For much of this season, the Colorado Avalanche had six Stanley Cup-winning defensemen in its lineup.
Those six guys had combined to play 100 of the 120 games available at the position two years ago when the Avs stormed to a championship. Four players — Cale Makar, Devon Toews, Bowen Byram and Josh Manson — played in 20 playoff games.
Samuel Girard (seven) and Jack Johnson (13) split one of the other two spots, while Erik Johnson held down the other.
Fast forward to now, and it’s possible the Avalanche will start its first-round series against Winnipeg with two defensemen who each have two Stanley Cup Playoffs games apiece: in-season additions Sean Walker and Caleb Jones.
“The atmosphere is at another level, and the intensity gets ramped up,” said Walker, who appeared in two playoff games for the Los Angeles Kings last season. “It was great experience for me to get in those games. I feel comfortable going into it this year.”
Colorado traded Byram to Buffalo to acquire new No. 2 center Casey Mittelstadt before the trade deadline, and added Walker from Philadelphia in a corresponding move to replace him. Walker was in the midst of a breakout season with the Flyers before the trade, but Philadelphia was also on the playoff bubble at the time, and moving Walker, a pending UFA, was a pretty clear sign of intent to continue the rebuilding process.
Walker was in and out of the lineup near the end of last season with the Kings, and was a healthy scratch at the start of their first-round series loss. Then he leveled up in a bigger role with the Flyers.
Now he’s in a very different situation.
“With a team like the Flyers, obviously the goal is to make the playoffs, but I think the team knew this wasn’t going to be a year to make a long run,” Walker said. “Then you get traded to a place like this and that’s the goal. We’re here to go on a long run and win the Stanley Cup. That’s the expectation. It is a little different and I’m really excited.”
Jones was stuck in the AHL to start the season, but the Avs added him in an under-the-radar deal with Carolina in large part because the front office recognized that the depth chart behind the six guys mentioned above was filled with uncertainty.
Jones has not played as much this season for the Avs as he might have wanted, but he’s been exactly what they were looking for — a competent, capable No. 7 defenseman. And he could be even more valuable right now because Girard’s availability for Game 1 against the Jets is still uncertain as he works his way through concussion protocol.
When the season began, Jones was caught in a numbers game with Carolina. The Hurricanes had told him when he signed that they were going to try and move one or two of the defensemen on one-way contracts ahead of him. That didn’t work out, and the Hurricanes don’t have their own AHL team, so they told him they’d look for a place to move him.
Enter the Avs, who needed a depth defenseman. Jones also mentioned Colorado was one of the teams that had reached out with interest before he signed with Carolina. He was already in the state, on loan with the Eagles.
He played 12 games for the Eagles but has been with the Avalanche for the rest of the season since being recalled in early November. Jones has only played in 24 NHL games, including some time at forward.
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“It’s been tough at times,” Jones said of his season. “Starting in the AHL felt like a step backward, but I feel like I put my head down and worked hard and played well. Waited for an opportunity. When I got here I think I’ve played well, at least on defense.”
Here’s another wrinkle for Jones: His two career Stanley Cup Playoff games came in 2020, when the NHL played in the “bubble” in Edmonton without fans because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jones played in two of the opening-round games for the Oilers before they were upset by Chicago.
Now, his third career playoff game may come in Winnipeg. Canada Life Centre has been known for having one of the best postseason crowds in the NHL since the Jets moved there from Atlanta.
“It will be a different atmosphere, for sure,” Jones said. “But I’ve played in a lot of big games coming up. That doesn’t phase you. It is a smaller building. The fans feel more on top of you. It will be fun for sure. It’s going to be intense.”
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