Colorado Avalanche start their NHL regular season run in on Saturday in Philadelphia against the Flyers and will be hoping the rest and relaxation of the All Star break will be exactly what their stars needed.
If you don’t count the fantastic Marc Moser of Altitude TV, only Nathan MacKinnon traveled to St Louis for the weekend festivities giving Cale Makar, Mikko Rantanen and Captain Gabriel Landeskog much needed rest. All three have carried injuries at some point this season and being healthy will be vital to the Avalanche’s push to a first Stanley Cup since 2001.
They should also have Joonas Donskoi back from the injury he suffered at the hands of New York Rangers Defenseman Ryan Lindgren, although Lindgren instantly regretted it as Nazem Kadri rained right hands on his face in defense of his linemate.
Donskoi’s return will give head coach Jared Bednar options with his lines as the Finnish star played top line minutes alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Matt Calvert during the absence of Rantanen and Landeskog, but will more than likely partner Nazem Kadri and Andre Burakovsky as the second line that never got a chance to shine earlier in the season due to injuries.
There’s also the possibility of a trade before the deadline on February 24th with Chris Kreider of the New York Rangers and Jeff Petry of the Montreal Canadiens just a few names thrown around media circles. General Manager Joe Sakic, a part of that 2001 Stanley Cup winning team, seems to really believe in this young core and what is being developed in their AHL affiliate Colorado Eagles, so a deal for any player will likely not include any future talents the likes of Bowen Byram, Conor Timmins, Martin Kaut or Shane Bowers to name but a few.
If nothing is added to the current roster then it will be important for the Av’s to get that top line of MacKinnon, Landeskog and Rantanen going during these final 34 games, especially the captain who is one of only two players on the current roster with a negative plus/minus. But most importantly the Av’s need Nathan MacKinnon to continue on his current trajectory, which would put him ending the regular season around the 120 point mark.
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While anything can happen in the NHL you would not bet against MacKinnon, given what he has accomplished so far this season, which means you could well be watching Gabriel Landeskog lifting the Stanley Cup come June.
