The Colorado Avalanche spent much of last season looking like a team built to punish opponents on the power play, only to finish 2025-26 with a problem that never seemed to make sense. The talent was there. The results weren’t.
That mismatch sat right alongside a season that otherwise overflowed with individual recognition, but the man advantage kept dragging the conversation back to the same frustrating place. Colorado’s power play converted at just 17.1%, good for 27th in the league, and the Avalanche also gave up 13 short-handed goals - the most in the NHL during the regular season and tied for the third-worst mark in franchise history. Even in the playoffs, the unit never fully stabilized: it climbed to 20.6% overall before dropping to 10% in the Western Conference Finals.
That kind of drop-off stands out even more when you line it up with what Colorado had been before last season. Over the previous four years, the Avalanche were consistently near the top of the league on the power play:
2021-22: 24.0%, 7th
2022-23: 24.5%, 6th
2023-24: 24.5%, 5th
2024-25: 24.8%, 8th
2025-26: 17.1%, 27th
So the question entering this season wasn’t whether the Avalanche had enough skill. They clearly do. It was how to make that skill function together better.
Through two games, there are already signs of movement. Colorado’s power play has looked better early, but the season opener against the Los Angeles Kings also included two short-handed goals against, which kept last year’s biggest issue in view.
The Avalanche are not tearing the whole thing down. The expectation is more adjustment than overhaul.
The biggest change, though, is T.J. Hughes.
Hughes was the surprise name on the Avalanche’s opening-night roster, especially with the Colorado Eagles carrying other players with NHL-level resumes. But he has not looked overwhelmed, and the Avalanche have clearly trusted him to handle the pressure of skating with Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Gabriel Landeskog, and Martin Nečas.
He has not yet produced a point, aside from taking a penalty in defense of Cale Makar, but his role has already changed the shape of the man advantage. By working the bumper spot on the first unit, Hughes has helped create a second power play group that looks dangerous enough to be a top unit for plenty of other teams. Jaden Schwartz, Nazem Kadri, Artturi Lehkonen, Devon Toews, and Brock Nelson give Colorado a second wave that can really hurt opponents.
That depth has mattered right away. Of the Avalanche’s four power play goals so far this season, three have come from the second unit - one by Brock Nelson and two by Artturi Lehkonen.
So even without a goal or assist of his own, Hughes has already altered the feel of Colorado’s special teams. At this early stage of the season, it has worked.
The bigger question is whether he keeps his place once Zachary L’Heureux and Logan O’Connor get healthy and the bottom six fills out. If Hughes moves out, the Avalanche will have to figure out what that means for the momentum they’ve built on the power play.
In Other News...
Former Avalanche Blue-Liner Brings Back An All Too Familiar What-If
Ryan Lindgrens night for the Kraken ended almost before it began, a jarring turn for a defenseman whose career has already been marked by constant movement. He was hurt 15 seconds into Seattles game against the Vegas Golden Knights after taking a hit from behind and did not return because of an upper-body injury, another frustrating reminder of how quickly a season can tilt for a player trying to carve out stability in a new home.
For Avalanche fans, Lindgrens situation can stir a familiar what-if after his brief stint in Colorado following a trade brought him into the fold. He is now in his second season with Seattle, and his recent career path has been a reminder of how often his value has traveled with him from stop to stop. The injury adds a fresh layer of uncertainty to a season that had already been defined by change, leaving more questions about what comes next than answers. [Read more 🡒]
Nathan MacKinnon Suddenly Has The Help Colorado Needed Most
The Avalanche barely had time to settle into the season before their offense started roaring, piling up 14 goals in the first two games and matching a franchise mark. Martin Necas has been a big part of that early surge, flashing the kind of finish and playmaking Colorado hoped to add when it put him alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Artturi Lehkonen.
Necas backed up the buzz in the 6-1 win over the Blues, scoring twice and adding an assist as the top line combined for three goals and eight points. What makes the start even more encouraging for Colorado is that the scoring has come with strong defensive work behind it, giving the Avalanche an early look at the balance they have been chasing. [Read more 🡒]
Bednar Sees One Risk Colorado Must Fix With Zach LHeureux
Zach LHeureux arrives with a reputation that follows him everywhere, and not just because of the way he plays. Since the start of his career, he has piled up 12 suspensions and missed 42 games, a track record that includes a recent three-game ban for slew-footing. For Colorado, the appeal is obvious: there is edge in his game, and edge is something this team has long valued when it is paired with speed, skill and purpose.
Jared Bednar sees the same upside, but he also knows the risk that comes with it. The Avalanche coach said LHeureux can learn to play with bite without crossing the line, pointing to Nazem Kadri as an example of how a player can keep the fire while cleaning up the consequences. The challenge now is less about whether LHeureux can bring energy than whether he can harness it, because Colorado needs that presence on the ice far more than it needs another discipline problem on the ledger. [Read more 🡒]