When the conversation turns to the Colorado Avalanche blue line, Cale Makar usually gets the spotlight first. That makes sense. The former Norris Trophy winner is one of the NHL’s premier defensemen, a player who can tilt a game with his skating, creativity and control from the back end.
But Colorado’s defense is bigger than one star, and Devon Toews is making sure that’s clear.
The 32-year-old has opened the 2026-27 season with a strong all-around stretch, putting up five goals and 10 assists for 15 points through the Avalanche’s first 16 games. That production has him near the top of the team scoring chart and marks a sharp rebound from last season’s quieter offensive showing.
In 2025-26, Toews finished with three goals and 21 assists for 24 points in 68 games, his lowest offensive total in a full season with Colorado. Even so, the numbers never told the whole story. He still handled major minutes next to Makar and remained a key part of the Avalanche’s defensive backbone.
That’s been the story since Colorado acquired him from the New York Islanders in October 2020. Toews has grown into one of the team’s most dependable defensemen, and his pairing with Makar has become a central piece of how the Avalanche defend.
Makar brings the flash. Toews brings a lot of the stuff that makes the whole thing work.
He wins pucks back, makes smart reads under pressure and helps move the Avalanche out of trouble in their own end. Those plays don’t always show up in the box score, but they matter plenty.
His start this season suggests the offensive touch that once came with him from the Islanders may be back. And with Colorado dealing with some defensive issues in the opening month, Toews’ value goes beyond the points he’s piling up.
The Avalanche need more consistency from everyone in the group, Toews included. But if he keeps producing at this level while staying steady defensively, Colorado gets another major weapon alongside Makar.
In Other News...
Avalanche Forward Depth Just Took Another Hit They Can't Easily Cover
Colorados forward depth has already been under pressure, and Zachary LHeureuxs absence only adds to the challenge. The Avalanche have been without him since Oct. 10 because of an upper-body injury, and placing him on long-term injured reserve retroactive to that date underscores how much time they expect to go without him. For a team trying to keep its lines steady, losing another forward this early in the season is not an easy spot to absorb.
Jared Bednar has already labeled the injury long-term, though he stopped short of offering a return date, and LHeureux still has not resumed skating as he works through the recovery process off the ice. That leaves Colorado waiting for any sign of progress while the rest of the roster has to keep carrying the load. In a season where depth is always tested, this is one more absence the Avalanche would rather not be managing for long. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche May Have Found A Draft Gem With One Big Catch
The Avalanche used one of their fourth-round picks in the 2026 NHL Draft on Axel Elofsson, a puck-moving defenseman whose game is built around skating, vision and playmaking. The Swedish blueliner has already shown he can drive offense from the back end, and his production on loan with IK Oskarshamn in HockeyAllsvenskan has only added to the intrigue around his upside.
The catch is the same one that tends to follow skilled young defensemen with this kind of profile: Elofsson is undersized and still has work to do in his own end. Colorado clearly saw enough in the offensive package to take the swing, but his path to becoming more than a promising draft value will depend on whether he can round out the defensive side while continuing to produce at a high level. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Interest In Dylan Larkin Comes With One Huge Problem
The idea of Dylan Larkin in Colorado has enough appeal to keep circulating, but the practical hurdles are still doing most of the talking. Elliotte Friedman said a trade sending the Detroit Red Wings captain to the Avalanche is unlikely unless something major changes, and the reason is pretty straightforward: Colorado does not currently have the trade capital or the salary cap space to make that kind of move work.
For the Avalanche, that leaves the interest in Larkin more as a concept than a real transaction path for now. Detroit would also have to come down on its asking price, and until that happens, the fit remains more theoretical than realistic. It is the kind of rumor that makes sense on paper, but not in the current NHL marketplace. [Read more 🡒]