Avalanche have deeper defense after thin offseason

Oliver Kylington was excited about the new opportunity, but he hadn’t planned on spending more than two weeks in a Canadian hotel room on his off-season prep bingo card.

Kylington signed a one-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche on Aug. 5. The 27-year-old is one of several new defensemen in the organization who, along with Sam Malinski, are competing for one of two open blue-line spots on the Avs’ roster.

When training camp began Thursday, Kylington had to wait. His gear hadn’t arrived because of immigration issues. He almost didn’t make it in time either, waiting to be allowed in while stuck in a hotel north of the border.

““I think I’ve learned a lot about patience,” Kylington said. “It’s been a crazy few weeks, but I’m just trying to make the best of it. Immigration took a while. I’m just happy to be here.”

Sean Walker signed with the Carolina Hurricanes, Jack Johnson left for the Columbus Blue Jackets and Caleb Jones is in Los Angeles with the Kings. That trio was Colorado’s No. 5-7 defensemen at the end of last season.

The day before free agency began, Malinski, who played 23 NHL games last year, was the fifth player on the roster. The Avalanche then added Calvin de Haan, Erik Brannstrom and Kylington, all players with more NHL experience, as well as Jacob MacDonald and Calle Rosen.

““There’s always going to be competition and guys fighting for spots, so it’s really no different,” Malinski said. “I mean, competition can be fun, too.”

The Avs don’t have a clear No. 5 like Bo Byram or Walker. Or a clear No. 6 like Johnson.

What they do have is a collection of intriguing players who are all potential bargains. Walker signed a five-year deal with Carolina with an average annual value of $3.6 million. If Kylington, Brannstrom, de Haan and Malinski all make the opening day roster, their combined salary cap hit will be… $3.6 million.

““I’m excited. I feel like we got some really good players while we were cap-bound,” Avs star Cale Makar said. “I feel like management did an incredible job. All three of them are really good left-handed players. I’m looking forward to playing with those guys and seeing how they fit into our system.”

All four players could very well make the team. The Avs have eight defensemen without salary cap issues, at least until Gabe Landeskog (injured) or Valeri Nichushkin (suspended) return.

But who will be in the lineup on Oct. 9 in Las Vegas for opening night, and how playing time will be distributed from there, could be a continuing competition. Malinski’s advantages are that he’s been in the system longer, has been under team control for at least a year longer and is a right-handed shot.

All three new players are left-handed, which isn’t necessarily a problem. Head coach Jared Bednar has played two left-handed defensemen together on numerous occasions. Malinski, Kylington and Brannstrom are all offensive-oriented players, while de Haan is more of a Johnson-like defenseman.