It’s a big week for the Colorado Avalanche with the start of training camp tomorrow and the first regular season game on the 2026-27 season just around the corner. Here are our thoughts heading into this busy time period.
With Cale Makar’s contract extension now official, what expectations (if any) have changed for him and the Avs as a whole?
Adrian: I’m hoping the expectation shifts to a more reasonable long term outlook in terms of Cale’s usage. That means not making Cale play 28-30 minutes often in the regular season. Breaking single-season wins records isn’t as important as having your best players at their best during
the playoffs. He’s proven to be a game-breaker when he’s fully healthy. Protect that.
Jess: A human being is not the same thing as a technology product at all, but I just got a new MacBook this summer after my old one just didn’t cut it for school and work anymore, so, to use how I view investing in expensive technology pieces like that, you made the investment, so you better protect it. As Adrian said, that means accounting for the future, not just this year, and utilizing him accordingly, not having him play 28-30+ minutes every single night. Having a defenseman that can set and break records year after year is absolutely incredible to watch, but those records don’t mean anything if he’s not at 100%, or as close to 100% as he can be.
Jackie: Expectations have always been high for Makar and the new contract doesn’t change that. He’s half of the reason for Colorado to have any sort of chance in any given year and he has to perform regardless. Paying him 20% (for now) of the salary cap maximum doesn’t really change things either, this roster has been made top-heavy and it still is right now heading into the final season of his contract paying $9 million this year. Makar signing his deal is more of a continuation of the current dynamic rather than anything that’s changed.
Matthew: Any top-flight athlete will always have expectations set at the highest of highest bars. Even though Makar projected to be the NHL’s highest-paid player a year from now, I don’t expect the higher-dollar figure to move the needle in any way for his personal expectations. I also don’t expect this to change for the team as a whole: he will continue to remain the team’s undisputed number one defenseman in all situations through the years. If we’re splitting hairs, the only blemish (and that’s a term that’s very loosely applied in this conversation), would be for Makar to re-establish some of his scoring touch on the power play . His goal-scoring output on special teams dropped from twelve goals in 2024-2025 to only four goals this past season. He’s proven that he can put pucks in the net; doing so on the power play can only boost what’s been a lackluster showing for the Avs these past couple years.
The preseason schedule has been reduced to four games. What impact (if any) do you think this will have on roster evaluation prior to opening night?
Jackie: I’ve always thought that the organization has a pretty good idea prior to training camp of what their opening night lineup looks like barring injuries, so I don’t think going from six to four preseason games changes much. I’m more curious to see how the shortened camp impacts the group of older veterans. Is the rest beneficial or does the short time frame take away from a cohesion process?
Adrian: Yeah I’m with Jackie not much is earned or settleed as far as the lineup goes in a preseason action. It can help guys shift their position in line for a call up, but the opening-night lineup is more than likely locked down. I thnk the rest is beneficial for guys on the mend. Namely Cale Makar who seems to be taking rehab skates.
Jess: To echo both Jackie’s and Adrian’s sentiments, I don’t think it’ll have much of an effect on talking about the opening night lineup players. They all know how to take care of themselves leading up to the season, and while the preseason is nice to get ramped back up into game action, it’s pretty much a glorified scrimmage for a lot of those players. For guys who are looking to maybe be in the conversation for a call-up this year, I’m much more interested in watching those guys.
Matthew: In prior seasons, I might have agreed that the Avs roster would largely have been a set and forget situation. However, the departures of Ross Colton, Jack Drury, Joel Kiviranta, and Valeri Nichuskin have created a unique opportunity for fresh new faces in the lineup, something that we haven’t seen in an Avalanche opening night roster for some time. We got a taste of the Gavin Brindley experience last season; maybe he solidifies his roster spot this year. Perhaps Fedor Svechkov and Zachary L’Heureux, coming over from Nashville in the Drury trade, will be given an extended look with a solid showing on a shorter preseason schedule. I don’t expect major shakeups coming out of preseason (barring injury), but a shorter preseason may be more of a motivator for players looking to be a long-term fixture coming into regular season play.
Will the Avs offer a PTO contract to someone prior to the start of preseason?
Adrian: Nope. Just waiting to drop the puck!
Jackie: Typically PTO candidates for the roster will skate with the team for a couple weeks before camp and since we haven’t noticed any mystery guests one seems unlikely. I am curious, though, if they remain interested in Michael Bunting who is still unsigned as of this writing. But GM Joe Sakic isn’t scared to add via the waiver wire or trade, which is probably where the Avs are monitoring for any new additions.
Jess: With the preseason this close to starting, I don’t think so, but I don’t think it’s out of the question entirely, as Jackie said, Sakic isn’t scared to add via waiver wire or trade, and the same likely goes for PTO signings as well.
Matthew: I think it’s unlikely, but never say never. Sakic has always maintained that, if there’s a way to improve, he will explore it. As Jackie said, Michael Bunting seems to be a possible avenue if the interest is there. It will be interesting to see if anything does materialize between now and the end of the preseason, and if it does, how that impacts other players that are vying for roster spots.
Which of the new roster additions are you most interested in seeing their integration into the Avs lineup?
Adrian: I think the Avalanche’s success will rely heavily on how they mitigate the loss of Valeri Nichushkin in their top six so my answer has to be Jaden Schwartz who was seemingly brought in with hopes of him being a second line player. I’m not convinced yet so I’ll have my eyes on his role early!
Jackie: There might be several waves of experiments but for the first round of it I’m interested to see how the coaching staff views Zach L’Heureux and their approach to utilizing him. There’s a wide range out outcomes and if he is an impact player could give the Avalanche lineup a different kind of energy they desperately need.
Jess: For guys who will be in the opening night lineup, I’m super interested to see how Jaden Schwartz fits into the lineup. I’m also really excited to see how Gavin Brindley looks, knowing what a year he had last year with the Avs and how great that fit was, and I’m excited to see how Zach L’Heureux fits in on this team as well.
Matthew: Having had my eye on Jaden Schwartz for a spell during his time in St. Louis, I’m intrigued to see if a more talented group around him reinvigorates him and, more importantly, whether he stays healthy. Schwartz has missed varying stretches of play—both in St. Louis and more recently in Seattle—with injury. Whether it’s on Brock Nelson’s line or a third-line option with Nazem Kadri, I will be interested in how the former CC Tiger adapts to his new environment.
