Here is a look at the ‘s roster heading into the season and what each player brings to the table. The Avs open their schedule at 7 p.m. Thursday by hosting the .
FORWARDS
No. 10.
LW, 5-10/188 (Zurich, Switzerland)
Andrighetto, 25, played just 50 games and scored only eight goals in an injury-plagued 2017-18. He missed significant time with a leg ailment but also was often a healthy scratch. Andrighetto is capable of being a second-line winger but is on injured reserve with another lower-body injury entering the final of his two-year, $2.8 million contract.
No. 15. Sheldon Dries
C/LW, 5-9/185 (Macomb Township, Mich.)
Dries, 24, played four years at Western Michigan before signing a one-year contract with the as an undrafted free agent, and helping the AHL’s Texas Stars advance to the Calder Cup Final against Toronto. Dries never played for Dallas last season and signed with Colorado on July 2. He made the team over fellow rookie Logan O’Connor, 22, but might join O’Connor with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles when Andrighetto returns from injury. Still, Dries has been impressive and is bound to play more games in the NHL this season than the AHL.
No. 11.
LW, 5-11/186 (Brandon, Manitoba)
Calvert, 28, was acquired July 1 in free agency from the , with whom he played his first eight seasons for. Calvert replaces , 31, who signed with the Dallas Stars. Calvert is not a big scorer but a great skater and penalty killer — plus an excellent teammate. He signed a three-year deal with a $2.85 million annual cap hit despite never playing a full 82-game season in the NHL.
No. 13. Alex Kerfoot
C/LW, 5-10/175 (Vancouver, B.C.)
Kerfoot, 24, was the Avs’ fourth-leading goal-scorer (19) and fifth-leading point producer (43) as a rookie, and he led the entire NHL in shooting percentage (23.4) in 2017-18. The Harvard graduate realizes he needs to shoot more, and he is pegged as the second-line center. Kerfoot is expected to continue to develop along with a handful of other second-year forwards — the key to this team’s success. Kerfoot is in the final year of his entry-level contract as a college free agent.
No. 17.
C, 5-11/191 (St. Albert, Alberta)
The 20-year-old Jost missed 17 games to injury but still produced 12 goals and 22 points in a season he was not proud of. He strives to be the best forward on the team and given that he was on the No. 1 power play in the last half of the season, he might be on track to get there. Jost has gained considerable weight and strength in the offseason and will begin as the Avs’ second-line left wing. Jost has two years remaining on his entry-level contract.
No. 22.
C/LW, 6-1/221 (Greenwich, Conn.)
Wilson is Colorado’s fourth highest-paid forward but the 28-year-old could be in his final year in the NHL. Chosen No. 7 overall by Nashville in the 2007 draft, Wilson had just six goals in 56 games last season — his first in Colorado after being acquired from the Predators for a fourth-round draft pick July 1, 2017. Wilson has a heavy body and is a good teammate but he probably won’t see much time in the top six or on the power play as the younger Avs forwards gain experience. Wilson, however, will begin the season as the second-line right winger.
No. 29.
C, 6-0/205 (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
The Hart Trophy (NHL MVP runner-up in June took his game to the superstar level last season and, given his age (23) and experience in the league (five seasons, 374 games), MacKinnon could regularly approach 40 goals and 100 points throughout his career’s foreseeable future. He led Colorado in virtually every statistical category last season, including 39 goals and 97 points. He also had six points (three goals) in six playoff games. MacKinnon is unquestionably a franchise player and the club’s best forward since Milan Hejduk.
No. 34.
C, 6-3/210 (Malmo, Sweden)
Soderberg, 32, who is the Avs’ oldest player, resurrected his career last season after a disappointing 2016-17 and serving as a healthy scratch on opening night a year ago. The soft-spoken Swede finished with 16 goals — matching his career high from 2013-14 with Boston — and was a primary penalty killer and member of the second power-play unit. Soderberg was Colorado’s second-line center last season but will likely play in the middle on the third- or fourth lines.
No. 37.
C/RW, 6-0/193 (Northbrook, Ill.)
Compher, 23, enters his second NHL season as Colorado’s third-line center but could also soon become the second-line right wing. The Avs might not immediately make up their second line with second-year forwards but Compher seems capable of a top-six role along with Kerfoot and Jost. Compher had 13 goals in 69 games last season and was particularly effective offensively as a penalty killer — he was a consistent threat shorthanded.
No. 47.
C/RW, 6-2/200 (Duluth, Minn.)
The second-year pro, 24, is competing with Sheldon Dries for the 12th and final forward spot in the lineup. Toninato split his time between the the Avs and the AHL San Antonio Rampage last year, failing to score in 37 games with the big club. Toninato is never going to be a big scorer but the former Minnesota-Duluth captain is a hard-working and dependable bottom-six forward.
No. 57.
LW, 5-10/206 (Rimouski, Quebec)
Bourque, 28, is a strong forechecker and defensive player. He has significant NHL experience — 306 games — and rarely gets injured. He’ll start the season as the fourth-line right wing but can play anywhere in the lineup because of his size and speed. Bourque re-signed with the Avs on a one-year deal rather than test the market as an unrestricted free agent.
No. 83.
LW, 5-11/190 (Long Beach, Calif.)
