Brandon Yip

The Colorado Avalanche have played two preseason games thus far and have already now trimmed their roster down to 34 players.

After the Burgundy vs. White game, recapped at The Avalanche Guild, the first round of players were reassigned.

There are teams that suffer from injury problems, and then there is the Colorado Avalanche.

The Avs revealed on Friday that defenseman Jan Hejda and forward Brandon Yip would be unavailable due to injuries suffered in preseason contests. This is a foreboding way to begin the 2011-12 campaign for a team that lost close to 500 man games to injury a season ago.

A seemingly harmless body check, during a meaningless game against the Los Angeles Kings, was enough to change the culture of the Avalanche's lineup for the foreseeable future.

The concussion left wing Peter Mueller—known Mark Messier helmet advocate—sustained in the Avalanche's second pre-season game, has negatively impacted the team, through it's first four games.

The Colorado Avalanche were one of the biggest surprises last season, getting huge contributions out of rookies and players who had been relegated to reduced roles on other teams.

This year there are high expectations for that same group, as the younger players will now play the role of mentor to more major league rookies as Colorado continues it's overhaul.

Every season there are a number of players who up their game. They produce beyond expectations and usually end up having very productive careers. 

Whether it's scoring 100 points, putting up 50 assists, or leading the league in save percentage, an NHL team usually has a least one player per season who ends up in the spotlight.

Last Season, the Avs' break-out player was Chris Stewart (pictured left, who put up 28 goals and 64 points).