It is hard to ask for more than the Colorado Avalanche have already received in the 2025-26 season. They are the top team in the NHL standings, have three of the league’s leading scorers, and happen to lead the league in terms of both goals for and against per game.
Fresh off a victory over the Philadelphia Flyers and the holiday season approaching, it couldn’t hurt to be wishful about a few more things (a Stanley Cup is too obvious and on everyone’s wish list). As the big man’s sleigh gets set to take to the skies, these are the three things the Avalanche wouldn’t mind finding under the tree.
1.) Good Health
Health is a major thing for every team, and no one knows that better than the Colorado Avalanche. Injuries throughout the lineup left the Avalanche in a tough position to begin last season, and it showed as they struggled in the standings.
This season has largely been the opposite. Even when someone goes down, good news generally follows, and they return in no time. Valeri Nichushkin, Samuel Girard, Scott Wedgewood, Mackenzie Blackwood, and others have missed time, but not to a concerning level.
Even better, they can expect valuable defensive forward Logan O’Connor back after the start of the new year, giving them even more depth. So long as everyone remains relatively healthy when the playoffs roll around, there may not be a tougher team in the bracket than the Avalanche.
2.) A Fully Functional Power Play
Hard as it is to believe given all of their star power and the fact that they lead the league in goals per game, the Avalanche have a mediocre power play. In fact, they are just 23rd in the league, clicking at a success rate of 16%.
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If there is one legitimate complaint, it would be the power play. Martin Necas is having a breakout season, and there is always the threat of Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar to contend with, but there is just something missing and it’s hard to put a finger on.
It wouldn’t take a whole lot for the Avalanche to move into the top half of the league (the Florida Panthers and St. Louis Blues are tied for 15th with a 19% success rate). Even a few more goals here and there could swing a game or two in their favor.
3.) Stop Leaving Points on the Table
Those extra points are another thing that the Avalanche should be hoping for, and for two reasons. For starters, teams never want to leave that additional point on the table if they can help it. With six overtime or shootout losses, the Avalanche have left points on the table, for sure.
The second reason they don’t want to leave points on the table is because the Dallas Stars are looming. If not for the Avalanche, the Stars would be the best team in the NHL by a hefty margin. For now, they are left to hound the Avalanche for the top spot in the Central Division.
With as well as Dallas has been playing, it won’t take much of a slip-up by the Avalanche for the gap to close. By the end of the season, an additional point or two may mean the difference between a division championship and different playoff seeding.
A Blessed Team
With the year coming to a close, it is hard to feel anything but blessed if you are a fan of the Avalanche. At 21-2-6, they have been unbeatable, running up the score sheet while keeping the opposition off of it.
As a result, Avalanche fans have Stanley Cup no.4 on their minds. It would be hard to top the bell-to-bell dominance of the 2021-22 team, but this group is already off to the best start imaginable.
