Avalanche Have Too Much Talent for This Problem to Continue
Nathan MacKinnon.
Martin Necas.
Nazem Kadri.
When you have this kind of talent all on the same roster, there really should not be any struggle to find a way to score goals.
Yet, there is one.
For all the accomplishments the Avalanche racked up in the 2025-26 season, the power play was a strange weakness for a team that was dominant nearly everywhere else.
Colorado only converted 17.1% of its power-play opportunities during the regular season. That stat ranked them 27th in the NHL. Looking back just one year, they were converting 24.8%, which ranked No. 8.
That is a huge drop for a team sporting some of hockey’s most talented offensive players.
Avalanche Mismatched Power Play
What is really intriguing about the struggle with the power play is that it doesn’t match up with anything else displayed by Colorado on offense.
MacKinnon scored 53 goals and finished the regular season with 127 points.
Necas had a career-best year in which he accumulated 100 points.
Makar reached 79 points despite only playing in 75 games.
There isn’t a shortage of players who could open up the ice and create scoring chances. So, what exactly was wrong?
The Avalanche just couldn’t consistently turn the talent into production, even with an extra skater.
This team is built around speed, movement of the puck and elite skill. Colorado should finish among the best in nearly every stat and certainly the power play.
Nazem Kadri Could Be Part of Answer
After the trade deadline, the power play improved considerably. That should be reason for optimism.
According to NHL.com, the Avs conversion percentage went up substantially to 21.4% over the last 22 games. Kadri had to be a part of that given that he joined the team on March 6. The postseason power play stayed right about the same at 20.6%.
That’s certainly not where Colorado wants to be on opportunity conversions but it was better.
Kadri gives the Avalanche another dangerous option and makes the attack less predictable.
Given that this team will now have an entire training camp to figure out how all the pieces fit together, the power play should be a top priority.
People and Talent Aren’t the Problem
Colorado doesn’t need to look outside the organization to fix this problem. The people and talent are already there.
MacKinnon can and will attack downhill and he can create opportunity from either side. Makar is one of hockey’s most dangerous quarterbacks from the blue line. Necas adds speed and a shooting threat. Kadri should be in the middle and create a different look around the net.
Then add in Gabriel Landeskog. How does this set of players not just dominate on the power play?
There really aren’t many excuses left.
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