the year's second half, and Sammy G became a dominant force. Which half is the real Tornade? G needs to start the season strong to prove his true self is the diminutive beast he was during the Avalanche playoff push and not the liability from the first couple months of the year.
Back from seemingly endless injury issues, Josh Manson is another guy who must prove he can be healthy. When he was on the ice during the 22 playoffs and before his injury last year, the big guy looked like a great fit in the Avs' defensive system and a perfect complement to the more offensive-minded defenders throughout the lineup. He just couldn't stay on the ice long enough to make a real impact — that has to change.

Lastly, Jack Johnson is back in burgundy and blue for another year to play his minimalist game at even strength and kill penalties like the savvy veteran he's become. After years as an analytics punching bag in stops around the league, Johnson somehow found a home in a Colorado system that seemed like a guaranteed stylistic mismatch for a guy who profiles as a chip-it-out, defense-only bruiser. Apparently, he only played that way because he was coached to elsewhere, and given the freedom to wheel and deal a bit, he's been far more effective than anyone could have hoped - so effective we got this moment:

That's it. There are only six defensemen on the Avalanche roster right now, so injury call-ups must happen. Most likely to get those call-ups are veteran Brad Hunt and college free agent Sam Malinski, both of whom are offensive-minded two-way guys. The Avs might go to Jack Ahcan for a Manson or Johnson fill-in. They could also hit the waiver wire and bring in somebody new!
Regardless, the top pair is elite, the middle of the lineup is potentially also elite, and the bottom is savvy enough to get by. The key at every level is health — here's hoping everyone can get at least 70 games! ...

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