LOS ANGELES — A nearly-flat salary cap over the past several seasons has made it tough for teams at the top of the NHL to maintain their place among the league’s best.
General managers like Colorado’s Chris MacFarland have had to get creative to patch holes, whether they are significant ones or just shoring up the edges of the roster. For MacFarland this offseason, that meant retooling the Avs’ forward depth, a process that left Colorado with five new forwards in the top three lines for Wednesday night’s season-opener against the Kings.
“We’re happy with our offseason,” MacFarland said.