Winning the Stanley Cup is difficult, to say the least. The Colorado Avalanche managed the feat just three seasons ago, but it feels like that team is long gone and has been replaced by something with far less certainty.
After being eliminated by a clearly better Dallas Stars team, the Avalanche faced one of their toughest offseasons in recent memory; winger Valeri Nichushkin was served a six-month suspension, cap limitations forced the team to go bargain hunting, and captain Gabriel Landeskog may or may not be ready to return at some point this season.
Related: 10 Key Games on the Avalanche’s 2024-25 Schedule
A lot of attention will be paid to the Avalanche given their star power and litany of national television appearances. We know that the team will remain strong with the present core, but what are some of the biggest and most glaring weaknesses facing the team?
Secondary Scoring on the Wings
This was a bit of an issue before Nichushkin was suddenly suspended in the middle of the playoffs. Landeskog has been dealing with knee injuries since that Stanley Cup-winning season and there are some who seriously doubt that he will ever return.
While it would be Shangri la to expect both to come back this season, it could happen. Even if both struggle to acclimate themselves again, their mere presence would be a boost. As it stands, the depth on the wings is dangerously thin.
Jonathan Drouin is coming off a career-best season but needs to prove that it wasn’t simply a fluke. Even if he can get back to around 50 points, that’s not exactly great for what will effectively be the top left winger for the Avalanche. Beyond him, Artturi Lehkonen, Nikolai Kovalenko, and Miles Wood are not going to exactly light it up. Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen can only do so much before someone needs to step up.
Lack of Defensive Depth
On the plus side, the Avalanche have arguably the best defensive duo in the league in Cale Makar and Devon Toews. Those two are going to eat a ton of minutes and make the Avalanche better just by sheer force of will.
Past that, things get very dicey. Samuel Girard is an enticing player because of his skating but durability remains a concern. Josh Manson is solid but may be better suited as a fifth/sixth defenseman rather than someone who is depended on to log top-four minutes.
The Avalanche are taking a flier on a pair of semi-reclamation projects in Erik Brannstrom and Oliver Kylington. Both are quality skaters and have natural offensive instincts. Moreover, the Avalanche saw a major drop-off in offensive production from the blue line after Toews and Makar last season. Size and physicality are major glaring weaknesses between Girard, Brannstrom, and Kylington, but if they can use their skating to their advantage and grow offensively, it would be a win for the Avalanche. The downside, however, could be disastrous.
Goaltending
Let’s get one thing out of the way: Alexandar Georgiev doesn’t get his flowers. He has been a workhorse over the past two seasons, starting 125 games and winning 78 of them. He has done all the Avalanche could ask out of their goaltender during the regular season.
The playoffs have been another story. It isn’t that he’s been bad, he just hasn’t been good enough. The Avalanche haven’t had that “sure thing” in net in a long time. Most winning teams know that they can trust their guy to make a big stop when push comes to shove.
As far as Georgiev goes, you can’t really say that. The only way that the Avalanche are going to beat teams like the Stars or Edmonton Oilers with their current roster structure is if they get exceptional goaltending. Unfortunately, Georgiev’s ceiling seems to be “very good” and that just isn’t going to cut it.
The Future Is Uncertain
The Avalanche are in a bit of a funky spot. They have committed so much to their core – $38.85 million for Landeskog, Makar, Toews, and MacKinnon – and that’s not even taking into consideration what Rantanen’s extension will cost. The team is clearly invested in their core and tries to find cheap replacements to fill in the rest.
Losing Nichushkin and Landeskog would free up money, but replacing players of that caliber is tough. Casey Mittelstadt is signed through 2026-27, but if he excels, can the Avalanche keep him? The same goes for Drouin. Right now, the Avalanche have the top-end talent to win. But their window to contend may be dwindling unless they can find the proper supporting pieces for those stars.
