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Evaluating every Avalanche forward and what to expect next season

As anyone who follows the NHL knows, Colorado has a star-powered group of forwards. Nathan MacKinnon is an elite, elite center, and Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog have emerged as stars in their own right. But the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup not just because of their top players. Depth played a huge role for Jared Bednar’s club.

So, as training camp nears, let’s evaluate each forward under contract for next season who played postseason games. We’ll look at the defensemen later in the week.

(Note: Player cards, created by Dom Luszczyszyn and Shayna Goldman, were last updated ahead of the playoffs on April 18)

Mikko Rantanen

75 games, 36 goals, 56 assists (92 points)

2021-22 evaluation: Rantanen has firmly established himself as one of the best forwards in the league. Few players have his mix of skating ability, passing prowess, shot and size. Had he not gotten sick and missed time late in the season, there’s a real chance he would have gotten to 100 points. His underlying numbers are strong, with Colorado having 57.19 percent of expected goals when he was on the ice, per Natural Stat Trick. That’s the best mark of anyone on the team.

Though Rantanen seemed to fight the puck a bit the first two rounds of the playoffs, failing to score a non-empty net goal, he lit the lamp in all four games of the Edmonton series. He then had eight assists against the Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final and only Conn Smythe winner Cale Makar finished the playoffs with more Avalanche points.

A highlight:

What to watch in 2022-23: There are a couple of interesting questions around Rantanen. If Nazem Kadri walks in free agency, could Rantanen take on more responsibility as the team’s second-line center? He played the positions at points this past season and had success, and Colorado could consider trying him there depending on how the top-six forward group is shaping up.

Rantanen has frequently played on a line with MacKinnon and Landeskog, but Bednar split the trio up for most of the postseason, finding success spreading their offensive abilities throughout the top two lines. Will he do the same come this regular season? Or will the Landeskog-MacKinnon-Rantanen line go back together? It’s worth watching.

Nathan MacKinnon

65 games, 32 goals, 56 assists (88 points)

2021-22 evaluation: When on the ice, MacKinnon was what hockey fans have come to expect — an explosive force and one of the best players in the world. He got off to a slow start in terms of goal scoring, tallying only three through the team’s first 19 games. From then on, he scored at a 52-goal full-season pace. He also had a brilliant postseason, fully committing himself to the defensive side of the game and helping Colorado contain some of the best players in the league. Bednar didn’t hesitate to put him on the ice against Connor McDavid, Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos.

A highlight:

What to watch in 2022-23: Injuries and a positive COVID-19 test kept MacKinnon out of 17 games this past season, but he scored at a 40-goal, 111-point full-season pace in the games he played. The star center has never eclipsed the century mark in points, but perhaps this could be the year. It likely will come down to availability. If he’s healthy for close to 82 games, he will likely break 100.

Gabriel Landeskog

51 games, 30 goals, 29 assists (59 points)

2021-22 evaluation: His regular season ended early because of a knee injury, but Landeskog was brilliant when on the ice. He eclipsed the 30-goal plateau for the second time in his career and might have gotten to 40 if healthy. The Avalanche created a higher percentage of high-danger scoring chances with him on the ice than any other player, according to Natural Stat Trick, and the captain was second among the team’s forwards in expected goals for percentage.

Then, in the playoffs, he was everything Bednar could have asked for. He played throughout the lineup, bringing strong defense and gritty, net-front play and finishing ability no matter who he played with. Every line he was on seemed to work well for Colorado.

A highlight:

What to watch in 2022-23: As mentioned earlier, Bednar will have to decide whether or not to reunite the Landeskog-MacKinnon-Rantanen line or if he’ll spread the star-studded trio out as he did in the playoffs. Landeskog’s defensive ability makes him a good fit just about anywhere, and so does his prowess in the faceoff circle.

Valery Nikhushkin

62 games, 25 goals, 27 assists (52 points)

2021-22 evaluation: Nichushkin’s breakout year earned him a monster contract this offseason. He proved himself as not only an elite defensive player but as someone who can play with top-end talent and produce. His strong forechecking and ability to skate make him a perfect fit for Bednar’s system.

Nichushkin looked right at home in the playoffs, finishing third on the team with nine goals and at times playing on the top line.

A highlight:

What to watch in 2022-23: Teammates frequently rave about Nichushkin’s work ethic, so it’s safe to assume he’s not going to rest on his laurels after his summer payday. But can he replicate the career-best numbers he put up offensively? Or — and this would be ideal for the Avalanche — can he find a way to keep improving his scoring output? He’s only 27, so it’s not out of the question.

Arturi Lehkonen

74 games, 19 goals, 19 assists (38 points) (16 games, 6-3—9 with Colorado)

2021-22 evaluation: The Avalanche traded for Lehkonen at the deadline, and Bednar said the Colorado brass told him they’d acquired a “Mini Val” Nichushkin. He lived up to that billing, fitting perfectly with the Avalanche forward group. He played throughout the lineup, working as a third-liner in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final and a top-liner in the clinching Game 6. Only MacKinnon, Landeskog, Nichushkin and Makar had more playoff goals than the Finnish winger, and he scored the overtime winner to send Colorado to the Cup Final.

