Injuries were a huge concern for the Colorado Avalanche last season. The Avs suited up a whopping 43 different skaters and five goaltenders in the 2022-23 campaign. Out of the four players who played all 82 games last season, two of them aren’t on the roster anymore.
The Avalanche made some notable moves this offseason to shore up some of the forward depth, but the depth of the defensive corps might be the most important thing to watch as the team gears up for this season. Focusing even closer on that group, the health of two players – Bowen Byram and Josh Manson – will be critical to Colorado’s consistency at the blue line. The duo looks poised to start the season as the team’s No. 2 defensive pairing, but both are going to need to be available more often if Colorado wants a return to the Cup.
Manson, Byram Missed Bulk of 2022-23
Colorado entered 2022-23 flying high. The team had just celebrated the franchise’s third Stanley Cup championship and locked up superstar Nate MacKinnon to a critical contract extension just before the puck dropped on the new campaign. Injuries hit early and often, and caught up in that wave were Byram and Manson, who were critical pieces in that title run just a few months before.
Then, the next campaign hit. Manson managed to play in just 27 games last season, scoring two goals on the way to just 10 points. Byram managed career highs in goals (10), assists (14) and points (24) last season, but played in just 42 games. He’s been plagued with concussion woes throughout his career, and those 42 games were a career high by a longshot (the previous high being 30 in 2021-22).
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There is no questioning Byram’s potential, and there’s also no questioning the presence Manson brings to the ice. But the problem is they’re just not available. That has to change now, as the offseason focus turned towards bolstering the depth up front. Colorado was able to put together a late run at the end of the season to still win the division, but nobody wants to bank on that happening again.
Both Played Crucial Roles in Latest Cup Run
Both Byram and Manson appeared in every playoff game during Colorado’s run to the 2022 Cup. Byram averaged north of 19 minutes per game in those playoffs – which was nearly a minute more than he averaged in the regular season – and Manson averaged more than 17 minutes per game. The Avalanche blueliners played some of their best hockey during the season in that postseason, and it was due in large part to the group’s depth (and a Conn Smythe-winning youngster named Cale Makar).
Manson was brought to the Avalanche on a trade-deadline deal to help bolster the team for their Cup run. He came in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks for a second-round draft pick and Drew Helleson. The move paid off, as Manson delivered three goals in the postseason, including one game-winner. After that performance, he got rewarded with a four-year contract extension to remain in Colorado.
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Byram led the Avs in plus-minus that postseason at plus-15, and it looked everything like what the Avalanche expected to get when they took him fourth overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Everything went fine for the first month of 2022-23, but then an upper-body injury forced him to miss three months. Now a year removed from that Cup run, it’s time for both Byram and Manson to prove they can be healthy enough to belong again.
Avs Don’t Have Much Depth at the Back
Cale Makar and Devon Toews make up the pairing ahead of Byram and Manson, but the third pairing looks to be Jack Johnson and Samuel Girard. After that, there isn’t much experience to talk about. Any extended absence by either Byram or Manson could put a real strain on the back end for Colorado, which is already staring at a thin goaltending group because Pavel Francouz can’t get healthy.
The front office believes in both players, having extended their contracts in the last two offseasons. Manson is signed through 2025-26 on a deal with an average annual value (AAV) of $4.5 million, while Bowen got a deal that ends in 2024-25 at $3.85 million AAV. Bowen will be a restricted free agent when that deal concludes. However, Manson is 32 years old, and many think that contract is one of the club’s worst with how cramped Colorado is for cap space.
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The team also lost stalwart defenseman Erik Johnson, who left for the Buffalo Sabres in free agency, meaning there isn’t a lot to fall back on. There’s also no safety net. Because Colorado dumped a number of prospects and picks at the trade deadline during the last Cup run, there aren’t many resources to deal for another player. While both of them have some years left on their current contracts, this is a make-or-break season for both of them. Colorado is still staring at a championship window, but that glass will shatter if the health issues continue for two of their most important defensemen.
