Avs player grades at All-star break
The NHL All-star break means it’s unofficial midterm season.
Before the Avs return to action, we graded the seasons of all 17 skaters on the current roster who have played a minimum of 20 games, as well as both goaltenders. The grading scale is based around a C average.
Good news: There are no failures. Everyone has a passing grade and a chance to move up as Colorado (2718-3) enters a two-month sprint toward the playoffs.
Andrew Cogliano: C+
Cogliano was fourth on the team in expected goals rating on Dec. 19 (51.23%) but has taken a dip to 45.59% since then. Still, on a roster where the continuing blemish is lack of depth scoring, he has been an exception among Avalanche bottom-six forwards with eight goals. The veteran’s intangibles can’t be overstated, and he has guided the penalty kill’s gradual turnaround after a slow start.
J.T. Compher: B+
Playing well enough in his contract year that the Avalanche will have a difficult time trying to keep him. The Swiss Army knife has excelled in the faceoff circle and taken on increased power play time: At 48 games, he’s six PP minutes away from passing last season’s total of 126:07.
Andreas Englund: C
Englund filled Kurtis Macdermid’s enforcer role while Macdermid was hurt, but he earned the right to keep his spot on the NHL roster afterward. But lately he’s a healthy scratch whose days might be numbered as blueliners heal up.
Pavel Francouz: B
An above average backup goalie who also happens to transform into Patrick Roy for shootouts.
Alexandar Georgiev: A
The pleasant surprise of the season. There’s a case that Georgiev is Colorado’s MVP so far, but the prize ultimately goes to the only A+ recipient further down the list. Georgiev currently has career highs in games started (34), wins (20), save percentage (.919), goals allowed average (2.6) and quality start rate (.647).
Sam Girard: C
Did Girard peak in the 2020-21 COVID season? He averaged 0.67 points per game and finished at plus15 in 48 games. He’s minus-eight with 0.38 PPG this season, his lowest rate since 2018-19. Jared Bednar was happy with how Girard played going into the break, though: He started to show flashes of his old self with nine points in 12 games, bumping his grade up from the D range.
Brad Hunt: C
AHL All-star. NHL Nice Guy and clutch goal-scorer.
Erik Johnson: C
The longest-tenured Av is staying healthy, reaching milestones and even playing on the top pairing when 99% of the D-corps is injured. Ideally, Johnson will be in sheltered minutes by the playoffs.
Artturi Lehkonen: A
Relentless forechecker, exceptional complementary linemate to Nathan Mackinnon, and by the way, he’s second on the team in goals (15).
Kurtis Macdermid: D
From a hockey standpoint, not great. But who cares? He drops gloves, takes names and kicks (butt).
Nathan Mackinnon: A
He has missed 11 games and he’s still on pace for his first 100-point season. When he’s on the ice at 5-on-5, Colorado has outscored opponents 3722. And Mackinnon has scored or assisted all but two of those 37 goals.
Cale Makar: A
The NHL’S ice time leader probably won’t win the Norris Trophy this season, but what he’s doing is just as valuable and maybe even more difficult.
Ben Meyers: D+
He’s consistently creating chances for himself, but he’s snake-bit, with no goals since his early December call-up. Not playing poorly by any means, but this grade reflects the Avalanche’s biggest weakness — depth forwards not producing — not only Meyers. He just happens to be the one who has earned an NHL roster spot the longest, so he gets the short end of the stick.
Alex Newhook: B
For all the griping after his slow start in the 2C role, Newhook is on pace for a 20-goal season after finding his stride in January (ironically in a 3C role). And he just turned 22.
Valeri Nichushkin: B
Only three reasons it’s not an A: ankle injury, reaggravation of said ankle injury and recent upperbody injury. Nichushkin has missed more than half the season. When he plays, the Avs are 15-3-2. Without him, they’re 12-15-1.
Logan O’connor: C+
O’connor had a fast scoring start last season then went 45 consecutive games without a goal. This year? Fast start, now 36 goal-less games. His chemistry with Cogliano makes up for it.
Mikko Rantanen: A+
Career year in the making. Next closest Avalanche goal-scorer is 19 behind him.
Evan Rodrigues: B+
Like Compher, Rodrigues is delivering in a prove-it season. After arriving from Pittsburgh on a one-year bridge deal with Colorado, he has 26 points (11 goals) in 37 games. He leads all Avalanche forwards in SCF% at 57.06%. He makes highlight-worthy deceptive passes on the rush, fits throughout the lineup at center or wing with his versatile game, and has even joined Mackinnon’s top line recently, allowing Bednar to spread out Rantanen.
Devon Toews: B
Docking a letter grade entirely because of point production might not be fair in Toews’ case. That’s not his primary purpose. In fact, he’s second on the team in XGF% (55.72%) and third in SCF% (56.54%), maintaining his sturdy reputation on the top pairing. But after last season’s career-high 13 goals, he’s down from 0.83 PPG to 0.59. Major nitpick.
Bo Byram, Darren Helm, Gabriel Landeskog, Denis Malgin, Josh Manson: N/A
Doctor’s note, excused from class.