DENVER, CO – With only two games remaining in the Avalanche preseason schedule, both of which will be played on the road, the team is yet to record a win. And again, that doesn’t matter. What does matter, however, is that games like tonight make decisions much less complicated for management. I’ll spare you the blow-by-blow of six Vegas Golden Knights goals and instead explore what a result like tonight means for the guys trying to make the opening night roster.

Tonight’s game can simply be defined as the land of missed opportunities. Not by the team’s superstars, who got game reps for the first time this preseason, but by the 10 players whose training camp was coming to an end and won’t be on the roster when the puck drops on Oct. 9 in Vegas. We’ve talked at length about the importance of management decision making, and that applies to both sides of the coin. Tonight I saw a lack of polish and an uninspired effort during 60 minutes of hockey at a point in camp where time is running out to make an impact. The NHL is an elite fraternity made up of more than 736 players from around the world who get to play in front of the best sports fans and in the biggest sports league in the world, so to be a part of it… you better demonstrate a level of jam and jump.

Let’s start at the blue line…easily the position with the most questions this preseason. Calvin de Haan and Cale Makar were as expected. He was the best defensive player for De Haan tonight. His stats led the team and he was able to provide some versatility by adapting to multiple different partners. He showed leadership and also that he quickly understands the Avalanche style of defensive play. He will be a very good addition to this team’s already solid defensive core.

As for the others, one of the Avalanches UFA summer signings in Erik Brannstrom had his toughest outing of the preseason yet, but the NHLer will certainly have the memory of a goldfish tonight after several other solid performances in the preseason. But as evidenced by the cuts made tonight, Sean Behrens, Calle Rosen and Jack Ahcan didn’t fare particularly well at the big club, but will now head north to join the Eagles in camp, where they will definitely thrive in the AHL.

It was a mixed bag at the front for the boys trying to cement a spot. To be honest, this game, like the others so far, had no flow. Six minors in the first and three in the second hindered the players trying to get into a rhythm. Luckily, the officials put the whistles away in the third. But the punishments imposed actually had no rhyme or reason and it became difficult to understand where the line was drawn as to what was or was not a punishment. As a result, among other factors, the victims were Jason Polin, Jean-Luc Foudy, Matthew Stienburg, Matthew Phillips and Jere Innala. These are players who will have a chance in the north and will certainly be names to keep an eye on in the coming years.

Between the pipes…Trent Miner is headed to the Eagles. As for Alexander Georgiev, this was a chance to get his feet wet and get back into the rhythm of NHL game speed. Not his best performance with 37 shots and certainly some bounces and setbacks that are inevitable, but at the end of the day it was a chance to play a full 60.

On to the next one. The Avalanche are sure to further reduce their roster the next day ahead of a final two-game road trip to Vegas and then Utah. Coach Bednar missed the fact that the roster for those games will be very close to what could be expected on Vegas’ opening night. Colorado also travels directly from Vegas to Utah.

The next few days will be telling and will certainly clarify the picture of what the Avalanche will look like when the puck drops on the 2024-2025 season.