Thanks to some significant roster turnover for the Colorado Avalanche this summer, the team that we see on opening night is going to look quite a bit different from the one that took the San Jose Sharks to Game 7 of the Western Conference semi-final. After a big trade and a few significant signings earlier this month, the Avs will be missing a long-time presence on the blue line while changing half of their middle-six forwards.
Though Tyson Barrie will be missed, the emergence of Cale Makar (and the likelihood that Barrie wouldn’t sign an extension) made him expendable.