FORWARDS
11 Andrew Cogliano
LW | 35 | 5-foot-10 | 179 pounds
He’s been skating in a noncontact jersey during training after suffering two C6 neck fractures in Game 6 against Seattle. Could still play in the opener. Will be a stalwart on the fourth line and penalty kill when he’s in the lineup.
20 Ross Colton
C | 27 | 6-0 | 194
A key depth guy for the Lightning the past three years, Colton was added in an NHL draft trade and signed a four-year contract. He’s expected to be the No. 3 center, a problem area last season. Could play on both special teams units.
27 Jonathan Drouin
LW | 28 | 5-11 | 198
Drouin could be one of the bargain signings of the offseason. He’s going to start the year on the top line next to junior teammate Nathan MacKinnon, and their on-ice chemistry looked strong in the preseason. Hasn’t reached 50 points since 2018-19, but that’s in play if the reunion works.
12 Ryan Johansen
C | 31 | 6-3 | 218
Nashville ate half his $8 million cap hit for the next two seasons to move on, and Colorado hopes to have a rejuvenated, motivated player. He’s going to slot in behind MacKinnon as the No. 2 center and should get plenty of looks on the top power-play unit.
62 Artturi Lehkonen
RW | 28 | 5-11 | 179
A breakout 2022 playoffs begat a career year with new highs in goals (21) and points (51). The only players who have scored more postseason goals for the Avs since his arrival are MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen.
56 Kurtis MacDermid
W/D | 29 | 6-5 | 233
MacDermid has moved back and forth between positions with the Avs, but Jared Bednar wants him to focus on forward this season. He obviously adds a physical element, but his coach had high marks for the work he’s put in to be more than that.
29 Nathan MacKinnon
C | 28 | 6-0 | 200
Career highs in goals (42) and points (111) last season despite missing 11 games. MacKinnon is third in the NHL in points per game over the past four years (1.41) behind the two guys in Edmonton, but he could also be two ahead of them in the category players care about most after the playoffs.
13 Valeri Nichushkin
LW | 28 | 6-4 | 210
Plenty of questions remain, at least externally, about what happened in his hotel room in Seattle before Game 3. The team has welcomed him back, and the Avs need him to be an excellent two-way force again on one of their top two lines.
25 Logan O’Connor
RW | 27 | 6-0 | 175
O’Connor has played 163 of 164 games over the past two seasons — six more than anyone else for the Avs. He’s slated to be the fourth-line right wing and will be a fixture on the penalty kill.
22 Fredrik Olofsson
C | 27 | 6-2 | 190
A bit of a surprise in camp, but quickly took the lead in the fourth-line center derby and played well enough to earn a look there at the start of the season. Played 28 NHL games last season for Dallas after three post-college seasons back in Sweden.
96 Mikko Rantanen
RW | 26 | 6-4 | 215
Scored 55 goals, which was the third-most in franchise history, and broke Joe Sakic’s Denver-based mark. Added seven more in a playoff series where offense wasn’t easy to come by. He’s a real-deal superstar now, one of the best wings in the world.
90 Tomas Tatar
LW | 32 | 5-10 | 173
He’s scored 20-plus goals in seven of the past nine regular seasons. How did the Avs get him at such a bargain rate (one year, $1.5 million)? Four goals in his past 35 playoff games tells part of the story.
10 Riley Tufte
LW | 25 | 6-6 | 230
After three years as mostly a depth guy in the AHL, Tufte had a breakout year with the Texas Stars (19 goals, 35 points in 63 games). He’s huge and he’s not afraid to mix it up in front of the net. Scored three goals in his first three preseason games with the Avs.
28 Miles Wood
RW | 28 | 6-2 | 195
Wood’s speed and forechecking should be a good fit as a depth player for the Avs. His ability to create chaos could make him a fan favorite, even if his inconsistent finishing ability might leave them frustrated at times as well.
DEFENsem*n
4 Bo Byram
LD | 22 | 6-1 | 190
Missed three months, but his final 32 games after returning: eight goals, 19 points, more than 22 minutes per contest. If he can produce like that over a full season, the Avs’ defense corps will be devastating.
49 Samuel Girard
LD | 25 | 5-10 | 170
Set career highs in goals (6), points (37) and shots on goal (119), all while playing the second-most games (76) of his career. Also was the only regular with a negative on-ice goals for differential at even strength (68-57 for the other guys).
3 Jack Johnson
LD | 36 | 6-1 | 227
Johnson left after winning the Stanley Cup in 2022 but returned at the trade deadline after a brief interlude with the Blackhawks. Will be in the top 50 in games played by a defenseman in NHL history if he appears in 41-plus this season.
8 Cale Makar
RD | 24 | 5-11 | 187
Missed 22 games and still finished third in the Norris Trophy voting. Missed part of camp rehabbing a lower-body injury. Health looks like the only thing that could prevent him from being a Norris finalist again, if not a second-time winner.
42 Josh Manson
RD | 32 | 6-3 | 218
Missed two-thirds of last season and the final two games of the Seattle series because of multiple injuries. Erik Johnson is gone, but a healthy Manson can be an upgrade in that role.
7 Devon Toews
LD | 29 | 6-1 | 191
Led the club in total ice time and had nine points in the Seattle series. Finished in the top 15 of the Norris voting each of the past three seasons. He’s a pending unrestricted free agent, which is the biggest off-ice storyline of the season.
GOALIES
60 Justus Annunen
G | 23 | 6-4 | 210
He’s appeared in only four NHL games, but Annunen had a chance to earn the No. 2 role with Pavel Francouz injured, and he had a strong camp. It will be fascinating to see how much the coaching staff trusts him early in the season.
40 Alexandar Georgiev
G | 27 | 6-1 | 178
Had a huge first season as a starting goalie in the NHL with 40 wins, a .918 save percentage and seventh-place finish in the Vezina Trophy voting. What can he do for an encore, and can someone help lighten his workload a little?
50 Ivan Prosvetov
G | 24 | 6-5 | 189
Claimed on waivers Monday, looks set to get the first crack at backing up Georgiev while Pavel Francouz remains out indefinitely after offseason groin surgery. He has 11 NHL starts on his resume, spread across the past three seasons.
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