2023 Fantasy Hockey Team Previews: Colorado Avalanche
The 2023 DailyFaceoff Fantasy Hockey Projections has projected stats for over 650 skaters and goalies.
The Fantasy Hockey Team Previews have all the projections for that team and mini-bios for all the Re-Draft and Dynasty relevant skaters and goalies. We will release the previews from September 5th through September 14th.
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In addition to the Fantasy Hockey Previews, Daily Faceoff is previewing all 32 NHL teams for 2022-23, with a new in-depth breakdown dropping every weekday! Click here to find every preview in one place.
Skaters
Nathan Mackinnon
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPA | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 71.8 | 34.2 | 62.9 | 97.1 | 24.3 | 41.7 | 10.6 | 22.4 | 33.1 | 324.5 | 10.5% | 20.91 | 396.7 | 35.6 | 65.9 |
Although a Cup Champion, Mackinnon enters 2022-23 looking to bounce back as far as fantasy hockey is concerned. The centre’s 88 points in 2021-22 found him outside the NHL’s top 15 in scoring for the first time in five years. His 32 goals ranked 37th league-wide, surprising considering his 299 shots were seventh-highest. A slight increase in his 10.7 shooting percentage from a season ago could be the difference between achieving 100 points and not this upcoming season. A three-time 90-point scorer, there are better fantasy options early in the first round as Mackinnon looks to surpass the 100-point plateau for the first time in his career (eight players had 100+ points in 2021-22). With that said, he plays on one of the most explosive offences in the league, and a career year is not out of the cards. Expect Mackinnon to be taken off draft boards in the top-5 in almost all drafts this season as he builds off his Stanley Cup-winning season.
Mikko Rantanen
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPA | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 71.4 | 35.9 | 50.3 | 86.2 | 31.0 | 47.9 | 13.9 | 17.8 | 31.7 | 234.9 | 15.3% | 20.45 | 115.9 | 37.1 | 49.0 |
In the last five NHL seasons, only 16 players have scored more points than Rantanen (370 points). At 25, Rantanen enters 2022-23 looking to build off career-highs in both points (92) and goals (36). Ranking 24th in league goal scoring 14th in points, 21st in shots, and 12th in plus/minus, Rantanen makes a very safe pick at a weak position this fantasy season. Paired on a line with Mackinnon and a power-play that features Cale Makar, Rantanen could flirt with the 100-point mark for the first time in his career. Take Rantanen with complete confidence.
Cale Makar
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPA | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 77.0 | 24.7 | 60.7 | 85.4 | 42.1 | 25.5 | 8.7 | 27.5 | 36.2 | 227.6 | 10.8% | 25.41 | 0.0 | 101.8 | 93.5 |
Makar enters his fourth fantasy season as the unquestioned No.1 defenseman in the NHL and fantasy leagues after finishing top-5 in goals (1st), assists (5th), points (2nd), plus/minus (2nd), power-play goals (2nd) power-play points (3rd), and shots (2nd). With only 32 total defensemen scoring in double figures last season, Makar’s elite, forward-esque goal scoring and cross-category production can be the difference between winning and losing many fantasy weeks. Still just 23 years old, the sky is the limit for what many consider the next Bobby Orr. Only two defensemen have scored 30-plus goals in a season in the last 30 years; Makar has a reasonable chance to become the third. As a result, Makar is a deserving and surefire top-10 pick in all fantasy drafts.
Gabriel Landeskog
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPA | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 74.5 | 35.7 | 41.0 | 76.7 | 25.0 | 82.8 | 11.1 | 10.7 | 21.8 | 213.9 | 16.7% | 20.15 | 371.8 | 45.8 | 125.4 |
Even with a knee surgery cutting his season 31 games short, Landeskog ended 2021-22 just one assist shy of his second career 30/30 season. With an impressive career-best 1.16 points per game, Landeskog should be a third or fourth-round pick as he enters the season fully healthy. A safe pick considering he’s entrenched on the top power-play unit and the first line with Mackinnon and Rantanen. Landeskog has failed to surpass 20 goals only two times in his 11-year Avalanche career but has also only eclipsed 66 points one time (2018-19). At this point in his career, we know the steady 30/30 production we will get from Landeskog, who has added value in banger leagues.
Devon Toews
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPA | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 73.7 | 12.4 | 39.1 | 51.5 | 42.0 | 21.3 | 2.3 | 8.5 | 10.8 | 165.6 | 7.5% | 24.25 | 0.0 | 99.4 | 60.4 |
A surprise Norris candidate in 2021-22, the smooth skating Toews finished his second Avalanche season remarkably ranked ninth among all defenders in points (57), ninth in goals (13), first in plus/minus (+52), 13th in Pts/gm (0.86) all while amassing only 12 total PPP. Another season attached to the hip of Makar should bode well for Toews’s fantasy outlook as he builds off his career year. Capped by his lack of power-play usage, Toews makes up for it with the Avalanche’s strong 5v5 play. As a result, he makes an incredibly safe draft day pick who can provide goals, scoring, and elite plus/minus numbers.
Valeri Nichuskin
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPA | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 71.8 | 24.6 | 26.6 | 51.2 | 24.6 | 14.7 | 5.3 | 3.2 | 8.5 | 193.1 | 12.7% | 19.03 | 0.9 | 36.0 | 109.6 |
Fresh off signing a juicy eight-year contract, Nichushkin heads into 2022-23 as a vital piece of the Avalanche’s high-flying top-6. His 25 goals and 27 assists were both career bests, inflated by 15 points in the final 14 games as he filled in on the top-line for an injured Landeskog. If Nichuskin can find himself back on the Avalanche’s top line, he makes an instant must-own in all leagues, proven by the late-season run. For now, consider him a safe, late-round pick as you fill out the weak winger slots of your fantasy team. Similar production to last season can be expected, but his ceiling will be capped if he doesn’t land on PP1.
