Colorаdo Avаlаncһe cһeck off key boxeѕ for Stаnley Cup contenderѕ

The Colorado Avalanche check off most of the boxes needed for a Stanley Cup contender heading into the stretch run this season.

According to The Athletic’s Stanley Cup checklist, the Colorado Avalanche ticks off all the key boxes. However, some questions remain regarding their depth. Let’s dive in.

The Athletic’s Stanley Cup contender measures two metrics: Positional performance for the current season and an average over the last three years. When looking at Colorado, the key boxes are there. But it’s the remaining boxes that raise some questions.

The Avalanche get full marks for an elite center (Nathan MacKinnon) and an elite defenseman (Cale Makar). The addition of MacKenzie Blackwood also checks off the box for an elite goaltender. The only question mark here is Martin Necas as an elite winger.

Now, if it had been Mikko Rantanen in place of Necas, the Avs would get full marks. However, Necas’ lack of consideration as an elite winger must be taken with a grain of salt. Necas played his entire career in Carolina before joining Colorado. If Necas had played the last three seasons in Colorado, in my estimation, the Avs would get full marks.

So far, so good. But now, let’s look at the depth pieces behind the elite guys at the top of the board. Casey Mittelstadt gets the nod as a top-line center. However, his performance fails to check off this box. Fortunately, Artturi Lekhonen and Valeri Nichushkin do check off the boxes. This situation means the Avalanche have two top-line wingers. Check.

Then, there’s the issue of a top-pairing defenseman. Devon Toews has that covered. So, the Avalanche can boast an elite defenseman with a legitimate top-pairing guy. As it stands, that looks good, too.

Overall, the Avs’ top end looks solid. The club has everything it needs to compete with other Cup contenders. However, the depth might raise some questions.

Colorado Avalanche depth raises some questions

The final section in The Athletic’s checklist looks at top-six forwards and top-pairing blue liners. Jonathan Drouin and Ross Colton get the nod in this category. Both players check off the boxes though they do get some lower-than-expected marks.

By looking at the eye test, Colton and Drouin have held up their own this season. Unfortunately, both have had tough luck with injuries this season. Colton suffered a broken foot amid a scoring tear at the beginning of the season. Meanwhile, Drouin suffered an upper-body injury during the season’s first game.

If we consider what both Drouin and Colton could have done this season if they hadn’t been injured, it’s safe to say their marks would be much higher.

Some questions arise when looking at Samuel Girard and Josh Manson as top-pairing defensemen. It’s clear that neither would be a top-pairing guy. Unless they played on a rebuilding team like San Jose, Anaheim, or Chicago, they would not likely draw as top-pairing guys. That reason explains why they don’t get top marks, here.

This situation also illustrates why the Colorado Avalanche pulled the trigger on the Ryan Lindgren trade. The Avalanche know they need more depth behind Makar and Toews. Girard has had a good season, but Manson has been somewhat underwhelming.

So, adding a guy like Lindgren fills that void. Lindgren gives the Avs positional depth, either on the bottom pairing or jumping into the middle pair.

Overall, the Avalanche look to be in good shape heading into the stretch run this season. There’s not much more the Avs need to do at the deadline this year. They have already done the heavy lifting earlier this season.

Ultimately, Chris MacFarland and company can take Friday easy as other teams scramble to get last-minute deals done.