Of the players already in the lineup, Bowen Byram is in position to have the most increased responsibility. Hunt, for example, could take some of Makar’s offensive-zone shifts, with Jack Johnson and other defensemen picking up more of the load in defensive situations. That could give Colorado extra options in different scenarios. Bednar could choose to play seven defensemen with 11 forwards, especially considering how much he shortened the bench in Game 4. But he might still be an option even if Johnson is ready to go. Hunt has limitations, though, particularly in the defensive end. That’s just kind of the personality he has.” It’s hard to see him not being liked by his teammates. “He’s got a great shot and is a tremendous teammate. “He’s a pretty good offensive defenseman,” said Bruce Boudreau, who coached Hunt in Vancouver. He had four goals and 10 points in 47 NHL games this season, averaging 11:13 of ice time per game.Ĭale Makar suspended 1 game for hit on McCann The 34-year-old is an offensively-capable defenseman with a blistering shot. The career journeyman has taken warmups before each of the past two games to be ready in case one of Colorado’s players is unable to go. If Jack Johnson isn’t healthy enough to return to the lineup on Wednesday, Brad Hunt is the most likely player to slot into the Avalanche lineup. That could prove unsustainable, especially against a deep team like the Kraken. “There’s a level of concern (about depth scoring),” Bednar said, “but I can’t say I haven’t had it all year to some extent.” Only one bottom-six forward, Alex Newhook, has a point in the series. MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Makar and Devon Toews have either scored or assisted every goal against Seattle. Compher (22:02) are averaging as much ice time this series as typical NHL defensemen, despite being forwards. Nathan MacKinnon (22:11 per game) and J.T. That puts a heavy burden on Colorado’s top players. Forwards Alex Newhook (6:46), Ben Meyers (5:27) and Denis Malgin (5:02) all saw their ice time dip to under seven minutes, and defensemen Josh Manson (12:31) and Erik Johnson (11:51) played under 13 minutes each. In Game 4, coach Jared Bednar relied heavily on only nine forwards and four defensemen. That’s not easy to replace, especially with the team’s current form. He’s a transcendent star who has averaged at least a point per game each of the past three seasons and led the league in ice time per game in 2022-23. Last year, Makar won the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman, then the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the playoffs. Lacking last year’s depth, Colorado is going to go only as far as their stars can carry them, and now one of their biggest ones is out.
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