The Colorado Avalanche may be catching a major break before the 2026-27 season even gets rolling.
After cruising through last season’s regular season with little real pressure on their push for the league’s best record, Colorado now looks set up with one of the friendlier schedules in the NHL. According to a strength of schedule ranking for next season, the Avalanche could have the second-easiest slate in the league.
One detail jumps off the page: Colorado is scheduled for 12 games against opponents playing the second night of a back-to-back. That means more chances to face tired legs and backup goalies.
The Avalanche won’t lead the league in that category, but they’ll still get a healthy number of those situations compared with most teams.
At the same time, Colorado will have 10 back-to-back sets of its own next season, which is the third-fewest in the NHL.
The schedule quirks aren’t necessarily a sign the league is leaning toward the Avalanche. A lot of it comes down to travel distance, time zones, and the NHL trying to build road trips around geographic regions. Either way, the result looks favorable for Colorado.
That matters because a lighter regular season is only useful if the Avalanche actually use it. If the year doesn’t turn into a grind, they can try to stay fresher and healthier for the playoff run next spring.
That’s no small thing after the wear and tear that eventually caught up to them this past season.
The Avalanche are deep, and the front office has built the roster that way. But a little extra help never hurts in a league where the margins are razor thin. An inch here or there can be the difference between lifting the Stanley Cup and heading home early.
For Colorado, the early signs are encouraging. The schedule appears to be tilting in their favor, and now it’s on the Avalanche to make the most of it.
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Jaden Schwartz is already back at Family Sports Center and even has a new jersey number waiting for him, another small sign that camp is moving toward the real thing. What remains unsettled is how Bednar will deploy all that center depth in the opener, and whether he chooses to spread it around or stack it in a way that gives Colorado an immediate edge. [Read more 🡒]