The Colorado Avalanche were back on the ice for the first time since opening the preseason with a back-to-back. This is usually the time of year when the coaching staff starts to hone in on particular parts of the game. Everything from lineup decisions to special teams becomes a focal point of these skates. The shortened training camp and opening night being just eight days away only makes it a bigger priority.

Colorado skated two groups on Tuesday, with the veterans taking part in Group 1, before a younger Group 2 took the ice.

Todays practice groups

Makar is back with Toews. Kadri on the wing and Hughes at center was something Bednar said last week that he wanted to try pic.twitter.com/TNGmweMwAk

— Aarif Deen (@runwriteAarif) September 22, 2026

Makar a Full Participant

Cale Makar was a full participant with the Avalanche’s main group for the first time since camp opened last week. Makar was on the top pair with his usual partner, Devon Toews.

Head coach Jared Bednar said following the skate that Makar is still on schedule to play in one of the final two preseason games on Friday or Saturday.

I spoke with Makar afterward about his injury, and he confirmed it was not related to the one that bothered him in the Western Conference Final. It does, however, sound like he had a tough summer juggling both ailments.

“Yeah, I mean, It was a little bit of a grind over the summer to kind of get where I am now, especially with both of these [injuries],” Makar said. “Kind of what I’ve been dealing with, but like I said, I’m in the best spot I’ve ever felt right now, so I’m feeling good.”

Special Teams Drills Begin

As expected, the Avalanche began special teams practice on Tuesday. The top power-play unit was the same group of five that ended last season. Makar controlled the point, along with Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, Nazem Kadri, and Gabe Landeskog.

Kadri joined the top unit shortly after his arrival in March.

On the second unit, Bednar had Devon Toews on the point with Brock Nelson, Artturi Lehkonen, Jaden Schwartz, and Nic Roy. We also saw Fedor Svechkov alternate in with Roy for a few shifts, but he was mostly used on the PK, and Roy was the more stable presence on the power play.

The power play is certainly worth watching this year. The Avs struggled to get going last year on the man advantage, and it’s one key part of their game that has to improve in order for them to increase their chances of being a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

“I think this feels like a clean slate. At least for me, it does. It’s different,” Makar said about the struggling power play from last season. “You worked a whole season last year to try and get the power play where you wanted to get to, and it just never really felt like it fully– I don’t know if clicks is the right word, but just fully got there. And I think sometimes you just need a little bit of a break. If you keep moving your feet in quicksand, you just keep sinking deeper and deeper, and it kind of just felt like we were doing that at times.”

Group 1 Had an Opening Night Roster Feel

The group one lineup, linked earlier in this piece, is the closest thing we’ve seen to a potential opening night roster since camp began. But Bednar wasn’t willing to commit to that just yet.

Before the Avs even played their two preseason games, Bednar mentioned that he still had some things he wanted to try. Among them was shifting Kadri to the wing. He also wanted to get a look at T.J. Hughes at center, which we saw with the second group. So I wouldn’t necessarily say that Hughes (or Brindley) are in a bad spot right now for opening night.

Kadri’s shift to the wing meant Svechkov was elevated to the third-line center spot rather than Roy shifting to the middle. On the fourth line, Parker Kelly played center with Logan O’Connor and Zachary L’Heureux. Bednar said that Kelly at center is certainly one of the scenarios they’re considering if Kadri does, in fact, start the year on the wing.

But, again, Bednar wouldn’t commit to that either. He confirmed that in one of the two remaining preseason games, Svechkov will play 4C with the usual fourth-line wingers, Kelly and O’Connor.

Bednar has options, and even with a shortened training camp, he’s allowing himself to try every one. This hasn’t always been the case, but this year’s roster offers more depth than Colorado has had in training camp in years.