The Avalanche need another defenseman before the trade deadline comes and goes. That much was obvious in their 3-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild at Ball Arena Monday.
They're fine at the top. More than fine, actually. Cale Makar will likely be a finalist for the Norris Trophy yet again, and there's a good chance he wins his second. Devon Toews has found his game again after dealing with injuries early in the season. And then you have Sam Girard, who the coaching staff has a great deal of trust in and eats up a lot of minutes.
After that, it gets iffy.
Josh Manson will play if he's remotely healthy. But he hasn't been healthy most of the season. The rugged defenseman has been playing through a wrist injury that limits a lot of what he can do with the puck. Colorado is hoping the upcoming break will allow his injury to heal, but that's no guarantee. The injury isn't an excuse for his recent struggles.
"He is struggling, but it's some of the decision making right now that's getting (Manson) in trouble," Bednar said.
Then you get to the depth. John Ludvig was claimed on waivers early in the year, but the Avalanche have shown no interest in using him and waived him last week. Sam Malinski has hit a wall after a strong start and has spent the last three games in the press box as a healthy scratch. Oliver Kylington has barely played due to injury. Calvin de Haan and Keaton Middleton are what they are — limited defensemen who other teams would try and target over the course of a seven-game series.
Malinsk finding his game again over the final few months of the season would help, but even if he does, the team needs one more quality blueliner if they plan on going on a long playoff run.
Defense is hardly the only other need this team has. Similar question marks exist when it comes to forward depth. The team at least has some potential reinforcements coming that could change the look of the forward group in a few weeks in Valeri Nichushkin and Miles Wood.
That's not the case on defense. If the Avalanche plan on playing well into the spring in a competitive Western Conference, Makar and company will need another running mate on that blue line.
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Wild 3, Avalanche 1
What happened: The Avalanche slept through the first two periods and couldn't turn it on until it was far too late.
What went right: Nathan MacKinnon went into superhero mode late in the second period, dancing through the Wild defense on his way to the only goal of the game for Colorado. That was about the only highlight of the night for the Avalanche, who generated very little on Marc-Andre Fleury.
What went wrong: The Avalanche played with little energy on Monday. They had plenty to play for. With a win, they could have jumped the Wild in the standings. Instead, they looked asleep at the wheel most of the afternoon.
"It was a struggle to create offense," Jared Bednar said after the loss. "I didn't think we gave up a lot of chances, but we didn't get any chances either. And the chances they scored on, and that was on us."
Avalanche goal scorer: Nathan McKinnon (18)
Wild goal scorers: Jake Middleton (7), Yakov Trenin (4), Brock Faber (6)
Between the pipes: Mackenzie Blackwood made two highlight-reel saves in this game to keep the Avalanche in it but took the loss with 23 saves on 26 shots.
