Ross Colton back at No. 3 center, the one spot in Avalanche lineup with an uncertain future

When a team is off to the third-best start in league history, any sort of concern is very much a first-world problem. There are a few nits to pick with the Colorado Avalanche. The power play is the most obvious one. A lack of success in shootouts is on the list, but as coach Jared Bednar often says, there are no shootouts in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Maybe the most interesting of them all is the No. 3 center position. It’s the one spot on the roster where there is the least amount of clarity, now and in the future. The newest No. 3 center is a familiar one. Ross Colton, who began the 2023-24 season in the role, is back after spending the first 30 games on the wing. “It’s been fine,” Colton said. “It’s only been two games and I don’t know what’s going to happen here moving forward. I’m just trying to play my game, not really change anything. Obviously I played it a little bit two years ago. Just keep working at it, with the minutes we’re getting.” Jack Drury began the season as the No. 3 center. Bednar loves him in the fourth-line center, but with Charlie Coyle off to Columbus in an offseason trade, Drury was the answer by the end of training camp to be his replacement. Drury is an excellent defensive center. The offensive ceiling is the question. He had four goals and 10 points in 30 games as the third-line center. Renck vs. Keeler: Nuggets’ Jonas Valanciunas or Avs’ Brent Burns — better offseason addition? /*! This file is auto-generated */!function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i