When every season ends, Jared Bednar and the rest of the Colorado Avalanche brain trust do a deep dive to assess strengths and weaknesses in preparation for the next one.
The Avs scored 302 goals last season, most in the NHL. They allowed 252, tied for 16th.
Even if this were a “normal” start to a season, where Colorado had all its players available, the Avalanche would be focused on getting better at goal prevention.
“Just more dedication to the way we play and our structure,” Avs defenseman Devon Toews said. “When you’ve got guys cheating for more offense, sometimes it does create more goals but it can have negative effects on the other side as well. It’s about forwards getting back and having good reloads, the ‘D’ having good gaps and shutting down plays early. Not making one mistake and turning that into three mistakes. It’s everyone just keying in a little bit more.”
It’s well documented that this will not be a normal season in Denver, at least for a while, because three of the Avs’ best forwards are not going to play until November at the earliest.
Scoring 300-plus goals again is going to be hard. Improving at the other end is the most obvious way to lessen the potential effect of scoring less.
How many areas can the Avs be better at to prevent goals? Bednar found “significant ones” when reviewing last season, using the vast array of analytical data at the team’s disposal.
Two parts of the game to watch: When the opposing forward transitions from defense to offense, and in front of the Avalanche net.
“Our rush coverage took a slip,” Bednar said. “Our rush coverage tracking (back) and reloads have always been a staple of our game. We were top-five, top-eight for years and years and years. Last year, we dropped to 16th. You want to keep pucks off your net as much as possible, prevent rebounds? Well, it starts up the ice.
“Our D-zone coverage, scoring chances against, last year we were eighth, but yet 19th on rebound opportunities. So even though we’re doing a good job away from our net at times, when the pucks do go there, we have to be better.”
The three players who are missing up front — Artturi Lehkonen, Valeri Nichushkin and Gabe Landeskog — are not only great offensive weapons. They’re three of the best two-way forwards on the team. Not having them, and replacing them with three rookies to start the season, could have as much of an impact on the goals against as the goals for.
How can the Avs find defensive improvement? It could be addition by subtraction, in some spots. Casey Mittelstadt can be a better defensive player than Ryan Johansen, who may have been playing through an injury last season, at the No. 2 center spot. Jonathan Drouin made significant strides throughout last season with his 200-foot game, so having the “new” version of him in the early part of this schedule should help.
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If we rank all 34 skaters the Avs used last season by scoring chance percentage when they were on the ice at 5-on-5, 10 of the worst 11 are no longer on the team. Can a rookie like Ivan Ivan, who made the team in part because of his defensive acumen, be better than some of the fourth-line guys from a year ago? Ditto for free-agent addition Parker Kelly.
Calvin de Haan can be an upgrade over Jack Johnson. Can Sam Malinski parlay his excellent camp into helping the Avs be a touch better without the puck than they were with Sean Walker or Bo Byram in that slot?
There are also a bunch of guys in their second season with the club, which could mean familiarity helps remove some of the early-season struggles from a year ago. Whether it is individual upgrades or improved commitment to the team-based approach, the Avs getting a little better at preventing goals would go a long way to ease concerns about how the club will stay afloat until the offensive firepower is fully operational again.
“I think it’s the details,” Drouin said. “For us, I think we’ll do it for 45 minutes and then we let up for 5-10 minutes and we’ll give up two goals, some 2-on-1s, a shorty, stuff like that. I think we have to focus on the details and making sure we get the ‘D’ right before we go play offense. We have a lot of skilled players, but we still have to do the job and make sure we are defending as a group of five. We’re going to get our looks offensively, but we need to play ‘D’ for closer to a full 60 minutes.”
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