3 questions facing Colorado Avalanche

NHL.com is providing in-depth roster, prospect and fantasy analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 1-Sept. 1. Today, three important questions facing the Colorado Avalanche.

[Avalanche 32 in 32: Season preview | Top prospects | Fantasy projections]

1. Can Ryan Johansen provide a boost at second-line center?

The Avalanche acquired Johansen in a trade with the Nashville Predators on June 24, hoping he can be the replacement on the second line for Nazem Kadri. Last season, Colorado didn’t come close to matching the production it got during its Stanley Cup-winning run in 2021-22 from Kadri, who signed with the Calgary Flames as a free agent last July after he had an NHL career-high 87 points (28 goals, 59 assists) in 71 games.

Johansen had surgery on his right leg and missed the final 27 games last season after he was cut by a skate blade.

 “Hopefully it’ll be, by August I think, just full on normal and [I’ll] be myself,” Johansen said. “So, it’s been encouraging to have confidence with moving over that injury and moving past it all. It’s a team sport, but as an individual I know what I’m capable of and I know how I can play in this League. For me to fit in best, I think it’s just going to be me at the top of my game.”

The 31-year-old center had 28 points (12 goals, 16 assists) in 55 games with Nashville before the injury; he had 63 points (26 goals, 37 assists) in 79 games in 2021-22.

2. Will Jonathan Drouin benefit from a reunion with Nathan MacKinnon?

Drouin and MacKinnon won the Memorial Cup together with Halifax of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in 2013, and they did it with style. MacKinnon scored a hat trick in the final game, and Drouin had five assists.

The Avalanche are hoping to rekindle that magic after signing Drouin to a one-year contract.

“It’s a low-risk, high-reward type of situation that hopefully will pay dividends for both,” general manager Chris MacFarland said.

Drouin hasn’t reached 30 points or played in more than 58 games in a season since 2018-19, his second with the Montreal Canadiens.

“There was a lot of ups and downs in my six years in Montreal, so I’m super excited to get a fresh start somewhere new,” Drouin said. “I’m just hoping to help them in any way I can and try to find my game again. I know it’s there.”

3. Can the Avalanche win without Gabriel Landeskog?

Their captain will miss the entire season after having a cartilage transplant in his right knee May 10. Questions about whether the 30-year-old forward could return last season were quite a distraction for Colorado, which will be free from those relating to Landeskog this season.

The Avalanche leaned heavily on MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Cale Makar and Valeri Nichushkin to win the Central Division in Landeskog’s absence. They’ll have to do again.

New additions Johansen, Drouin, Ross Colton and especially Miles Wood are expected to help.

“Not that he’s Landeskog, not many are, but that size component is something that we felt we needed to add to the mix, and he certainly does that,” MacFarland said of Wood. “He’s a good net-front guy that we feel is going to fit.”