Josh Manson had the hockey equivalent of hitting a couple of line drives right at someone Wednesday night.
Manson was noticeably one of the best players for the Avalanche in its season opener against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. He made several strong defensive plays. The Avs controlled the play when he and partner Samuel Girard were on the ice.
But, as it goes sometimes, the Golden Knights scored three times when he was on the ice — twice at even strength and once on the penalty kill — in an 8-4 Colorado loss.
“Goals are going to happen,” Manson said. “The one, maybe I should have beaten (Mark) Stone back to the zone, but it was off a change. I don’t think you ever have perfect nights. You kind of go off how you feel. Stick was working, feet were working, which was good.
“I felt like I had really good gaps. I was turning pucks over in the neutral zone, keeping pucks alive in the offensive end. Making little plays, moving well.”
Manson has been a key player for the Avalanche since he arrived in a 2022 trade from Anaheim. He’s been a staple on the second defensive pairing when healthy and is part of why the club has one of the best defense corps in the NHL.
He has dealt with several injuries in his career, but 2023-24 was his best season, both in availability and production, since 2017-18. Now, with the Avs missing a handful of critical forwards to start 2024-25, the organization needs the strength of the team — those top-four defensemen — more than ever.
“I don’t know if I see it as we need more from me as much as we need consistency,” Manson said. “My focus throughout my career has been consistency — know what the team is going to get from me every night. Am I going to score a point every night? No. Am I going to score a goal every five games? Probably not.
“What do they need from me? Physicality, every night. Be strong. Be hard in front of the net. Breaking pucks out. Giving our guys a chance to go play on offense. I’m not Cale Makar. They don’t expect me to be. They expect me to be what I can do, and do it the best that I can.”
It’s not just that Manson will play the third- or fourth-most minutes at his position. Colorado’s lineup, when it is fully operational, is filled with as much high-end offensive skill as any in the NHL.
Makar and Devon Toews are one of the best pairings in the league because both are dynamic players who control games at both ends of the ice. But Manson gives an offense-heavy team another guy who is stout in his own end and can help on offense as well.
“He’s a huge part of our team,” coach Jared Bednar said. “When you have the skill and ability that Josh has, and then you still play that physical style … there’s so many things that he makes look easy that just aren’t. Closing out plays in the D-zone is one of them, having an edge to his game and knocking people off pucks all over the rink is another one, protecting the net front. Those things are not easy to do.”
Manson was great for the Avs during the 2022 Stanley Cup run, then missed a big chunk of the following season. He played 76 games last year, and his goals (8) and points (25) were his most in seven years.
He also found great chemistry playing with Girard after the latter returned from the NHL-NHLPA player assistance program. The Avs began last season with the best defense corps in the league, on paper. It didn’t feel like it was playing out that way until it became clear that Girard-Manson was the go-to second pairing and played so well together.
“The way our roster is constructed, we have a lot of high-end skill guys,” Avs forward Ross Colton said. “He’s one of those shutdown D-men that … he’s kind of a prick to play against. He does the little things. He blocks shots, he plays physical, he stands up at the blue line. He’s not somebody when you’re on the other team that you want to be on the ice with.”
Bo Byram was traded, and his replacement, Sean Walker, is also gone, so there’s more questions about how the third pairing will shake out. The Avs need to find replacements on the penalty kill, where Manson is a staple.
The situation up front is uncertain with all the key missing pieces. Even the goaltending is in flux now that Kaapo Kahkonen was claimed Friday on waivers and there will soon be three goalies on the active roster.
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So the Avs need certainty … somewhere. Those top-four defensemen can be a huge part of that. Manson, with his consistency and complementary skill set, is a critical part of that.
They’ll need more nights like Manson had Wednesday. And he knows when he plays well, the goals for and against will work itself out.
“I know I can contribute and what kind of player I am. The combination of things I bring to the table when I’m at my best can be very valuable,” Manson said. “I know that this team has enough good players that if I contribute in my way we have a chance to win a lot of nights. That’s what drives me.
“In this league, you can do it right nine times and if you don’t the 10th time, it’s in the back of your net. That’s the way it goes. It sucks, but that’s why it’s the NHL. It’s the best league in the world. It’s all about doing (the right things) consistently.”
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