Spring Cleaning – Colorado Avalanche

The Colorado Avalanche entered the 2025-26 season with one goal—winning the Stanley Cup. After capturing the Presidents' Trophy with an NHL-best 121 points, Colorado appeared destined for another championship run before suffering a stunning sweep at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final. Neil Smith and Vic Morren examine how one of the league's most talented rosters fell short, the playoff disappearance of several superstar players, and the difficult offseason facing General Manager Chris MacFarland as the Avalanche attempt to capitalize on what remains of their championship window.

IN THIS EPISODE:

[00:00:00] The Avalanche finish atop the NHL standings with the Presidents' Trophy before sweeping Los Angeles and defeating Minnesota in five games, only to be swept themselves by Vegas in the Western Conference Final. Neil and Vic revisit the preseason expectation that anything short of a Stanley Cup would be considered a disappointment.

[00:01:00] Colorado's dominant regular season is reviewed, including a remarkable 31-2-7 start, two separate 10-game winning streaks, the league's best home and road records, and elite performances at both ends of the ice. The panel also discusses the surprising weakness of an all-star power play that somehow finished near the bottom of the NHL despite its immense talent.

[00:03:00] The discussion turns to Colorado's star-studded roster. Nathan MacKinnon leads the NHL with 53 goals, Martin Nečas records his first 100-point season, Brock Nelson scores 30 goals once again, and Cale Makar remains among the league's elite defensemen before the stars unexpectedly go quiet during the conference final against Vegas.

[00:04:00] Neil and Vic examine the collapse against the Golden Knights as Colorado's biggest offensive weapons—including MacKinnon, Nečas, Makar, and Nelson—struggle simultaneously. They compare the Avalanche's postseason exit to recent playoff disappointments by other Stanley Cup contenders whose stars failed to produce at the most critical time.

[00:05:00] Colorado's goaltending situation is debated following another successful regular season from Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood. Neil questions whether the Avalanche's goaltending matched the elite talent in front of them, while acknowledging that history has shown teams can still win championships with solid—but not necessarily superstar—goaltending.

[00:07:00] Attention shifts to Chris MacFarland's offseason challenges. The Avalanche enter the 2026 NHL Draft with eight selections but will not make their first pick until the fourth round after aggressively trading premium draft capital in recent seasons to strengthen a championship-caliber roster.

[00:09:00] Neil explains the difficult reality of managing a veteran contender with limited draft assets after pushing nearly every chip to the center of the table. Vic outlines how Colorado accumulated additional selections later in the draft while reviewing the transactions that cost the Avalanche their early-round picks.

[00:10:00] The panel reviews Colorado's pending free agents, including Joel Kiviranta, Brent Burns, Brett Kulak, Jack Ahcan, Nick Blankenburg, restricted free agent Jack Drury, and Zakhar Bardakov. Neil identifies Drury as the organization's top contract priority after his strong two-way season.

[00:11:30] The episode concludes with a discussion about Colorado's championship window. Neil believes the Avalanche remain the NHL's most talented team and cautions against overreacting to one disappointing playoff series. With Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and the core still intact, he estimates Colorado has another two to three years to capture another Stanley Cup, provided the organization makes smart decisions without disrupting an elite roster.