This is not about PP1 for the Colorado Avalanche. That weapon of mass destruction will very likely remain unchanged from last season, save for shuffling around the Gabriel Landeskog injury. Nathan Mackinnon and Cale Makar will still lead that unit, flanked down low by Mikko Rantanen, Artturi Lehkonen, and Valeri Nichushkin for now.
It’s the second power-play unit that is raising eyebrows around the NHL.
Ever since the 1-3-1 became the preferred power play for most of the league (one man down low, three in the middle, one up high), it has been uncommon to see two defensemen on the power play, let alone three, as most teams roll out four forwards and one defenseman.