from Mike Chambers of the Denver Post,

They lack a deterrent — a guy who can lead his teammates into the fight. And in this Original Six-type season that has Colorado playing the Blues and Knights eight times apiece — plus possibly in a seven-game playoff series — team toughness is paramount.

“In the case of the Avalanche, you’re going to have some pretty contentious games with the Vegas Golden Knights and the St. Louis Blues, because they seem to be the clear top-three teams in that division,” NHL Network analyst E.J. Hradek told me. “And they’re going to see each other in the first two rounds of the playoffs, so there’s going to be even more meetings with those teams.”...

Here’s an idea: The Avs should unleash top-size power forwards Gabe Landeskog and Nazem Kadri. Yes, they want Landeskog and Kadri to score goals and make plays — not fight and potentially break a hand or an orbital bone.

But this highly talented team can’t have it both ways. It can’t forget about the blood-and-guts toughness every Stanley Cup winner must possess.

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