Avalanche 24-25 Season Preview: Defense

Taking a look at Colorado’s defense going into the season this week.

Following the breakdown of the Colorado Avalanche’s forward options, we’ll take a look at their defense options ahead of Wednesday’s opening night matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights.

We got some looks at some of the usual suspects during the preseason, but a majority of defensemen who played during the preseason were guys fighting for NHL roster spots. On top of that, Colorado also claimed defenseman John Ludvig off of waivers yesterday, all of which we’ll get into in this breakdown.

Projected Defensive Pairings

Devon Toews (7) – Cale Makar (8)
Samuel Girard (49) – Josh Manson (42)
John Ludvig (3) – Sam Malinski (70)

All-Star First Pairing

Colorado’s top defensive pairing should need no introduction. Colorado fans should already be familiar with the likes of both Devon Toews and Cale Makar. These defensive partners are often regarded as two of the best defensemen in the NHL, and subsequently one of the best defensive pairings in the entire NHL as well.

Toews is coming off of another 50-point season, where he was actually one goal short of tying his career best. Makar on the other hand is coming off of what some people argued was a “down” year. If a down year for Makar means a career-best 90 points, 21 goals, and 69 assists, then I’ll take a season of that caliber any day of the week. It’s probably safe to say that both of these players are likely to perform at levels that are at least equal to or better than their previous seasons.

Same Second Pairing

All Avalanche fans should be familiar with both Sam Girard and Josh Manson, as they’ve made up Colorado’s second defensive pairing for the past couple of seasons now. The two complement each other really quite well, as their play styles are complete opposites.

Girard of course missed some extended time this past season, as he entered the NHLPA Player’s Assistance program to take care of his mental health. After coming back, he arguably looked like a different player in the best way possible. This season, it’s more than reasonable to expect both him and Manson to build on their previous seasons, and continue their respective styles of play.

New-Look Third Pairing

The third defensive pairing for Colorado will look a bit new this year, although it will consist of a player who saw a fair amount of time with the Avs last year, that player being Sam Malinski. While Colorado had a bit of a competition going for that third defensive pairing throughout training camp and preseason, Malinski has emerged as a front-runner for a full-time spot on the roster and has made it really difficult to justify not giving him a spot.

John Ludvig on the other hand is completely new to the organization, as he was claimed off of waivers from Pittsburgh just yesterday. Because he was a waiver claim, Colorado is required to play on the NHL roster, which is why he’s penciled in here on the third pairing. He takes the place of the short-lived experiment that was Erik Brannstrom, who was traded and then placed on waivers to the Vancouver Canucks.

Other Options

Outside of those players on those pairings, there are plenty of other options as far as defensemen go as well. Oliver Kyilington is still on the roster alongside Calvin de Haan, and you have plenty of more than serviceable options for call-ups if need be. Assuming injuries don’t rear their ugly head throughout the season at an unbelievable pace, these three pairings will more than likely be Colorado’s pairings for the season, unless something drastically changes ahead of Wednesday.