Summer Coolers – Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche were arguably the NHL’s most dominant regular-season team, capturing the Presidents’ Trophy while leading the league in offense, defense, save percentage, and penalty killing. But their pursuit of another Stanley Cup ended abruptly when the Vegas Golden Knights swept them in the Western Conference Final, with an injured Cale Makar unable to make his usual impact. Now Colorado enters 2026-27 with significant roster turnover, Joe Sakic temporarily back in the GM chair, questions about lost depth, and one enormous piece of business looming: Makar’s next contract. Neil Smith and Vic Morren examine whether the Avalanche remain the powerhouse they were a year ago.

IN THIS EPISODE:

[00:00:00] Colorado comes off a Presidents’ Trophy-winning season, capturing the award for the fourth time in franchise history while reaching the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a ninth consecutive year.

[00:00:25] The Avalanche race through the first two rounds, sweeping Los Angeles before eliminating Minnesota in five games and reaching the Western Conference Final in only nine playoff games.

[00:00:45] Their postseason ends dramatically against Vegas. The Golden Knights sweep Colorado in the conference final, with Cale Makar missing the opening two games before returning for the final two while clearly not at full strength.

[00:01:10] The result becomes another reminder that regular-season dominance guarantees nothing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Recent Presidents’ Trophy winners have experienced dramatically different outcomes once the postseason begins.

[00:01:35] Neil points back to Boston’s record-setting 2022-23 season as perhaps the ultimate example. The Bruins dominated the regular season before being eliminated by Florida in the opening round.

[00:02:00] Winning the Presidents’ Trophy requires tremendous consistency over a full season, but Neil explains that the grind can also take a physical toll before the playoffs even begin.

[00:02:20] Makar’s health becomes especially significant because Neil considers him, along with Nathan MacKinnon, one of the two most important players on the Avalanche roster.

[00:02:40] Colorado’s regular-season numbers demonstrate just how dominant the team was. The Avalanche lead the NHL offensively at 3.63 goals per game.

[00:03:00] Colorado also finishes first defensively at 2.37 goals allowed per game, while Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood combine to help produce an NHL-best .908 save percentage.

[00:03:20] The penalty kill ranks first at 84.6 percent, giving the Avalanche elite performance in almost every major statistical category.

[00:03:40] Then comes one of the NHL season’s biggest statistical mysteries: despite possessing an incredible collection of offensive talent, Colorado’s power play finishes only 27th.

[00:04:00] A unit featuring Makar, Devon Toews, MacKinnon, Martin Nečas, Brock Nelson, Nazem Kadri, and Valeri Nichushkin consistently struggles to translate its skill into production with the man advantage.

[00:04:20] Vic believes the Avalanche frequently tried to be too perfect, forcing passes into the middle while too many long-distance shots missed the net.

[00:04:40] Neil offers another explanation: Colorado may simply have had too many players who wanted the puck. With only one puck available, the group never consistently established who should shoot, who should distribute, and who should become the primary setup option.

[00:05:00] Despite Jared Bednar’s coaching and Colorado’s extraordinary talent, the power play remains an unexplained weakness throughout an otherwise dominant season.

[00:05:20] The offseason brings a major front-office change when General Manager Chris MacFarland leaves Colorado on June 2 to join Nashville as President of Hockey Operations.

[00:05:40] Joe Sakic steps back into the general manager role on an interim basis and quickly begins reshaping the roster.

[00:06:00] Colorado trades Ross Colton and a goaltending prospect to Nashville in exchange for another goalie prospect and third-round selections in 2026 and 2027.

[00:06:20] Eight days later, Sakic makes another deal with his former GM, sending Jack Drury, Chase Bradley, and a 2029 third-round selection to Nashville for promising forward Fedor Svechkov and physical forward Zachary L’Heureux.

[00:06:45] Valeri Nichushkin is also traded to Columbus for three draft picks, removing another significant forward from Colorado’s lineup.

[00:07:00] Neil notes that MacKinnon and Makar remain the franchise cornerstones, but championship teams cannot survive on superstars alone. Losing players such as Colton, Drury, Nichushkin, and Joel Kiviranta changes Colorado’s overall depth.

[00:07:25] Neil remains confident that Colorado will be a strong team, but unlike a year ago, he takes more of a wait-and-see approach because of the amount of supporting talent that has departed.

[00:07:50] The biggest long-term storyline surrounds Makar, who enters the final season of his contract at $9 million per year and could become an unrestricted free agent.

[00:08:10] With the NHL salary cap scheduled to climb to $113.5 million, Vic expects Makar—along with Dallas star Jason Robertson—to become one of the first players in the next wave of enormous NHL contracts.

[00:08:35] Neil explains an important distinction about the rising salary cap: simply because teams are allowed to spend to the ceiling does not mean every franchise has the financial ability or willingness to do so.

[00:09:00] The cap represents the maximum a team can spend, not an obligation. Neil compares it to being told you can spend $10,000 in a store—it does not mean you actually have or want to spend the entire amount.

[00:09:20] Colorado does spend to retain some defensive depth, re-signing Brent Kulak for five years at $4.5 million per season and bringing back veteran Brent Burns on a one-year, $850,000 contract.

[00:09:40] The Avalanche also acquire Jaden Schwartz from Seattle on a three-year deal at $3.25 million per season while adding forwards Vinnie Hinostroza from Florida and Noah Cates from Philadelphia.

[00:10:00] Colorado still possesses the superstar foundation necessary to compete for the Stanley Cup, but the supporting cast looks different. Whether the new pieces can replace the depth that departed—and how the Avalanche handle Makar’s looming contract—will help determine whether the Presidents’ Trophy winners remain among the NHL’s true elite in 2026-27.