For the last 23 years (13 with The Hockey News) Dobber has reviewed each team from a fantasy-hockey standpoint and graded them.

The 24th annual review will appear here on Dobber Hockey throughout the summer. This is not a review of the likely performance on the ice or in the standings, but in the realm of fantasy hockey both for the season ahead as well as the foreseeable future. Offensively, will the team perform? Are there plenty of depth options worthy of owning in keeper leagues? What about over the next two or three years? These questions are what we take into consideration when looking at the depth chart and the player potential on that depth chart.

Enjoy!

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Gone – Ross Colton, Jack Drury, Valeri Nichushkin, Nick Blankenburg

Incoming – Jaden Schwartz, Zachary L’Heureux, Fyodor Svechkov, Fabian Lysell, Noah Juulsen, Georgii Merkulov

Impact of changes

After finishing with the NHL’s best record at 55-16-11 and reaching the Western Conference Final, there wasn’t much reason for Joe Sakic to make a major overhaul. Instead, the Avalanche focused on reshaping the bottom six, creating some salary cap flexibility and opening the door for some of their younger players to take on bigger roles.

The biggest change up front is the departure of Valeri Nichushkin, who was traded to Columbus for a package of picks. When available, Nichushkin was an important two-way player for Colorado however, with Nazem Kadri acquired during the season and Gabriel Landeskog return back to the lineup, there was already a logjam developing in the top six, which made the bottom six the obvious area to make changes. Ross Colton and Jack Drury were both sent to Nashville in exchange for Fedor Svechkov and Zachary L’Heureux, giving Colorado a couple of younger forwards with the potential to grow into larger roles. Svechkov, in particular, should have a good opportunity after playing all 70 games for Nashville last season and recording 17 points, including a career-high 13 assists. His offensive numbers aren’t overly impressive yet, but moving into a much stronger offensive environment in Colorado could give him an opportunity to take a step forward.

The Avalanche also added Jaden Schwartz, who brings plenty of NHL experience and a Stanley Cup pedigree. Schwartz had 26 points in 50 games with Seattle last season and should provide some veteran stability and versatility throughout the lineup, although at 34, I wouldn’t expect much fantasy upside from him. Overall, the Avalanche have made some noticeable changes to their middle six, but the core of Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Martin Necas remain intact, which should keep Colorado among the league’s top teams heading into next season.

Ready for Full Time

Joe Sakic specifically indicated that the Avalanche were comfortable entering the season with a smaller forward group because they believe they have young prospects ready to receive opportunities. Fabian Lysell is a player who could be next in line for a full-time role in the NHL. He has only played 12 games with the Boston Bruins before being traded to the Avalanche and has already shown he can produce at the AHL level. The Avalanche acquired him specifically to give themselves another young offensive option. His 42 points in 57 games AHL games last season aren’t spectacular, but his career AHL production of 163 points in 219 games shows there is offensive ability there.

Fantasy Takeaway

Colorado remains one of the strongest teams in the NHL from a fantasy perspective. The Avalanche led the league in scoring last season at 3.68 goals per game with the highest goal differential in the league, which gives you a pretty good idea of the type of fantasy environment this team provides. We already know what to expect from Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Martin Necas, but the bigger question will be whether the supporting cast can replace some of the production lost this offseason. Artturi Lehkonen, Brock Nelson, Nazem Kadri and Gabriel Landeskog should provide plenty of support within the top-six, while Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood give Colorado a reliable tandem and a good opportunity to rack up wins for fantasy managers.

The losses of Nichushkin, Colton and Drury are certainly noticeable from a roster-depth standpoint, but I don’t see them having much of an impact on the fantasy value of Colorado’s established stars. If anything, the changes could create some interesting opportunities for some of the younger players the Avalanche brought in this offseason. That’s probably the biggest difference between Colorado and some of the other teams we’ve looked at. The Avalanche don’t need their new additions to become fantasy stars because their core is already among the best in the league. Schwartz, Svechkov, L’Heureux and  Lysell are more about filling out the roster and competing for available spots to provide secondary scoring to the established top-six. If one or two of them manage to take a step forward and become fantasy relevant, that’s simply added upside for an already strong fantasy team.

Fantasy Grade: A (Last year: A)

Check out the rest of the Dobber team previews here.