Avalanche 24-25 Season Preview: Forwards

Looking at the Avs’ forward lines heading into the season.

With the preseason behind us, the Colorado Avalanche ended 1-5 without too many regulars in any games. But the season opener is right around the corner on Wednesday night against the Vegas Golden Knights.

We will see plenty of regulars in the side who missed out on the postseason. But, due to injury and suspensions, there will also be plenty of new faces for fans to keep an eye on Here’s just some of those new names and predicted lines to start the year.

Projected Forward Lines

Jonathan Drouin (27) – Nathan MacKinnon (29) – Mikko Rantanen (96)
Nikolai Kovalenko (51) – Casey Mittelstadt (37) – Cal Ritchie (71)
Miles Wood (28) – Ross Colton (20) – Logan O’Connor (25)
Joel Kiviranta (94) – Ivan Ivan (82) – Parker Kelly (17)

Usual first-line shenanigans

Colorado’s first line should be what most fans are familiar with. Jonathan Drouin returns to the Avs’ projected top line on a one-year contract off a career-high 56-point season playing alongside former Halifax Moosehead teammate Nathan MacKinnon.

MacKinnon is phenomenal in his own right, scoring in all but one home game last season. He tore through the league last season with 51 goals and 140 points, enough to win the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award. The two Mooseheads should be another fun watch together this season.

Alongside those two is Mikko Rantanen, who some argued had a “quiet” season. If 104 points plus an additional 10 postseason points is a “quiet” year, then look out if the moose ever gets loose. Rantanen is entering the last year of his $9.25 million contract, with negotiations allegedly occurring throughout the summer. But, he hasn’t signed yet which will hopefully not turn into an off-ice issue which affects his on-ice performance.

New-faced second line

Most fans will probably recognize Casey Mittelstadt, who came over at the trade deadline last season from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Bowen Byram. Mittelstadt finally seems to fill the void at 2C which has been a concern for years. While he only had 10 points in 18 regular season games, he exploded in the postseason with nine points in 11 games with some quality assists.

The two new names on either side of him are Nikolai Kovalenko and Cal Ritchie. Kovalenko’s rise through the KHL finally paid off last season, as he got some AHL and NHL games under his belt. His two playoff appearances weren’t anything to write home about, but now adjusted to playing in North America, alongside a phenomenal preseason, should see him succeed.

On the other wing, Ritchie has had his own meteoric rise after being drafted last season. He’s stuck around during the preseason and seemingly has made it from Development Camp back in July, signing his ELC, and making it to the NHL squad. He had a couple of goals and assists in the preseason, and quickly jumped up the lineup to play on the first line in the Avs’ only preseason win in Vegas.

Ritchie’s original center position might just be put on hold so he can play on the wing. The real question is will he stick in the lineup when players return from injury/suspension, or will he only get a nine-game trial before being sent back down to his OHL side Oshawa Generals to avoid burning the first year of his ELC?

Roaring-20’s roll on

The third line is one fans came to know and love last season. New guys Ross Colton and Miles Wood now enter the second year wearing burgundy and blue after solid years. Wood finished with 26 points, and three goals in the postseason, including the OT winner in Game 1 against the Dallas Stars.

Colton ended with 40 points, made up of 17 goals and 23 assists. Jared Bednar played Colton mostly as a center, and the former Lightning winger adapted well to his role. Arguably, he could go back onto the wing on the second line and push Ritchie down to third-line center, but time will tell if it happens.

Finally, Logan O’Connor will return to action after missing the second half of last season due to hip surgery. His workhorse energy, alongside 25 points was dearly missed, especially come playoff time last season. If it weren’t for his injury, he was on track to smash his points record. Now on a six-year deal similar to his linemate, the Mayor of Denver is in office for a long time coming.

Content fourth-line

There are certainly some question marks around the bottom line of the Avalanche. With Andrew Cogliano’s retirement, the only returning member seems to be Joel Kiviranta on the wing for another year. He was fine in 56 games last season, one point shy of hitting double digits.

The two new faces are Parker Kelly and Ivan Ivan. Kelly was signed from the Ottawa Senators off the back of 18 points in 80 games last season, which was a career-high.

Perhaps the bigger surprise is Ivan-squared seemingly earned a roster spot after a hard-working preseason. He was similar to Ritchie, signing his ELC this summer and working his way up to get a roster spot. He had a few goals and assists from the bottom six, and will look to bring the same to the regular season.

Ivan’s rise from playing in Czechia, to the QMJHL with 90 points in 64 games earned him a move to the AHL and the Colorado Eagles last season, where he got 31 points in 67 games. Who knows if he will be with the team all season, but it’s certainly nice to see him seemingly earn himself an Opening Night spot.

Plenty of other good options

Chris Wagner is arguably the 13th forward and could play as the center should Ivan or Kelly not work out there. Jere Innala had a good preseason and might make an appearance or two. Ondrej Pavel got injured at the rookie tournament in LA and didn’t have any preseason appearances, and certainly can get some looks with previous NHL game time.

Newly-acquired Matthew Phillips from the Washington Capitals could also be a call-up, alongside Matthew Stienburg and Jason Polin who stuck around for a while with some moments in the preseason. Finally, familiar names such as Oskar Olausson and Jean-Luc Foudy could be picked, but both had disappointing preseason performances with great chances to make the lineup on the line.

The reason why there are so many new faces in the side is because all of the familiar faces fans know are currently out. Artturi Lehkonen will slot back into the side soon into the season as he continues to recover from off-season shoulder surgery. He will slot back in as a second-line winger as soon as he’s ready.

Valeri Nichushkin will also do the same once he is reinstated from his suspension in the next month. It has already been confirmed by the front office, coaching staff, and players he’ll return to the locker room and have his back to support him. The real question will be whether or not he is ready to go fitness-wise and if he will be the same player as he has been.

Finally, for the third straight season, there will be question marks surrounding the availability of Gabriel Landeskog. His continued recovery from knee surgeries and unknown timelines continue to drive fans wild, clamoring for his return to action. Landeskog himself has said it’s a matter of “when, not if” when it comes to his return. We know it won’t be for Opening Night, but how soon after will it come – or will it have to wait until the postseason?

For reference, Lonzo Ball of the Chicago Bulls had the same surgery two months before Landeskog did, and is planning to play on minute restrictions in the Bulls’ season opener at the end of October. It may be similar for Landeskog, and it may not be – it’s just a long game of “wait and see.”

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I say this with a big IF – IF everything works out for Colorado health-wise and cap-wise, this is what the strongest Avs lineup COULD look like come April 2025 starting the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It’s a dangerous side at full strength, ready to roar like an Avalanche. Let us know what you think of the forward core in the comments below!

Jonathan Drouin (27) – Nathan MacKinnon (29) – Mikko Rantanen (96)
Artturi Lehkonen (62) – Casey Mittelstadt (37) – Valeri Nichushkin (13)
Gabriel Landeskog (92) – Ross Colton (20) – Logan O’Connor (25)
Miles Wood (28) – Cal Ritchie (71) – Nikolai Kovalenko (51)