The Avalanche don’t need another regular-season masterpiece to make this year count.
That’s the big takeaway heading into the 2026-27 season. Colorado probably won’t look as overwhelming as it did a year ago, and that doesn’t have to be a problem.
After a 121-point season, a Presidents’ Trophy and a run where the Avalanche seemed nearly untouchable, anything less than that level of dominance is going to trigger noise. But the better question isn’t whether they can repeat that October-to-April surge.
It’s whether they can be the team standing at the end.
Last season’s first half was historic. Colorado became the first team in NHL history to have only two regulation losses through its first 40 games, a stretch that made the Avalanche look like one of the most dominant clubs the league had ever seen.
Then the year got messier. The losses came more often, the team limped into the Olympic break, came back sluggish and later went through another uneven stretch before the postseason arrived.
That’s why another 121-point pace may not be the real measuring stick this time around.
There were cracks even during the stretches when Colorado looked nearly unbeatable. Puck management was an issue, and so were defensive breakdowns.
Dangerous turnovers kept putting pressure on the goaltenders, and Scott Wedgewood had to come up with plenty of huge saves to keep things on track. Mackenzie Blackwood did the same after joining in the second half of the season.
That help was a major reason the Avalanche ended up with the William M. Jennings Trophy.
Colorado also had trouble on the power play. The man advantage struggled badly before the Olympic break, settled in afterward, then became a problem again once the playoffs started.
And the postseason exposed another issue that has followed this team for years: what happens when opponents can slow the game down, clog the middle and make the crease a miserable place to live.
Dallas has done it. Vegas has done it. Those teams have eliminated Colorado from the playoffs five times in the post-COVID era.
If the Avalanche are going to get past that kind of opponent, speed and skill alone won’t be enough. They need some edge.
That is where Zach L’Heureux comes in.
Joe Sakic addressed that need by bringing in the forward from Nashville in the trade that sent Jack Drury to the Predators and brought Fedor Svechkov to Colorado. L’Heureux gives the Avalanche something they’ve lacked for years: a player who can make life miserable for the other side and still help offensively.
He’s physical, competitive and hard to deal with, but he can also score. That kind of profile may matter a whole lot more in April and May than it does in November.
Depth is another piece of the puzzle. On paper, Colorado may not look quite as deep as it did last season, but that picture can change quickly over the course of an 82-game schedule.
If Parker Kelly takes another step after his first year in Colorado, that helps. If Logan O’Connor gets back to form, that helps.
If Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas stay healthy and produce at the level they can, that changes everything. And if the goaltending stays as dependable as it was a season ago, the Avalanche have a real base to build from.
There are also the wild cards. Fabian Lysell and Fedor Svechkov are two relatively inexpensive players with real upside, and if either one earns a bigger role and gives Colorado more than expected, the roster suddenly looks a lot deeper than it did on opening night.
That’s how NHL seasons often go. It’s not about every player meeting the exact forecast. It’s about a few guys beating it.
So if Colorado isn’t blowing teams out every other night, that’s not a reason to sound the alarm. If the Avalanche miss out on the Presidents’ Trophy, that doesn’t automatically mean something has gone sideways. And if they don’t end up with another franchise-best point total, that shouldn’t overshadow the real goal.
Because the regular season is only the setup.
The real challenge starts when the ice tightens, the hits get heavier and one opponent has seven games to strip away everything that makes Colorado dangerous. That’s when the Avalanche have to be better: protecting the puck, defending more consistently, getting the special teams to hold up, trusting the goaltending and finding enough physical pushback to keep teams like Dallas and Vegas from setting the terms.
Above all, they have to get there healthy.
If they do that while keeping the speed, skill and scoring punch that made them so dangerous last season, their Stanley Cup window is still wide open. But it won’t stay that way forever.
Cale Makar’s new eight-year contract comes with a $20.4 million annual cap hit beginning after this season. Nathan MacKinnon is not getting younger. And the core that has carried this franchise is back in the same chase again.
The Avalanche don’t need to prove they’re the best team in hockey in October.
They need to prove it when it matters most.
In Other News...
MacKinnon Sends A Clear Message As Avalanche Face Bednar Pressure
Nathan MacKinnon made it clear he is not interested in turning Jared Bednar into the fall guy for Colorados latest playoff disappointment. Instead, the Avalanche star pointed to the Carolina Hurricanes as proof that a team can stay committed to its path and still find the right breakthrough, even after plenty of hard postseason lessons. For a club that has spent years trying to stay among the leagues elite, that kind of public backing matters, especially when the noise around the coach starts to grow.
Bednar, for his part, is not pretending nothing needs to change. He has said he plans to evolve his approach by leaning more into player development and spending less time on opponent-specific preparation, a sign he knows Colorado has to sharpen the parts of its game that matter most in May and beyond. The message from both sides is fairly simple: keep the foundation intact, make the necessary adjustments and avoid overreacting to a postseason that did not end the way the Avalanche wanted. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche May Have A Real Connor Hellebuyck Opening Now
A surprising opening has emerged around Connor Hellebuyck after the Winnipeg Jets announced the goaltender has been suspended for failing to report to training camp. The move does more than create a headache in Winnipeg. It also puts one of the leagues most accomplished netminders back into the center of the conversation at a time when the Avalanche are always watching for any chance to strengthen the most important position on the ice.
Winnipegs decision allows the team to withhold payment because of the breach of contract, and Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is expected to speak with reporters to provide more detail. Until then, the bigger question for Colorado is whether this situation stays a disciplinary matter or turns into something far more consequential, with trade chatter and even contract termination suddenly part of the backdrop. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Face A Roster Squeeze They May Not Escape Cleanly
The Avalanche are headed into a tricky part of the calendar with six players needing to clear waivers for the first time this season, and that alone puts some pressure on how they sort out the roster. Colorado has to weigh not just who fits right now, but who can be safely moved between the NHL and AHL without losing an asset for nothing, a calculation that gets harder when depth is part of the team's identity.
A few of those players look more likely to end up in the minors, while others carry enough value or uncertainty that they could draw interest if exposed. With contract status, prior waiver history and the clubs current depth all factoring into the decision, this is the kind of roster squeeze that can force a tough call even before opening night settles everything else. [Read more 🡒]