The Colorado Avalanche have been the dominant team in the NHL this season. The Avs got off to a remarkable start and they suffered just two losses in regulation time during the first three months of the season. They have not played at that same kind of level since the start of 2026, but head coach Jared Bednar's team has the best record in the league at 47-13-10.
Their 104 points means that they have a seven-point lead on the second-place Dallas Stars. The Avs, Stars and Minnesota Wild play have made the Central Division of the Western Conference the toughest grouping in the NHL. By finishing in first place — highly likely but not clinched yet — the Avs will avoid a brutal first-round matchup. Either the Stars or the Wild will be eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, and the winner will almost certainly meet the Avs in the second round.
If that happens, two of the strongest teams in the league will be out of the playoffs by the end of the second round. The Avs cannot breathe easy under any circumstances.
Aside from the ridiculously challenging level of competition early in the tournament, there is the Presidents Trophy factor. The Avs will win the regular-season championship if they don't fall apart in the final 12 games of the season, and that has been the kiss of death in the NHL since 2013. The Chicago Blackhawks won the Presidents Trophy in a shortened season due to a work stoppage in 2012-13 and went on to win the Stanley Cup that season. No Presidents Trophy winner has come through with the league championship and skated around with the Stanley Cup since.
It appears that this is the year the Avs are charged with breaking that streak, and it may be too much to ask.
First-round walkover for Avs? Not so fast …
The Avalanche will go into the playoffs as the No. 1 seed overall with a boatload of confidence. At least that's what should be the case based on their offensive skill, explosiveness and depth. Nathan MacKinnon is hockey royalty along with Nikita Kucherov of the Lightning and Connor McDavid of the Oilers.
MacKinnon has pumped in 46 goals and 115 points because he plays with more speed and energy than nearly any other forward in the league. He is also a 200-foot player who has a shocking plus-58 rating. Linemate Marty Necas has been an outstanding fit in his first full season in Colorado with 34 goals and 88 points.
Additionally, the Avs have the most talented defenseman in the NHL in Cale Makar. He can run the power play like few others and he is on track to rank with Ray Bourque, Larry Robinson and Nicklas Lidstrom in the second rank of all-time NHL blue liners behind Bobby Orr. Makar's remarkable skating ability combined with his vision and hockey know-how have allowed him to score 20 goals and 71 points in 70 games. He is capable of controlling any game with his puck possession.
The rest of the supporting cast is solid and goalies Scott Wedgewood and MacKenzie Blackwood appear to be adequate. The Avs are likely to face the Nashville Predators in the first round as they appear to the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.
The Preds have been playing solid hockey for the past tw0-plus months and if they make it into the playoffs, there will be very little pressure. Nashville was not expected to be a playoff contender this year and nobody will expect them to be any more than road kill for the Avs.
As a result, the Preds may just turn out to be a challenge for Colorado. If the Avs start off the series with anything but two blowout wins at home, Nashville may be able to come home for Game 3 of the series with quite a bit of hope. It's possible that the Preds could win a game or two at home and push the Avs hard.
The more the Preds take out of the Avs in the first round, the less they might have to give in the second round.
End of line could come in second round
It is reasonable to assume that the Avs will face their toughest test when they face the winner of the Stars-Wild series in the second round. The Stars have been nearly as hot in the second half of the season as the Avs were in the first half. The Stars have brilliant depth with Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston leading the way as well as Miro Heiskanen on the back line.
Dallas has Jake Oettinger in net, and there will be no fear of the Avalanche even though Colorado has home-ice advantage. The Wild offer Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Quinn Hughes and may be even more dangerous than the Stars.
Either of these teams could push the Avs to the limit and possibly upset the Avs and continue the Presidents Trophy curse that has been in full effect since 2014.
