The Colorado Avalanche’s 2026-27 calendar comes with a few dates that jump off the page immediately, and the biggest one is the earliest regular-season opener in franchise history.
Colorado opens on September 30 at Ball Arena against the Los Angeles Kings, who have now landed the Avalanche’s first game of the season for the third time in four years. The matchup will be shown nationally on TNT and gives Colorado an immediate measuring-stick game to start what should be another crowded Western Conference race.
The schedule also brings an early dose of Dallas. The Avalanche and Stars meet in a home-and-home during the third week of the season, beginning October 13 as part of the NHL’s annual Frozen Frenzy, when every team is set to play. The two clubs will also split another home-and-home in January to finish the season series.
This is an 84-game schedule, and the league got there by adding two divisional games while cutting the preseason to four contests. That means the regular season starts in September and ends sooner than fans are used to, with Colorado wrapping up on April 10.
The calendar isn’t overloaded with punishment, either. The Avalanche have 10 back-to-backs, but seven of them come before the middle of November. December, though, looks like a grind: a five-game road trip is followed right away by a five-game homestand before the holiday break.
And then there’s the date that stands out for a different reason entirely. Colorado’s schedule includes a Winter Classic showdown, and that’s the one worth circling. Outdoor hockey belongs in actual winter, not in a place where the snow has to be hauled in and the palm trees are left trying to make sense of it all.
In Other News...
Avalanche Still Have One Roster Problem They Can't Ignore
The Avalanche spent the offseason reshaping their roster, and the changes were not minor. Colorado moved on from forwards Val Nichushkin, Ross Colton and Jack Drury, then brought in Jaden Schwartz along with a wave of younger names in Fedor Svechkov, Zachary LHeureux, Georgii Merkulov and Fabian Lysell. It is a group that gives the front office more options, but also one that comes with a wide range of experience and development timelines.
What still hangs over the roster is the same issue that tends to matter most once the games start for real: forward depth. The defense remains a strength, but the Avalanche may not be done looking for help up front, with free agency still offering the possibility of a low-risk addition. A few candidates could make sense if Colorado wants another layer of insurance, especially with the new arrivals still needing to prove they can fill meaningful NHL minutes. [Read more 🡒]
Ilya Nabokov Just Gave Avalanche Fans Another Reason To Believe
Scott Wheelers latest league-wide look at goaltending prospects gave Avalanche fans another reason to keep an eye on Ilya Nabokov, the clubs 2024 draft pick. Wheeler placed Nabokov among the top young netminders in the sport, a nod that fits the buzz around a goalie who has already drawn notice for the way he handles the position and the polish in his game.
For Colorado, the interest is less about what Nabokov is right now and more about where he is headed. The plan is for him to spend next season with the Colorado Eagles in the AHL, and the organization is looking ahead to bigger development down the road, with 2026-27 circled as a potentially meaningful step in his progression. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Suddenly Carry A Central Division Distraction Colorado Can Exploit
Minnesotas season has picked up an early layer of uncertainty, and it has nothing to do with the usual Central Division grind. Quinn Hughes is entering the final year of his current contract, which naturally puts a spotlight on his future and leaves the Wild dealing with a storyline that can follow a team around long after camp opens.
For Colorado, it is the kind of outside noise that can matter over the course of a long season. The Avalanche have their own star centerpiece in Cale Makar, but that situation carries far less risk of departure, which gives them a cleaner runway than a rival trying to manage distraction. If Minnesota spends too much time fielding questions about what comes next, Colorado will be ready to see whether that uncertainty can be turned into an edge in the division race. [Read more 🡒]