“Plan D” is working out A-OK for the Colorado Avalanche.
When Jared Bednar looks for a player to slot in next to Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, he has a list of traits in mind. They include being a trusted defensive player, being able to play a lot of minutes at a high energy level, playing with ruggedness and a desire to forecheck, and being a hard, competitive player at the front of the opposing team’s net.
The first three players who come to mind are captain Gabe Landeskog, Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen. None of them are available right now.