Denver Post sports writer Mike Chambers responds to questions in the Avs Mailbag periodically during the regular season. for the Avs Mailbag.
What are your thoughts on whether there’s even a realistic shot for prospects like (Shane) Bowers to make an opening-night roster given the numerous veteran signings they seem committed to? Seems like some short-sighted roster management, with some arguably very average vets.
— Jeff, Broomfield
Those veteran forwards include Dylan Sikura, Kiefer Sherwood and Stefan Matteau and they were reassigned to the Eagles on Thursday. That was followed by Jayson Megna being reassigned to Loveland on Friday, when Artem Anisimov (tryout contract) was also released. Bowers and Martin Kaut were reassigned to the Eagles on Friday, leaving Newhook and Sampo Ranta as the rookie forwards still in contention to make the roster. I suspect they both will. But Bowers had a good showing and proved he’s a player for the future.
Hi Mike, I was wondering how you feel about a possible Annunen-vs.-Miska backup battle. Who would you prefer in net, should it come to that?
— Ben, Denver
Well, since Pavel Francouz will miss the first 3-4 weeks of the season, that’s probably your two guys in Loveland with the Eagles. It was supposed to be Jonas Johansson and Annunen before Francouz’s injury. Now, Johansson is Darcy Kuemper’s backup. Annunen is going to get a lot of attention with the Eagles in his first season in North America. He’s the club’s top prospect at that position. Miska probably won’t be around next year because Trent Miner, 20, is also coming up and will need AHL development.
Mike, losing Philipp Grubauer was huge, but I’m happy we were able to land Darcy Kuemper. Do you think we actually got stronger between the pipes with the move? Also, god forbid he goes down with an injury, but who’s our No. 2 guy this year?
— Miles, Parker
Your No. 2 guy was Francouz but he’s now on IR. So it’s Johansson right now. As for the Grubauer-Kuemper comparison, about five inches of height separates them. The 6-foot-5 Kuemper doesn’t give shooters a lot of net to shoot at. It seems like he’s equally as talented as Grubauer, who I consider a terrific 6-foot goalie. This could be an upgrade if Kuemper, like Gruabuer, can keep his goals-against average under 2.00 (among goalies playing 25 games, Grubauer led the league with a 1.95 GAA last season).
Hey Mike, who do you think is going to have a bigger breakout season for the Avs this year: Bowen Byram or Alex Newhook? Also, what’s the ETA for our last couple of first-rounders? Do you see Justin Barron or Oskar Olausson making their NHL debuts this year?
— Ryan, Centennial
I think Byram is going to flourish — probably on a pairing with Erik Johnson. And it appears Newhook will start as the left wing on the third line. Regarding Barron and Olausson, I suspect the former will also begin with the Eagles but make his NHL debut this season. Olausson was reassigned to his junior team in Canada. Perhaps he joins the Avs at some point in the spring. He was very impressive in camp as an 18-year-old.
Are the Avs going to wear the Nordique-inspired Reverse Retro jerseys in the upcoming season or have they already been retired?
— Chris, Littleton
I’m not sure. But those duds sure are sweet. Speaking of unis, I’m a big fan of the new blue numbers with the white sweaters. The black numbers didn’t match with the blue helmets and gloves that were introduced last season.
The Ave appear to be favorites to get to the Stanley Cup Finals. What difference has to happen for this team?
— Dennis, Arvada
They need to get tougher and harder to play against, more physically imposing. Which is why they brought in 6-5 defenseman Kurtis MacDermid, and really like what defenseman Dennis Gilbert can do in that area when he’s called upon. This team doesn’t want to be pushed around anymore and allow the superstars to play the game without worrying about taking cheap shots.
Happy to have Landeskog back, I was worried the Avs were going to lose him during the offseason.
— Chris, Aurora
Landeskog is an exceptional captain and a very good two-way winger. In hockey, you pay for a guy like that and that’s what the Avs did in the end. Beyond Landeskog, nobody sticks out as captain material at this time. Perhaps MacKinnon, Makar or Rantanen develops into that guy? But you’re right, losing Gabe would have been much worse than just losing a top-line winger.
It felt good to have fans back at the arena last season, should we expect any changes at Ball Arena? Also, wanted to see if there are any updates on the TV dispute.
— Jenny, Thornton
You and me both. Fans make all the difference. Early last season at home, the media would freeze trying to work on the concourse without fans. The building is cold. But it’s freezing without the fans. As for the Altitude dispute, nothing new to report. Comcast and Dish Network subscribers are still out in the cold.