A highlight:

What to watch in 2022-23: Lehkonen played on the top power-play unit when Kadri was hurt during the playoffs, and he thrived as a puck retriever. If Kadri doesn’t come back, perhaps Lehkonen takes that role full time. His scoring numbers could go way up if he does.

JT Compher

70 games, 18 goals, 15 assists (33 points)

2021-22 evaluation: Compher was reliable defensively and saw his offensive numbers rebound from a tough 2020-21 season. He played his best hockey of the season in the playoffs, filling in for Kadri as the second-line center for the end of the conference finals and start of the cup final.

Compher scored two big goals in Game 6 of Colorado’s second-round series against the Blues, as well as the go-ahead tally in Game 3 in Edmonton. Bednar praised Compher’s assertiveness on the ice during that stretch, and the forward likely could have benefited from playing that way more consistently in the season. Overall, though, he had a solid season in a middle-six role and, most importantly, came through during the playoffs.

A highlight:

What to watch in 2022-23: Can he establish himself as a top six forward? If Kadri doesn’t return, he’ll likely have a chance to earn a second-line role in training camp. It’s a big year for Compher: He’s set to hit unrestricted free agency next offseason.

Alex Newhook

71 games, 13 goals, 20 assists (33 points)

2021-22 evaluation: Newhook had a solid first full season of professional hockey, playing mostly on the Avalanche’s third line. The Avalanche sent him to the AHL at the start of the year, wanting to see him win more puck battles and play more confidently with the puck, then brought him back up after he played 10 games with the Colorado Eagles. He likely would have had more opportunity in offensive situations had he been on a less loaded team, but he looked comfortable in a depth role. At 21, he hasn’t yet reached his ceiling in Colorado and was a healthy scratch at points during the playoffs. Still, he showed flashes of why he was a first-round pick and is one of the team’s more intriguing players entering 2022-23.

A highlight:

What to watch in 2022-23: With Andre Burakovsky signing in Seattle and Kadri potentially leaving, forwards like Newhook and Compher will have greater opportunity in 2022-23. For Newhook, who has skill and offensive upside, that could lead to higher offensive production.

Logan O’Connor

81 games, 8 goals, 16 assists (24 points)

2021-22 evaluation: O’Connor got off to a great start, showing offensive skill rare among undrafted players. He slipped as the season went on, though, at one point going 45 games without a goal. His effort was never an issue — he had to grind to become an NHL regular, and you can see that when he plays — but the offensive drop-off made him more of a fourth-liner. He had a strong playoff, though, creating a solid defensive line with Andrew Cogliano and Darren Helm.

A highlight:

What to watch in 2022-23: Can he sustain the offensive production he showed early in 2021-22 for more than a couple months?

Andrew Cogliano

74 games, 4 goals, 12 assists (16 points) (18 games, 0-1—1 with Colorado)

2021-22 evaluation: Cogliano was well worth the late-round draft pick Joe Sakic gave up to acquire him. He played a key bottom-six role and had an excellent postseason, playing strong defense, chipping in offensively and killing penalties. He quickly emerged as a team leader and spoke at an instrumental team meeting the night before Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. Colorado valued him enough to sign him to a one-year deal heading into this season.

A highlight:

What to watch in 2022-23: Cogliano looked energized playing for a playoff caliber team. How will that look over the course of a full season?

(No player card available)

Darren Helm

68 games, 7 goals, 8 assists (15 points)

2021-22 evaluation: Bednar cited Helm as one of the players whose play jumped the most once playoffs began. He was instrumental for the bottom six, using his speed and forechecking to frustrate his opponents. Oh, and he scored one of the biggest goals in Avalanche history with a buzzer-beater against St. Louis.

A highlight:

What to watch in 2022-23: Helm went into the 2021-22 season thinking it might be his last, according to his agent, Kevin Epp. With that in mind, and considering he’s on a one-year deal, could this season be his final go-around in the NHL?

Other forward storylines

What happens with Kadri?

Kadri is the biggest free agent still on the market. Here’s a story from last week about how Colorado could look to fill out the forward group, with or without Kadri.

A full year of Ben Meyers

Meyers, last year’s top college free agent, played in five regular-season games for the Avalanche. Since he signed after the trade deadline, he wasn’t eligible to play postseason games for Colorado, but he will have the opportunity to seize a spot this training camp.

Who steps up?

The front office signed players with NHL games like Lukas Sedlak and Anton Blidh, and both will compete for roster spots. So will younger players who still need to prove themselves, including Martin Kaut, Sampo Ranta and Mikhail Maltsev, all of whom got NHL games at points last season.

(Photo of Gabriel Landeskog, left, and Nathan MacKinnon: Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today)

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