Today’s the official start of the new NHL season in my eyes. And it’s going to be quite the day around town for the Avalanche.
Colorado opens its season on Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena against the Los Angeles Kings. The matchup between the two Western Conference foes will be the third of a triple header on ESPN. But before we get there, we’ll have about as busy a day on the eve of opening night as you can get.
First, we’re going to be treated to a 10 a.m. press conference with Erik Johnson, who announced his retirement last week. Johnson spent most of the later stages of the summer skating at Family Sports with a handful of current Avs players. He was hoping to land a contract with the team he spent 14 seasons with.
But nothing came out of it, and he chose to retire rather than accept a professional tryout elsewhere. It’ll be an emotional start to the day, that’s for sure.
After that, the Avalanche will take the ice for their final practice before taking off for L.A. It’ll likely be a skate that’ll give us one final look at what the line combinations will look like for opening night. Will Gavin Brindley get the first look ahead of Joel Kiviranta? We’ll have to wait and see.
I’m curious how much of a participant Mackenzie Blackwood will be in the skate, too. I don’t imagine that Ilya Solovyov will be here just yet, as visa issues for a Russian player that was claimed from a team in Canada could take some time. This was a similar case to last year’s arrival of Kaapo Kahkonen after he was claimed from Winnipeg.
Following practice, we won’t only hear from Jared Bednar to get the latest updates around the team. But we’ll also have a chance to chat with general manager Chris MacFarland. The Avs’ GM often speaks before the season begins.
And to make things all the more entertaining, we’re probably going to get an update on the waiver wire activity right around the time the coach and GM get ready to speak. These will start to trickle in at noon.
That means we’ll know if Keaton Middleton or Jack Ahcan were claimed. We’ll know if goalies around the league like Michael DiPietro, Nico Daws, or Clay Stevenson will be on the move. And we’ll know if anyone is willing to take a gamble on veteran defensemen like Justin Holl and Erik Gustafsson.
Then, at 3 p.m., final rosters are due around the league. And it’s full steam ahead for the 2025-26 season from there.
Buckle up.
