The Olympic break couldn’t have come at a better time for the Colorado Avalanche - and not just because they’re sending a small army of players to represent their countries on the world stage.
Eight Avs were named to Olympic rosters, a number that puts them right near the top of the league in terms of international representation. Only the Florida Panthers (10), Lightning, and Golden Knights (nine each) are sending more.
It’s a testament to the high-end talent Colorado has assembled - and how central their core is to the global hockey conversation. One name to watch is Devon Toews, whose Olympic status is up in the air as he and his wife await the birth of their child.
If he stays home, the Avs will still have seven Olympians - a number most franchises would envy.
Valeri Nichushkin, under normal circumstances, would’ve been a lock for Team Russia - no questions asked. But with Russia not participating, his Olympic moment will have to wait. Still, his play this season has been more than worthy of international recognition.
As for the team’s NHL campaign, Colorado finds itself in an interesting spot. Despite a red-hot start to the season, they’ve cooled off a bit heading into the break.
They’re still sitting atop the standings, but the gap has narrowed. Minnesota and Dallas are nipping at their heels, just five and six points back, respectively.
The silver lining? The Avs have games in hand - two over the Wild, three over the Stars - giving them a chance to reestablish some breathing room once regular play resumes.
But let’s be clear: this team needed a reset.
Colorado is 4-5-1 in their last 10 games, and the inconsistency has been hard to ignore. Some of those losses were flat-out tough to watch, with turnovers piling up and defensive lapses proving costly.
Offensively, they’ve hit cold spells too, including three separate 7-3 losses - that’s 21 goals allowed to just nine scored in those games. That kind of imbalance doesn’t just show up on the scoreboard - it wears on a locker room.
Even their shootout loss to Anaheim, a 2-1 grinder, was more about goaltending than anything else. And while they managed to split a pair of games with Detroit - a dominant 5-0 win followed by a 2-0 shutout loss - the up-and-down nature of their recent stretch has been emblematic of a team searching for rhythm.
Special teams are a tale of two extremes. The power play?
Simply put, it’s been a mess. At 15.1%, it ranks dead last in the NHL.
For a team with this much offensive firepower, that’s not just surprising - it’s alarming. Come playoff time, that kind of inefficiency on the man advantage can be a season-killer.
If the Avalanche bow out early in the 2025-26 postseason, odds are the power play - or lack thereof - will be the main culprit.
On the flip side, the penalty kill has been elite. Sitting at 84.7%, it’s second-best in the league and has been a major reason why Colorado remains near the top of the standings despite their recent slide. That kind of defensive discipline is encouraging, and it’s something they’ll need to lean on if the power play doesn’t find its footing.
Injuries have played a role in their recent struggles, too. Devon Toews returned just before the break, which was a welcome sight.
But the team is still without captain Gabriel Landeskog, who suffered what’s believed to be broken ribs after crashing into the net on January 4. The good news?
He’s expected to suit up for the Olympics, which bodes well for his availability when the Avalanche resume NHL play on February 25 against the Utah Mammoth.
The break isn’t just about healing bodies - it’s about resetting minds. This is a group that thrives on rhythm and chemistry, and the last few weeks have disrupted both. A chance to step away, represent their countries, or simply rest and recover could be exactly what the Avalanche need to recalibrate.
If they come out of the break refreshed and refocused, there’s every reason to believe they’ll reassert themselves as one of the NHL’s most dangerous teams. The pieces are there.
The talent is undeniable. Now it’s about execution - and maybe a power play that doesn’t look allergic to scoring.
The Avalanche have shown what their ceiling looks like. After the Olympic break, it’s time to chase it again.