After hours of travel delays for the Utah Mammoth, the Avalanche were victorious in their preseason opener at the University of Denver’s Magness Arena.
Colorado won 5-1 in a game that had Scott Wedgewood in goal, and Cale Makar, Gabe Landeskog, Valeri Nichushkin, and Devon Toews among the NHL regulars in the lineup.
Here’s everything that stood out to me in the preseason opener.
10 Observations
1. The two players I wanted to hone in on coming into this game were Gavin Brindley and Danil Gushchin (pronounced Goose-Chin) and they both had goals.
They were also the last two pieces of the top power play unit with Makar, Landeskog, and Nichushkin. So it was obvious that coach Jared Bednar was interested in what they can do in elevated roles.
Brindley had two goals in short order, and Gushchin added one shortly after in the second period.
2. I was really impressed with Brindley and I’m really interested in seeing how he does as the rosters in camp start to get cut down. It’s one thing to play well against prospects and AHLers. But can he replicate it against better competition, and then in regular season games? We’ll have to wait and see.
He’s definitely someone to keep an eye on this year. His development stalled with the Blue Jackets for whatever reason, but he’s not lacking skill or pedigree. The Avs need a development win, and him becoming a full-time guy down the line would be huge. Even if it takes a year or two.
3. As for Gushchin, he’s not as hyped and wasn’t as much of a valuable trade piece as Brindley was. But it doesn’t mean he can’t eventually find his way. Having a strong AHL season will do well for him, as will being in a system with Stanley Cup aspirations, as he won’t be rushed into any NHL games because of a lack of options (like in San Jose).
I remember when the Avs traded a bust in Chris Bigras for Ryan Graves just to give both guys a fresh start. They were able to turn Graves into a full-time, useful NHL player. It would be nice if luck was on their side again, after trading a first-round bust like Oskar Olausson to get Gushchin.
4. All you want is to get through preseason without any injuries or ailments. I’m sure Bednar held his breath when Makar took an elbow to the face and went down. He got up pretty quickly and seemed fine on the bench after getting checked out. He didn’t play much after the hit and left the game with about seven minutes left.
Bednar said it was precautionary and we’ll find out Monday how Makar’s feeling.
5. Loved seeing Landeskog drop the gloves with the guy who got the elbow up on Makar. It wasn’t an intentional hit by any means, but the Captain stood up for his guy.
“I think it was just kind of maybe accidental, maybe not, maybe a little bit of both,” Landeskog said. “But either way, it doesn’t really matter to me. You see one of your players go down, honestly, it doesn’t matter if it’s our best player or not, someone’s got to do something.”
6. About 13–14 months ago, there were questions about whether Nichushkin and Landeskog would ever play for the Avalanche. Both of them were in the lineup for the first preseason game of the 2025-26 season. It feels like we’re living in the best kind of alternate universe.
7. Training camp and preseason is made for players who need to shake off the cobwebs. And that’s exactly what Nichushkin is doing. He had three assists but looked rusty at other times, especially in the first period.
I’m just glad he’s available at this time of year after a full offseason of training without any outside distractions.
I remember last year when Nichushkin came back in November, he had zero points and was a non factor in his first three games. After that? He scored 11 goals and added six assists for 17 points in 17 games before the injury against Winnipeg on New Year’s Eve.
I can see him getting off to a start like that right out of the gate this year. Just like he did in 2022-23.
8. That Keaton Middleton and Curtis Douglas fight early in the first period was a lot of fun. They had a conversation during warm-ups, so it was definitely staged. But that in itself says a lot about the Avs’ blueliner. He’s here to win a roster spot but also to entertain.
I’m not sure if he’s good enough to be an everyday player this season, or if he’ll ever be. But I’d love to see Middleton stick around all year.
I’d love to see him develop into that role of a solid No. 6 defenseman in a pinch, but better suited for the No. 7 role and a vibes guy in the locker room. I guess somewhat similar to the Erik Johnson role after the trade deadline in March.
He’s such a great guy to have in the room. His teammates and the coaching staff love him.
9. I’m struggling to understand why the NHL and both teams felt it was necessary to make Utah the “home team” at Magness Arena. Is there some sort of rule that you have to play half your preseason games on the road? That’s the only thing I can think of. I know Utah’s arena still isn’t ready, which is why the neutral location was needed.
But it was still weird. During the pregame, the announcer had to specifically say “the starting lineup for the visitors, the Colorado Avalanche!” Then he announced Utah as the home team.
When the Mammoth scored, the goal horn went off for them, with nobody in the building cheering for them, It just felt like a weird and awkward thing to have to do.
10. While we’re on the ranting train, I don’t know what it goes into televising a game and I’m not going to pretend I do. I’m also aware that the Utah Mammoth were technically the home team.
But with that being said, you have to find a way to televise this game for your local fans if you’re the Avalanche. It’s 2025, this stuff should be figured for the preseason by now.