Nieto is coming off a career-high 15 goals last season and re-signed with Colorado on a two-year contract worth $3.95 million. The 25-year-old speedster will begin the season as the fourth-line left winger but can play anywhere in the lineup. Nieto and center Carl Soderberg have played together since both came out of coach ‘s doghouse early last season and they finished on the club’s second line with Blake Comeau, who is now with the Dallas Stars.
No. 92.
LW, 6-1/215 (Stockholm, Sweden)
The Avs’ captain, 25, was third on the team in goals (25) and points (62) in the regular season and led the club with four goals and seven points in six playoff games against Nashville. Landeskog is a genuine NHL power forward and leader and counts as a third of one of the best lines in the league. Look for another big year from the affable and well-rounded Swede.
No. 96.
RW, 6-4/215 (Nousiainen, Finland)
A star was born last season as Rantanen, 21, carved up defenses with 29 goals and 84 points, missing just one game to injury. He’s big, fast and skilled with the puck — particularly dangerous from the right circle. Rantanen, who turns 22 this month, enters the final year of his entry-level contract and will make superstar money if he continues on his star-studded trajectory. He and MacKinnon and Landeskog again make up one of the NHL’s top lines.
DEFENSE
No. 4.
RD, 5-10/190 (Victoria, B.C.)
Barrie, 27, is again paired with at even strength and quarterbacks the No. 1 power play. He had a terrific preseason and seems as confident with the puck as ever. Look for Barrie to take his puck-moving game to a higher level this season as the Avs’ entire offense improves. Barrie is a high-risk, high-reward player but his defensive game is coming around.
No. 6.
RD, 6-4/225 (Bloomington, Minn.)
The Avs’ alternate captain, 30, will again begin the season on the top pairing, this time with second-year man Sam Girard. Johnson’s minutes might decrease this season because he’s not on a power-play unit, but he’ll again play big minutes and kill penalties alongside newcomer . The key for Johnson is to remain healthy; he has missed 100 regular-season games the last four years.
No. 12.
LD, 6-3/219 (Stockholm, Sweden)
Nemeth led the Avs with a plus-27 rating last season, his first with the club after being picked up on waivers from Dallas. Nemeth, 26, signed a one-year contract worth $2.5 in the offseason and is betting that if he duplicates his 2017-18 season, he will get a bigger, long-term deal. He will begin the season playing with Cole on Colorado’s clear-cut shutdown pairing.
No. 16. Nikita Zadorov
LD, 6-5/230 (Moscow, Russia)
Zadorov had a roller-coaster season last year, reporting to camp late and out of shape and being scratched opening night. He was then benched multiple times for long stretches. But “Big Z” seems like a better pro now and had a terrific preseason. At 23, he’s coming into his own as one of the league’s biggest hitters, and a trusted defensive-defenseman while paired with Tyson Barrie, who always has the green light to jump into the offensive zone. Zadorov is a big reason why Colorado has its best blue line in more than 10 years.
No. 28. Ian Cole
LD, 6-1/219 (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
The two-time Stanley Cup champion with the finished last season with the Columbus Blue Jackets and signed as a free agent with the Avs on July 1, making $4.25 million this season and the next two. He solidifies an already solid blue line and his experience will be invaluable. Cole, 29, adds fear to opposing forwards — an element Colorado now has in droves. He’s also an excellent teammate and great spokesman.
No. 44.
LD, 6-1/200 (Montreal, Quebec)
Barberio missed more than 30 games because of injuries last season but at times played in the second pairing. He’s Colorado’s seventh D-man — a healthy scratch Thursday — but that just speaks to the team’s depth. Barberio, 28, is an excellent skater and puck mover and will get his time in the lineup as soon as the first injury unfolds. Barberio, along with Nemeth, are examples of terrific waiver-wire pickups. Barberio was claimed off waivers from Montreal late in the 2016-17 season.
No. 49. Sam Girard
LD, 5-10/180 (Roberval, Quebec)
Girard, 20, survived a frightening car accident over the summer and gained more than 15 pounds of good weight to begin his second year. He’s an excellent skater and a magician with the puck, which is why he can play defense at his size. Girard’s probably Colorado’s best puck-mover out of the defensive zone and he quarterbacks the second power-play unit. He looks more confident than last season as a teenager after coming over from Nashville in the three-team trade involving going from Colorado to Ottawa. The left-shooting Girard is a great fit with right-shot Erik Johnson.
GOALIES
No. 1.
6-2/205 (Samara, Russia)
Named the opening-night starter Tuesday, Varlamov begins the final year of his five-year, $29.5 million contract with uncertainly about his future with the team. The oft-injured Russian, 30, has been unavailable for long stretches since his Vezina Trophy-finalist season of 2013-14 and he now has competition for the No. 1 job. Varlamov needs to have a big season to not just get re-signed with the Avs but to remain in the league.
No. 31.
6-1/191 (Rosenheim, Germany)
The 26-year-old German was acquired in June from Washington, the Stanley Cup champion, and signed a three-year, $10 million contract with the Avs. Grubauer likely will start Saturday in Game 2 of the season against the visiting and continue to be in the rotation as the No. 1A/1B guy. Grubauer began the postseason in April as the Captials’ No. 1 goalie and he could become that with the Avs.
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