Avalanche Have Nothing Left to Prove in the Regular Season
Just discussing the regular season, there isn’t much the Colorado Avalanche could accomplish this season that they didn’t do a year ago.
They won 55 games. They finished with a franchise-record of 121 points.
They won the Central Division and the Presidents’ Trophy.
Colorado scored 298 goals, which was the most in the NHL. They only allowed opponents to score 197 goals. The Avs also led the NHL in regulation victories and penalty-kill percentage.
There is no arguing that there was a better team in hockey for 82 games. It was the Avalanche. Period.
But all of those stats, and records, and awards couldn’t save the team when it mattered most.
The season ended when the Mile High-based team was handed four consecutive losses by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final.
The highest-scoring team in the entire NHL only scored seven goals in that series.
So, yes, another Presidents’ Trophy would be nice. A 120-point season would be impressive.
That’s been done, and this team doesn’t have to prove they can do it. They can. They need to prove they can do more.
Avalanche Have Path to Domination
When you have Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon on the roster, regular-season success seems to come easily. Or maybe the better way to phrase that is that Colorado hasn’t found it difficult.
The 2025-26 season took it to another level.
The team started 31-2-7 in the first 40 games and eventually finished eight games ahead of Carolina for the regular season.
The success didn’t come off the back of just one superstar, either.
MacKinnon scored 53 goals and 127 points. Martin Necas had a career-best year, scoring 100 points. Makar - well, enough said.
Colorado was elite across the board: offensively, defensively and in the goal.
The Playoffs Changed the Standard
Yes, every true Avalanche fan wants this team to dominate in the regular season. It’s almost a foregone conclusion. Winning 55 games is expected, but what would it prove? Not much.
That doesn’t mean the regular season is meaningless. If you can’t get through it, you won’t see the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
But the regular season is not where this team is going to be evaluated.
They are expected to be Stanley Cup contenders. Now, they have to prove they can finish the job.
The reminder is still fresh on everyone’s mind. The distinction matters.
While the team averaged 3.63 goals per game, they were only good for 1.75 against Vegas. MacKinnon had 127 points during the regular season, but against Vegas? He had two assists during the entire series.
Injuries were a factor, certainly. Makar wasn’t healthy and MacKinnon suffered a leg injury in Game 3.
No amount of success in the upcoming regular season will erase all that.
The Season Will Be Judged in the Spring
Joe Sakic didn’t dismantle this roster; he built on it. He moved a few pieces around and added some youth, but all in all, this is the same championship core injected with some young energy.
He is giving them another solid opportunity to go get the trophy.
There will be stretches during the regular season when the Avalanche look unstoppable. There will also likely be stretches when they don’t.
Neither of those things should ignite anyone. Nor should it change how the roster is viewed.
Colorado has already proven it can be the best team in hockey for six months. The challenge comes in the postseason. Everything before that is just preparation.
Laura Lambert resides in Wiggins, Colo. with her husband, Ricky and two sons, Brayden and Boedy. She attended the University of Northern Colorado while studying economics. She is an accomplished rodeo athlete and barrel horse trainer along with being a life-long sports fan. Over the years, Laura has been active in journalism in a variety of roles. While continuing to cover western sports and country music, she is currently enjoying expanding her reach into multiple sports including MLB, NHL, NCAA and WNBA. Laura covers the Miami Marlins, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Colorado Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays, Colorado Avalanche and Rodeo for On SI. You can reach her at lauralambertmedia@gmail.com