Here's what to look for as the Avalanche start the new campaign.
Once again, the Colorado Avalanche enter the 2024-25 season as one of the Western Conference's top teams. Only two years removed from a Stanley Cup win, the Avalanche roster features some of the game's top stars. There's an argument to be made that Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen represent three of the NHL's top 10 players.
At the same time, the Avalanche are also coming off back-to-back early playoff eliminations. They were eliminated in the first round by the Seattle Kraken in 2023, then fell to the Dallas Stars in six games during the second round of the 2024 postseason. So the team still has key pieces in place, but just hasn't been able to repeat their playoff success.
Below, we examine the Avalanche's projected roster, and how the team looks heading into the season.
Top-four group returns, but goaltending is a question
Entering the year, Colorado's defense group isn't wildly different from last year. Cale Makar, Devon Toews, Josh Manson, and Samuel Girard will continue to lead the way in the top four. Then while the team wasn't able to retain Sean Walker, they did add Oliver Kylington. With Erik Brannstrom signed as well, but then traded, it leaves Calvin de Haan as the likely sixth man. There's also a good chance we see one or both of Sam Malinski and/or John Ludvig make the team. Overall, the blue line once again looks very strong, led by their top talent.
In goal, Alexandar Georgiev has been the team's go-to guy for the last two years. Acquired from the New York Rangers, it looked like the Avalanche had found a reliable starter, with Georgiev posting great results in the 2022-23 season.
However, that faith was tested a bit last season. Georgiev played 63 games, but managed just a .897 save percentage and wasn't overly reliable in the playoffs. Backup Justus Annunen was great in a limited sample size last year, but we also don't know how how his play will translate to a full NHL season. So while Colorado's goaltending situation could be completely fine, there are at least some question marks.
Possible returns could be a difference-maker up front
Obviously, the huge majority of the team's offense will come from Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. For as strong as the top of the Avalanche's forward group may be, however, they also have two key players unavailable. Captain Gabriel Landeskog hasn't played in two full years and there's still no timetable for his return. Valeri Nichushkin also remains out with his suspension and would need to apply for reinstatement. Arguably, they are the two most valuable forwards at their peak outside of MacKinnon and Rantanen, but it's still a blow for the team to have neither available for the start of the year.
Colorado does still have some high-level talent to surround their stars, though. Jonathan Drouin saw a resurgence in his first season with the Avalanche, while Casey Mittelstadt looks poised to potentially be a fit as the team's long-term, second-line center. Artturi Lehkonen has also been a consistent producer since joining the team – along with providing a strong defensive impact – while Ross Colton proved to be a steady addition last season. Logan O'Connor has also continued to take on a larger role, recently signing a six-year extension with the team, and Miles Wood is a good fit in the bottom six.
After that though, the rest of the team's forward group is a little more unpredictable. Parker Kelly was a fine addition, but neither he nor Joel Kiviranta will provide much offense. It looks like Nikolai Kovalenko, Ivan Ivan, and Calum Ritchie could crack the roster, but there could be an adjustment period with any of them.
As always, Colorado has the stars in place to be a top team. But without Landeskog and Nichushkin available, it'll be interesting to see if the team gets enough offense outside of MacKinnon and Rantanen.
Avalanche could contend once again
With the kind of core this team has, Colorado's path to the postseason shouldn't be in question. They'll face some quality teams to earn one of the three Central Division playoff spots, but it would be hard to imagine them falling out of that range. It's more of a matter of whether they have a strong enough group to get past those other teams in the postseason. The Dallas Stars remain a contender, while the Nashville Predators improved, and the Winnipeg Jets will compete as well.
The Avalanche's roster to start the season doesn't look wildly different than the one that lost to Dallas in the playoffs. So there's a question as to what makes Colorado more likely to succeed this time around.
Realistically the x-factors remain Landeskog and Nichushkin. If both return and are able to stay in the lineup and provide the impact they previously had, Colorado is a clear contender. But it's a bit of a waiting game to see what their respective returns look like.
Still, the Avalanche have the potential to be a Cup contender once again, if all of their top players are available.
