from Mike Chambers of the Denver Post,

With or without second-line center Nazem Kadri, the Avalanche will again likely be the Stanley Cup favorite when NHL training camps begin in September.

The reigning champions, who are in the final stages of finalizing another star-studded roster, have thus far retained much more than they lost during free agency. They are poised to again be the powerhouse of the Western Conference. And if they can find the necessary cap money to keep Kadri, the league’s prized unsigned player, there will be absolutely no holes in the lineup.

Preventing power forward Valeri Nichushkin and shutdown defenseman Josh Manson from testing the UFA market were all-star moves. And locking up restricted free agent forward Artturi Lehkonen to a five-year contract was similarly as shrewd. Every championship team needs a special fourth line and Colorado prevented Darren Helm and Andrew Cogliano from signing elsewhere and losing two-thirds of that trio.

But defense wins championships. And with the Avs, they arguably have the best group of defensemen in the league. They again won’t have to have Patrick Roy in net to win the Stanley Cup. They can again hoist it with prototype backup goalie Pavel Francouz playing behind newcomer Alexandar Georgiev instead of Darcy Kuemper.

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