The Colorado Avalanche fell short of the Stanley Cup in 2024. Colorado is only two years removed from winning the Stanley Cup over the Tampa Bay Lightning. However, it feels as if the Avalanche are struggling to keep themselves in the conversation as legitimate contenders for the Cup.
The Avalanche have some of the best players in the world on their roster. Nathan MacKinnon won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP this past season. Cale Makar is one of the best defensemen in the entire league. Other stars such as Mikko Rantanen and Devon Toews have also made a major impact on the ice.
However, the Avalanche have struggled to replicate the dominant form that won them the Cup. Colorado lost to the Seattle Kraken in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. And in 2024, they lost to the Dallas Stars in round two thanks to former Avalanche forward Matt Duchene.
The Avalanche will need a lot to go their way in the year ahead if they want to win the Stanley Cup. There is one major roster concern they need to overcome, as well. And it's a concern that could cause some issues ahead of the postseason in 2025.
Avalanche need to add scoring, forward depth
Colorado is in desperate need of more offense down the lineup. Three Avalanche players scored 90 or more points in 2023-24 — Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Cale Makar. Beyond that, the next highest scorer on the team was Jonathan Drouin with 56 points. Casey Mittelstadt did score 57 on the season, but only 10 of those points came with Colorado.
A full season with Mittelstadt in the lineup certainly helps the offense. However, it's certainly not enough. Colorado cannot rely almost entirely on three players to carry the load once again. Teams like the Edmonton Oilers had success with an unbalanced offensive attack. However, they are usually the exception rather than the rule.
Colorado's need for more offense coincides with another need. The Avalanche need to add more depth among their forwards. There are two areas in particular that could use work. They need to add a fourth-line center and a winger for the middle six.
The Avalanche have their first three lines set down the middle. MacKinnon, Mittelstadt, and Ross Colton are likely anchoring the first three lines. Beyond that, Colorado's options are rather scarce. This is an area they could easily fill either in NHL Free Agency or in a move around the end of the preseason. But it's something to keep in mind regardless.
Colorado has taken some hits to their middle six over the last year. There are questions about Gabriel Landeskog's availability after he missed the last two seasons with knee injuries. Additionally, it's been six years since the Avalanche captain played 60 or more games in a single season.
Forward Valeri Nichushkin also may be unavailable. Nichushkin received a six-month suspension from the NHL after violating the terms of the NHL's player assistance program. Avalanche players were not happy following the news of the suspension. And Nichushkin could play in the KHL next season to boot.
Adding a body to the middle six is going to be more difficult to do. Colorado does have a lot of faith in Nikolai Kovalenko. The 24-year-old recently came over from the KHL and is not too far removed from a 21-goal, 54-point season in the top Russian league.
That said, Kovalenko is still an unknown at this time. It's clear that the Avalanche are going to shuffle their lines a bit when it comes to their forward group in 2024-25. And it'll certainly be interesting to see how they overcome this roster concern moving forward.
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