Bet the House: Zach Redmond

Let's not format this one into sections today. WHOA breakin the mold.

Zach Redmond's playing time this season may not end up having anything to do with Zach Redmond. The addition of Francois Beauchemin doesn't exactly bump him down the depth chart because Jan Hejda leaving balances that out. But Nikita Zadorov looks to play second-pairing minutes next season with Tyson Barrie. That leaves your Avs blueline as follows:

Beauchemin - Erik Johnson
Zadorov - Barrie
Nick Holden or Brad Stuart - Nate Guenin or Redmond OR some other combination with somebody on their off-hand

Now I feel pretty comfortable saying Stuart and Guenin are the least useful of the four, but I also don't feel comfortable at all with Redmond killing penalties. Holden at least has done it, maybe not completely amazingly, but he played nearly 2:00 per game shorthanded each of the last two seasons. Knowing how much emphasis the current regime puts on a defensive player's penalty killing, this immediately puts Redmond behind the 8-ball.

Redmond had 20 points last year in 59 games and a positive rel Corsi (though his rel zone starts should also be attacking-zone heavy). He is capable of moving the puck through the neutral zone in transition, but he struggles against top opposition and gets pinned in his own zone. That's a fairly acceptable 3rd pairing guy...if there were more PK defensemen on the roster. Johnson and Beauchemin will be expected to do it. Its basically exactly Barrie's weakness and Zadorov has never had to consistently.

I see Redmond as precisely the guy he was trying to avoid being when he signed in Colorado in the first place - the odd defenseman out. I'd even bet the House (Bob I swear to God) on him being healthy scratched the most in the coming season.

It's not necessarily going to be his fault, and I would play him. And maybe you disagree, that's what the comments are for. I just don't really expect Roy's Avalanche to play him.