Will Ryan Johansen have a breakout season in his first with the Avalanche?

It's been nearly a decade since Ryan Johansen's career-high points season. Could his first year with the Avalanche be a record-breaker?

Colorado Avalanche players and fans are excited about management’s offseason moves. One player, in particular, has Avs Faithful excited for a breakout season.

In a recent X poll conducted by The Hockey News, Ryan Johansen was chosen as one of the players expected to excel with the Avalanche in the 2023-24 season. It’s always a gamble with a new player on a new team but that could be just what he needs to step up his game, with four of 34 writers believing the change in scenery is what is needed.

Johansen was traded by the Nashville Predators in late June for Alex Galchenyuk, and the Avalanche retained the last two years of his contract. 

Defenseman Cale Makar told NHL.com’s Dan Rosen that management did a good job filling the holes with reliable, hard-working players. And that’s what is expected of Johansen at the second-line center position.

The 31-year-old missed the last few months of the 2022-23 season due to a leg injury that ended up requiring surgery. He said in a news conference after being acquired by the Avs that he planned on being 100% by August and ready for training camp in September.

He’s been in Denver for a few weeks and has been regularly skating at the Family Sports Ice Arena. While he is not pushing it too hard, he seems to be in good form on the ice.

Although it’s been nearly a decade since Johansen had a career-high season with 71 points, he has had numerous 60-plus point seasons throughout his career.

If the injury setback last season doesn’t hinder his performance this season, he very well could see another high-scoring year. He’ll most likely have Valeri Nichushkin and Jonathan Drouin on his line. With solid chemistry, this power line could put up big numbers for the Avalanche.

Johansen is solid at winning faceoffs, which is something the Avalanche lacked last season. His ability to control the puck and create scoring chances increases the team’s depth exponentially. Look for him to have a memorable first season in burgundy and blue.