Avs have gone from pretenders to elite contenders

If we had told you a few months ago that the Colorado Avalanche would be one of the hottest teams in the NHL by Christmas, we would have been dismissed as delirious.

Well, this is now the reality. Colorado has transformed from pretenders to elite contenders practically overnight.

WE’RE BACK

It all started when the Avalanche and the Nashville Predators swapped backup netminders in an innoxious deal. Colorado brought in Scott Wedgewood and sent Justus Annunen to the Predators. Wedgewood immediately made an impact, which included a 25-save shutout against a very stout New Jersey Devils squad.

Aside from the defensive miscues, Colorado badly lacked composure between the pipes. Alexandar Georgiev was consistent, albeit in a different way. When he was having a good day, he was outstanding. When things weren’t going his way, the results were catastrophic. And Annunen, quite frankly, just needed a fresh start. He never really fit in with Colorado and will likely have a better time developing behind Juuse Saros. Unlike these two, Wedgewood typically plays better under pressure. The Devils witnessed this for themselves. They were 0-3 on the power play, and Wedgewood used his superior legs to keep the puck out of the net in crucial situations.

Through six games with Colorado, Wedgewood has given up just 11 goals on 162 shots fired at him for an insane 1.93 goals against average and a .932 save percentage. And just when you thought the Avalanche were done making moves, they shipped Georgiev out of town as well. Exactly two weeks ago, the San Jose Sharks acquired the goalie,Nikolai Kovalenko, and a pair of draft picks from Colorado for outstanding netminder Mackenzie Blackwood, Givani Smith, and a pick.

Blackwood, selected by the New Jersey Devils in the second round (No. 42) of the 2015 NHL Draft, has always been an underrated goaltender. His skills caught the eye of Jersey legend Martin Brodeur early in his career. But as a pending restricted free agent with the Devils at the conclusion of his three-year entry contract, Blackwood was dealt to the Sharks in exchange for a 2023 sixth-round pick last June. It goes without saying that Blackwood wasn’t getting the support he needed or deserved, as the Sharks have been consistently one of the worst teams in the league for several years. For instance, in Blackwood’s debut for the Sharks in the early stages of the 2023-24 season, he made 51 saves against Colorado of all teams but took the 2-1 shootout loss in what can only be described as a mesmerizing performance. All Blackwood wanted was to be on a team that could score goals.

Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland, the genius, in the meanwhile, was probably like, ‘Hey, we can definitely score goals. We just need someone who can stop the puck from entering the net.’ And thus, Blackwood’s path to joining the Avalanche became reality. Of course, Blackwood did claim he was willing to sign another contract extension with the Sharks, but we don’t see him arguing about being on a Stanley Cup contender, right?

Pinch me, We Must Be Dreaming

At the beginning of the month, Colorado was in deep trouble with injuries and consistently lapsing defense. But like a good teammate on a sports website, when life hands you a bad set of cards, someone stepped up to lend a helping hand. And now everyone seems to be working in conjunction, and Sunday’s game was no exception. Joel Kiviranta scored a hat-trick and is having by far the best year of his young career with 10 goals and 2 assists. And the usual suspects, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, each had a two-point night, Cale Makar is on a five-game point streak, and Valeri Nichushkin has been an absolute machine since returning from his six-month suspension.

And it’s only December. Just wait until the real show starts in the playoffs.