How the Avalanche Became a Stanley Cup Contender
After key trades and a busy deadline, the Avalanche are built for a deep Stanley Cup playoff run and ready to contend in the NHL postseason.
By: River Wilcox
The Colorado Avalanche are a different team from what we saw at the start of the season. It’s hard to believe that a mere four months ago they hovered around a .500 points percentage and held the first wild-card spot. A talented team having a mildly disappointing season, they struggled to outscore their deficits due to defensive breakdowns and sub-optimal goaltending. The depth and cohesiveness of the 2022 Stanley Cup-winning roster seemed a distant memory, and the potential of Gabriel Landeskog’s return seemed a far-off fantasy.
Everything changed when GM Chris MacFarland initiated a series of gutsy moves that would turn around the Avs’ season and put them solidly in Cup contention. From the goalie tandem overhaul, to the Rantanen-Necas trade and depth-oriented moves at the trade deadline, MacFarland has built a team that can win.
Goaltending
With a reliable duo in the net, Avalanche skaters can do what they do best: create danger from any position on the ice. Colorado’s defense is frequently just as offensively dangerous as their forwards, and having trust in their net-minder to compensate for mistakes has allowed the entire team to take more risks that are rewarded.
Mackenzie Blackwood boasts a .919 save percentage since his trade to the team, and Scott Wedgewood follows close behind at .918— a stark contrast to Georgiev and Annunen’s .874 and .872 respectively. Blackwood recently signed a five-year contract extension with the Avs, feasibly providing the team with something they haven’t had in a long time: a reliable franchise goalie.
New Additions
Martin Necas is thriving in Colorado. He currently has 25 points in his 24 games with the Avalanche, and his production has been consistent. Separating Necas from Nathan MacKinnon’s line has worked tremendously in their favor— the first and second lines both have elite speed and agility driving plays and setting up high-danger scoring opportunities.
The Avalanche have struggled to find a second line center ever since the departure of Nazem Kadri in 2022, experimenting with Casey Mittelstadt, Mikko Rantanen and others to no avail. But with new acquisitions in Brock Nelson, Charlie Coyle and Jack Drury, all four lines have a solid presence in the center of the ice. Nelson in particular is hitting his stride with the Avs, bringing size, versatility, and veteran presence to support Necas and Valeri Nichushkin on the wing.
Depth
They say defense wins championships, and Colorado has a solid and flexible blue line that can succeed with a roster that changes each game. Samuel Girard can hold his own against bigger opponents, but he thrives when paired with more defensive-minded teammates who can be trusted to let him lead the rush. Girard has years of experience playing with both Josh Manson and Erik Johnson but has adapted to playing with Keaton Middleton and newcomer Ryan Lindgren as well. Sam Malinsky has flourished in his first full season in the NHL, and with newfound confidence has begun to display a skating prowess that matches the Avs’ system perfectly.
Colorado’s fourth line may be their best-kept secret. They’re tough, they have the characteristic speed of the Avalanche, and they’re the hardest-working players on the ice. Parker Kelly and Logan O’Connor have been remarkably reliable on the penalty kill, and both are unafraid to sacrifice their bodies to make the right play. Joel Kiviranta is having the best season of his career with 23 points in 72 games, including a hat trick against the Kraken on Dec. 22. His prior highest-scoring season was in 2020-21 with 11 points in 26 games.
The Avalanche will likely face the Dallas Stars in the first round of this year’s playoffs. In last year’s second round, the Stars defeated the Avs— who were without Valeri Nichushkin and Jonathan Drouin— to take the series in six games. Both teams have made major improvements to their rosters since then and might be the two teams in the West with the fewest weaknesses. Whoever wins that matchup could very well become Stanley Cup champions in June.