The Colorado Avalanche are drawing a surprising amount of confidence from NHL.com’s panel ahead of the 2026-27 season, with half of the 14 writers picking them to win the Stanley Cup.
That kind of support stands out because Colorado has already had to reshape its roster this offseason, moving on from Valeri Nichushkin and Jack Drury. Even with those departures, plenty of voters still see a team capable of getting back to the Final and finishing the job.
There’s also the question of whether Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood can duplicate the kind of season that earned them the William M. Jennings Trophy.
For some around the league, that uncertainty only feeds the skepticism. Others have gone even further, suggesting the Avalanche’s window is close to closing because of the age of some of their key players.
Inside the organization, though, the belief is different. The view there is that the window stays open as long as Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon are driving the team.
That’s not hard to understand. MacKinnon and Makar are the two names everyone circles when the conversation turns to Colorado’s stars, and both will be under pressure to deliver a stronger postseason than they have in the past if the Avalanche are going to reach the Final again. MacKinnon, at least, already led the team in postseason goals in 2025-26.
MacKinnon is coming off a 127-point season, and another year north of 110 points feels like the baseline. Maybe he gets back to 127.
Maybe not. But Colorado is going to need more than one huge season from him to keep rolling.
Martin Necas and Brock Nelson have to be part of the answer too, especially if they can translate regular-season production into playoff performance.
That’s why the Cup picks are so interesting. Most of the writers who backed Colorado also chose either the Carolina Hurricanes or the Florida Panthers to come out of the East. One even went with the Montreal Canadiens over the Avalanche in the Final, which is a bold call considering Montreal still isn’t exactly a routine postseason fixture.
If Colorado is going to lift the Stanley Cup, it won’t just be by piling up regular-season points. In fact, history suggests their odds may be better if they don’t end up as Presidents’ Trophy winners.
Of course, every season starts at 0-0-0. No team has proven anything yet. The Avalanche should be in the playoffs unless injuries get in the way, but that’s only the first step.
What happens after that is the whole story. And Colorado is heading into the year with plenty to prove.
In Other News...
T.J. Hughes Just Made Colorados Final Roster Call Much Harder
T.J. Hughes gave the Avalanche one more thing to think about in their preseason win over the Winnipeg Jets, piling up a hat trick and an assist in a performance that was hard to ignore. Jared Bednar even spent part of the game testing Hughes at center before moving him back to the wing, a small lineup wrinkle that said plenty about how Colorado is still sorting out the edges of its roster ahead of opening night.
For a team trying to settle on the right mix, Hughes night only made the competition tighter. Hes in the group battling for a spot, and a showing like this does not make the decision any easier for the coaching staff as the Avalanche weigh who fits best when the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Trade Buzz Around Dylan Larkin Just Got More Real
Trade chatter around Dylan Larkin has taken on a little more weight around the Avalanche, with Elliotte Friedman reporting that the Red Wings center has expanded his list of preferred destinations to include Colorado. It is the kind of development that instantly gets attention in this market, where the Avs are always weighing whether there is another high-end piece out there who can fit their pace, their core and their championship timeline.
Colorado is also still sorting through its own early roster picture after its third preseason game, when T.J. Hughes made a loud case for himself with a hat trick and four points while battling for a spot. The Avalanche are in that familiar position of trying to balance present-day ambition with roster decisions at the margin, and any serious talk about a player of Larkins caliber only adds another layer to what could become one of the more closely watched storylines in the weeks ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Are Betting On Zachary L'Heureux's Edge For The Playoffs
The Avalanche did not bring in Zachary L'Heureux for subtlety. They saw a forward who can hit, hunt pucks and make life miserable on the forecheck, the kind of edge that can matter when the games tighten up in the playoffs and the stars need a little more room to work.
The bet, of course, is that his aggression can be harnessed rather than repeated history getting in the way. Colorado is looking for him to grow into a steady NHL role, one that brings reliable effort at both ends and gives the lineup some useful muscle, but the challenge is turning that physical style into an asset the Avalanche can count on when the pressure rises. [Read more 🡒]