Colorado Avalanche Season Preview: Young core could benefit from leadership, experience

In an offseason filled with uncertainty, the Colorado Avalanche were another team that opted not to make many significant roster changes, instead choosing to ice much of the same roster they had last season. But with a young core of players, led by newly crowned captain Gabriel Landeskog, can the Avalanche return to postseason glory or are they doomed to be bottom feeders again this season?

It’s hard to determine where the Avalanche need help the most. The team finished 25th in the league in average goals scored per game, but will benefit this season from a healthy Matt Duchene, who was hampered by injuries last season. This led to a severe drop-off in production as the gifted young center managed a meager 28 points in 58 games – a far cry from the 67 points he posted the season prior.

Newly crowned captain Landeskog was also a bright spot for the team. Viewed by many as one of the most NHL-ready players in his draft class, Landeskog posted 22 goals and 32 assists in his rookie season last year. Impressively, he also posted a plus-20 rating – by far best on the team and one of only a handful of players to finish on the plus side.

You could look at defense and question if that was the issue. Colorado finished middle of the pack at 15th in the NHL in average goals allowed per game, and finished 12th on the penalty kill. Goaltenders Semyon Varlamov and J.S. Giguere worked well in tandem and at least gave the Avalanche a fighting chance on most nights. While there is certainly room for improvement, the team’s defense was certainly a step above their offensive contributions last season.

The fact is the Colorado Avalanche have done a great job building a solid foundation of gifted young players that extends beyond Duchene and Landeskog to include Erik Johnnson, Ryan O’Reilly, Paul Stastny, David Jones and Steve Downie – who was a new addition to the team at the trade deadline. But these young players lack experience and lack leadership.

Management is certainly banking on the notion that Landeskog will provide the leadership the team needs. But with really only a handful of solid veterans on the team – particularly Milan Hejduk, who posted career-worst numbers last season – the team could benefit from an influx in veteran leadership.

Look at the St. Louis Blues last season. Granted, the team’s real turnaround occurred when Ken Hitchcock came on board as head coach mid-way through the season, but the team made a concerted effort to add veteran leadership to help guide their younger players and show them what it takes to win in the NHL. Players like Jason Arnott, Jamie Langenbrunner and Scott Nichol were all brought in to help guide the team’s gifted youngsters like T. J. Oshie, David Perron and David Backes.

Or how about the Detroit Red Wings? Always fearful off a full-out youth movement, the Red Wings consistently look to provide a team mixed with both young up-and-comers and veteran talent. Their success speaks for itself.

The Colorado Avalanche has many of the tools necessary to win. Sure, like any other team in the NHL, they have their weaknesses and areas where they could improve. Defense particularly comes to mind over offense, but the team could do better in most major categories. But if they intend to win, developing leadership will be a key to success. At 19-years-old, the Avalanche hope that Landeskog can provide the quality of leadership needed to win. Time will tell if Landeskog has the goods, but in the meantime, the team could likely benefit from a few veteran additions more than anything else.

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