Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Devon Toews are looking forward to a new season with fresh faces on the ice.
The general consensus among the Colorado Avalanche heading into training camp is excitement. The new players acquired in the off-season — Jonathan Drouin, Ryan Johansen, Miles Wood, Tomas Tatar and Ross Colton — have given the team a facelift with some grit and flexibility.
“Getting fresh blood in the locker room is very exciting for us as players,” defenseman Devon Toews said at the team’s first media conference of the season on Wednesday. “They’re motivated, just as much as we are, so I think it’s going to be a good mix.”
Johansen and Colton bring solid faceoff winning percentages, while Wood and Colton add a gritty aspect. Tatar is a versatile player with talent that could place him anywhere in the top nine. Drouin has finesse with exceptional puck-handling skills so his contribution is expected to give the Avalanche an extra boost for firing power.
“Obviously we’ve got our core group of guys back that were big contributors to the success we’ve had.
“We targeted a good group of forwards that could come in and help us and we’re hoping they’ll all fit in seamlessly,” head coach Jared Bednar said at the conference.
Makar, MacKinnon and Landeskog excited with new group
One of the things Bednar and his staff will focus on during training camp and exhibition games is chemistry. But that may not take much.
“You can just feel it in the room. Guys are excited, all the new guys are excited to be here which is a lot of fun,” Cale Makar said. “I’m excited to get the season started and see what team we can produce on the ice.”
Makar said some of the returning players and new ones have something to prove as the Avalanche have been favored to win the Stanley Cup this season.
“It’s exciting to bring guys like that (Johansen) and I feel like we filled the holes we needed to and we definitely got more physical. I think we’ll be a hard team to play against,” Makar said.
Nathan MacKinnon mirrored Makar’s excitement and said the new players he’s spent time with are personable and “awesome people.” Their energy seems to be a positive one for the locker room.
Although captain Gabriel Landeskog will not play this season, he is also hyped for the new crew.
“You never know how they’re going to gel with the guys or with the group and whatnot, but so far it seems great,” Landeskog said. “All quality people, they all bring something to this team that we felt like we needed … it’s exciting. I like our group a lot.”
Makar will not participate in training camp but is expected to skate this weekend, according to Bednar. The multi-trophy-winning defenseman said he’s been rehabbing and recovering from last season’s lingering issues. He said he doesn’t want to rush back in and possibly jeopardize his health starting out the season.