Alex Newhook
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPA | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 71.0 | 18.9 | 23.2 | 42.1 | 11.4 | 9.3 | 4.4 | 5.8 | 10.2 | 153.6 | 12.3% | 14.00 | 140.4 | 37.2 | 41.3 |
Nazem Kadri and his 87 points have left town, leaving a glaring hole on the second line. Enter 21-year-old Alex Newhook. Fresh off a 33-point rookie season, which saw him rarely crack the Avalance top 6, Newhook will be looking to prove to everyone that he can not only hold down the pressures of a top-6 but excel. Newhook will battle with JT Compher for that spot in training camp and should move up draft boards if he is the No.2 centre to open the season.
Bowen Byram
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPA | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 67.0 | 9.0 | 30.2 | 39.2 | 12.6 | 16.0 | 1.8 | 7.5 | 9.3 | 126.9 | 7.1% | 19.37 | 0.0 | 56.4 | 124.4 |
Byrams’ 2021-22 Rookie season was filled with more highs and lows than most NHLers will experience across an entire career. From indefinite concussion injuries to being an integral part of the Avalanche hoisting the Stanley Cup, Byram enters his second season as a very intriguing late-round fantasy selection. His five goals and 12 assists across 30 games average to nearly 47 points across 82 games. That production would have ranked in the top-25 in both goals and points. Byram’s high upside, along with the previous successful results of Colorado top-4 defensemen like Toews and Samuel Girard, has Byram deservedly on many fantasy radars this season as he secures more nightly minutes. Byram has all the makings of a potential breakout candidate but his early ADP (117.3) and injury history make him a bit of a draft day gamble, as you’ll likely have to select him as your No.3 fantasy defenseman.
Goalies
Pavel Francouz
| GS | W | L | T/O | SV% | GAA | SO |
| 45.1 | 28.1 | 11.9 | 5.1 | 0.916 | 2.49 | 3.5 |
Francouz enters 2022-23 with a golden ticket to the best starting job in the NHL. Last year, Darcy Kuemper finished top-5 in wins; Francouz will look to duplicate similar production as Kuemper’s successor. Across two injury-filled seasons as the Avalanche’s backup, Francouz pitched a stellar .921 career save percentage on the way to winning 63 percent of his appearances. With Alexandar Georgiev joining him in the Avalanche’s crease, it’s unclear how the starts will be split up. However, they are more familiar with Francouz, and he has had the better numbers of the two in recent years, so the expectation is that he’ll see more starts if he can stay healthy. His early ADP is four and a half rounds after Georgiev’s, so Francouz could be a steal on draft day.
Alexander Georgiev
| GS | W | L | T/O | SV% | GAA | SO |
| 36.9 | 23.0 | 9.7 | 4.1 | 0.911 | 2.64 | 2.8 |
Stuck in the shadow of Igor Shesterkin, Georgiev found his way out of New York and into a great fantasy position in Colorado. Coming off a disappointing season that saw him finish under a .900 SV% (.898) for the first time in his five-year career, the 26-year-old will look to break out in a big way as he attempts to return to the mid-.910 SV% of his early Ranger days. Georgiev’s overall value will depend on how the Avalanche divvies up games. However, if Georgiev gets hot, it is not unrealistic to believe he can be the Avalanche’s everyday starter at some point this season.
Remaining Avalanche Projections
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPA | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| Artturi Lehkonen | LW/RW | 75.3 | 18.2 | 18.1 | 36.3 | 4.7 | 22.3 | 3.0 | 4.5 | 7.6 | 165.4 | 11.0% | 16.43 | 10.1 | 43.7 | 116.4 |
| Samuel Girard | D | 72.9 | 5.7 | 30.3 | 36.0 | 3.5 | 21.6 | 0.4 | 10.1 | 10.5 | 97.4 | 5.9% | 21.97 | 0.0 | 92.8 | 60.2 |
| J.T. Compher | C/LW | 72.9 | 17.0 | 16.4 | 33.4 | 9.4 | 26.2 | 2.7 | 2.9 | 5.6 | 102.1 | 16.7% | 16.32 | 359.4 | 60.6 | 38.7 |
| Ben Meyers | C | 78.2 | 14.0 | 16.5 | 30.5 | 3.3 | 9.3 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 3.1 | 131.9 | 10.6% | 10.55 | 181.4 | 16.5 | 16.5 |
| Logan O’Connor | RW | 81.0 | 9.2 | 14.4 | 23.6 | 13.4 | 40.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 126.0 | 7.3% | 13.16 | 5.3 | 55.6 | 99.2 |
| Erik Johnson | D | 73.2 | 5.7 | 14.6 | 20.3 | 14.1 | 23.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 116.9 | 4.9% | 17.28 | 0.0 | 120.0 | 124.9 |
| Josh Manson | D | 75.8 | 5.3 | 12.7 | 18.0 | 4.2 | 74.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 96.6 | 5.5% | 19.14 | 0.0 | 86.0 | 196.5 |
| Andrew Cogliano | LW | 77.3 | 4.8 | 11.5 | 16.3 | -8.5 | 26.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 90.5 | 5.3% | 12.96 | 9.7 | 33.4 | 107.7 |
| Darren Helm | LW | 72.1 | 6.2 | 7.0 | 13.2 | -4.6 | 17.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 93.1 | 6.7% | 10.55 | 57.1 | 25.0 | 86.9 |
| Jayson Megna | RW | 58.0 | 3.7 | 5.4 | 9.0 | -2.0 | 4.6 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 60.1 | 6.1% | 10.30 | 49.2 | 64.5 | 36.4 |