As the Colorado Avalanche head into the 2026-2027 regular season, the expectations are already sky-high. That’s the backdrop for a set of bold statistical calls built around what this roster can do on the numbers sheet.
Start with Martin Nečas, who last season posted a career-best 18.45% shooting percentage, topping his previous high of 17.98% from 2020-21. That efficiency helped him reach 38 goals.
This time around, the projection is a little different: even if that shooting rate slips, the idea is that more shot volume will push him to the first 40-goal season of his career. Playing next to Nathan MacKinnon is part of the equation, but so is Nečas simply letting it rip more often.
Gabriel Landeskog is another name expected to take a big leap. After finishing his first full season back following major knee surgery with 35 points, the captain is forecast to more than double that output.
Much of that should come from spending time with MacKinnon and Nečas at 5v5 and on the power play. If he stays healthy, the prediction has him clearing 70 points for the first time since 2018-19 and finishing behind only MacKinnon, Nečas, and Cale Makar in team scoring.
Nathan MacKinnon’s impact isn’t being limited to points, either. He’s also projected to finish as the team leader in faceoff percentage.
Last season, among Avalanche players with more than 100 draws, only Jack Drury and Landeskog posted a better rate than MacKinnon. With Drury traded, MacKinnon is in position to put together back-to-back seasons above 50% on faceoffs, helped by the situations Jared Bednar continues to trust him with.
On the blue line, Brent Burns and Josh Manson are being tabbed for a huge leap in possession numbers. The pair already turned in a strong 56.87% Corsi For percentage last season, good for 15th among 191 defensive pairs that logged at least 200 minutes together. With better matchups on the third pair this year, the expectation is that both players will be even more aggressive moving the puck and joining the attack, pushing them into the top five leaguewide in Corsi defense.
Special teams is another area where Colorado is expected to rise. Last season, the Avalanche paired an 84.6% penalty kill with a 17.1% power play, which added up to a combined special teams rate of 101.7%, 11th in the league. The prediction here is a jump to more than 108%, with the penalty kill staying strong and the power play bouncing back.
In net, Mackenzie Blackwood is forecast to take the GSAA/60 crown from Scott Wedgewood. Wedgewood led the league last season among 71 goalies with more than 600 minutes played at 0.66 per 60, while Blackwood sat 23rd at .20.
After a season marked by stops and starts, Blackwood is expected to settle in, use his size and athleticism, and thrive in Colorado’s system. The result, according to this projection, is a climb all the way to No. 1, with Wedgewood still finishing top 10 alongside him.
In Other News...
Avalanche Double Down On A Familiar Ball Arena Partner
A familiar presence around Ball Arena is sticking around for a while longer. Kroenke Sports & Entertainment announced a three-year partnership renewal with KeyBank, keeping the bank tied closely to the Colorado Avalanche and giving it exclusive status as the teams Official Retail Bank Partner.
The deal goes beyond a logo on the building. KeyBank will hold naming rights to the KeyBank Ice Deck premium seating area, add a new KeyBank Small Business Spotlight program and sponsor select home openers and the Avalanche Alumni Game, giving the partnership a broader footprint throughout the season and a bigger place in the arena experience. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Just Made Their Commitment To Jared Bednar Crystal Clear
Jared Bednars place behind the Avalanche bench got a lot more secure this week, with Colorado signing its head coach to a four-year contract extension that will begin in the 2027-28 season. It is a clear endorsement of a coach who has already become the winningest in franchise history, both in the regular season and in the playoffs, and it comes as he prepares to enter his 11th season with the team.
For an organization that has spent years trying to stay in the NHLs upper tier, the move sends an unmistakable message about continuity and direction. Team president Joe Sakic and Bednar both struck a positive note about the extension and the future, but the bigger question now is how this long-term commitment will shape the next phase of Colorados push to keep contending. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Double Down On A Familiar Winner In Key Front Office Role
Andrew Coglianos rise inside the Avalanche organization keeps moving in a familiar direction. Colorado has promoted the former NHL forward to assistant general manager after he spent time as a special assistant to the general manager, a next-step move for a player who only recently finished a 17-year league career and ended it in Denver.
Coglianos path gives the Avalanche a front office voice with both recent locker room experience and a deep understanding of how the organization operates. He played for several NHL teams before joining Colorado, then helped the club win a Stanley Cup in the 2022-23 season, and now he takes on a bigger role as the Avalanche continue leaning on people who know firsthand what it takes to succeed there. [Read more 🡒]