The Colorado Avalanche finally won the Stanley Cup in 2022, and hockey fans saw that one coming. Colorado emerged in recent years as a powerhouse on the ice. It wasn't a question of if they'd win hockey's biggest prize, it was a matter of when.

Many expected another deep playoff run from the Avalanche in 2022-23. However, things just didn't go their way. The team struggled with a plethora of injuries throughout the regular season. A late-season surge saw them win the Central Division and set up a playoff matchup with the Seattle Kraken.

Colorado did everything it could to win that series. However, the Kraken just played better. And as a result, the Avalanche's Stanley Cup defense ended after just seven games. They went home, and we got a new champion.

Colorado certainly wants to avoid another one-and-done playoff performance in 2024. So, how can they avoid that fate? Let's take a look at their offseason activity and determine the Avalanche's biggest roster concern ahead of next season.

Avalanche departures

The Avalanche saw a number of notable players depart this offseason. Forward Evan Rodrigues signed a four-year contract with the Florida Panthers after one season with the team. J.T. Compher parlayed a career season into a five-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings.

Forward Lars Eller took a two-year contract to join Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Longtime Avalanche blueliner Erik Johnson joined the Buffalo Sabres on a one-year contract. And 26-year-old Denis Malgin made the interesting decision to accept a five-year contract with the ZSC Lions in his native Switzerland.

The Avalanche made three trades this offseason, with one departure. Colorado traded forward Alex Newhook to the Montreal Canadiens ahead of the NHL Draft in exchange for the 31st and 37th picks in the draft.

Avalanche additions

We can stay on the topic of trades here, as they acquired a player with an asset from the Newhook trade. Colorado traded the 37th pick in the 2023 NHL Draft to the Tampa Bay Lightning for forward Ross Colton. The Avalanche later signed Colton to a four-year contract.

Colorado's final offseason trade saw them take a flier on a potential second-line gem. The Avalanche traded forward Alex Galchenyuk to the Nashville Predators in exchange for forward Ryan Johansen. Johansen spent the previous seven and a half seasons in Nashville following a 2016 trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets.

In NHL Free Agency, there are two notable additions to mention. First, Jonathan Drouin took a one-year contract with the Avalanche to reunite with former junior teammate Nathan MacKinnon. Next, they signed forward Miles Wood to a big six-year contract. Wood had spent his entire eight-year career with the New Jersey Devils prior to this signing.

Biggest roster concern

The biggest roster concern for the Colorado Avalanche is their forward depth. Colorado still has one of the more impressive defensive groups in the NHL. And their goaltending should remain solid this season, as well.

However, they could use more work down their forward lineup. We saw how injuries decimated them during the regular season this past year. And while they did bring in some depth, more is needed before the season begins this fall.

Colorado is far from a bad team. Far from it, in fact. The Avalanche are very good hockey team and, when healthy, one of the best in the league. If they can stay healthy and keep building depth, don't be surprised if they go on a run in 2024.