The Central Division may be getting even tighter for the Colorado Avalanche, and the team that could make life hardest in 2026-27 isn’t the one that jumps out first.
Nashville has been active, too, bringing in former Avs Ross Colton and Jack Drury to deepen the middle of the ice. With Ryan O’Reilly, Steven Stamkos, and Roman Josi already in place, the Predators have plenty of veteran name power. But the bigger threat, based on the way Utah has attacked its roster, is the Mammoth.
Utah spent last season stuck behind Colorado, Dallas, and Minnesota, never really closing the gap on the top tier in the division. That picture could look different next year.
The Mammoth have added Vincent Trocheck and Anders Lee, moves that should bring more stability to a still-young core. They also lost Sean Durzi, which will matter, but a full season from Dmitri Simashev could help make up for that absence.
That mix of youth and veteran help gives Utah a real chance to take a step forward. And then there’s the move that could change the conversation entirely.
Utah swung a trade with the Detroit Red Wings to land goalie Sebastian Cossa for a first-round pick. At 6’6” and 209 pounds, Cossa brings the kind of size that stands out immediately. He’s expected to back up Karel Vejmelka, but the key point is that he should get a real chance to play in Utah, something he never got in Detroit.
That matters because one of Utah’s issues last season was leaning too hard on Vejmelka. Vitek Vanacek didn’t provide the kind of steadiness the team needed when the season stretched on. If Cossa can find his game, he gives the Mammoth the sort of high-end goaltending that can push a team from interesting to dangerous.
And that’s exactly the kind of development Colorado does not need in its own division. The Avalanche already have to navigate Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger, Juuse Saros, and Jordan Binnington. Adding another goalie with Cossa’s upside only makes the path tougher.
For Colorado, the message is simple: divisional games are going to demand more consistency, more focus, and less room for error. If there’s one Central team to keep an eye on, it’s Utah.
In Other News...
Former Avalanche First Round Pick Is Suddenly Back In Focus
Justin Barron is getting another chance to settle in on a blue line, with Nashville bringing back the former Avalanche first-round pick on a one-year deal. After arriving from Montreal, Barron skated in 52 games for the Predators last season, and the contract gives him a fresh runway to carve out a more permanent role on a roster that still seems to be sorting out its defensive picture.
For Colorado fans, Barrons name still carries a little extra weight because of where he came from and how his career has unfolded since leaving Denver. He has now played 208 NHL games across three teams, but the playoff stage remains one thing he has not reached yet, which leaves his next step in Nashville worth watching as the season approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Offseason Overhaul Left One Huge Cup Question Unanswered
Colorado spent the offseason trying to redraw the edges of a roster that has been built to contend, moving on from several familiar middle-six pieces and bringing in veteran winger Jaden Schwartz as part of the reset. The goal was clear enough: add some experience, get a little younger in spots, and give the lineup a different look without losing the identity that has kept the Avalanche in the title mix.
What still hangs over the whole exercise is whether those changes actually solve the teams biggest playoff problem. The projected fourth line should bring more bite and a little more physical edge, which matters for a club that has been pushed around at times when the games get heavy, but the real test will come once the new mix is asked to hold up over a full season and into the spring. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Fans May Hate How The Alex Newhook Trade Looks Now
The Alex Newhook trade has aged into one of those deals that can make a fan base wince a little harder with each passing month. Montreal got the forward from Colorado for draft picks and a defenseman, and Newhook has kept trending up while giving the Canadiens useful playoff production and a contract that looks especially friendly as he heads into the final season of his deal at a modest cap hit.
Colorado, meanwhile, is still waiting for its side of the return to really show up in a meaningful way. One pick became Mikhail Gulyayev, a defenseman whose path to North America is still a long one, and another was moved along in a separate chain that eventually led elsewhere, which leaves the Avalanche with plenty of reason to wonder whether the full value of the trade will ever arrive in time to matter. [Read more 🡒]