Colorado Avalanche: 2018-19 season preview, predictions

The Colorado Avalanche took the NHL by surprise last season by doubling their point total from 2016-17. Can they repeat last year’s performance? 

Very few NHL teams have seen a greater improvement than the 2017-18 Colorado Avalanche. In 2016-17, they only picked up 48 points. Last season, the Avalanche nearly doubled that total with 95 points. They made the postseason, and even though they lost to the Nashville Predators in the first round, their 2017-18 season can’t be seen as anything but a success.

The Avalanche will face far higher expectations in 2018-19. They’ll be bringing back most of their roster from last season. With the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars both seeing offseason improvements, the Avalanche will have to once again surprise the league to make the postseason.

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That said, they have what it takes to be a competitive team. Much like last year, the Avalanche will need things to bounce their way. But this time around, Colorado should have better goaltending thanks to a huge trade at the 2018 NHL Draft.

Offseason Recap

Additions: G Philipp Grubauer, D Ian Cole, F Matt Calvert, F Martin Kaut

Departures: F Nail Yakupov, G Andrew Hammond, F Blake Comeau, D Duncan Siemens, F Jonathan Colbourne, G Jonathan Bernier

The Avalanche’s biggest offseason acquisition came at the 2018 NHL Draft. Needing cap space, the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals traded Grubauer to the Avalanche along with defenseman Brooks Orpik (who the Avs bought out and later re-signed with the Caps) for a second-round pick.

Grubauer gives Colorado a great goaltending option. While he has yet to prove himself as a starter, he’s done well in a short-term role there and he’s been one of the best backups in the NHL over the past two seasons.

Cole should give the Avalanche a solid defensive option. Calvert will help the Avs overcome the loss of versatile forward Blake Comeau. Kaut was drafted by the Avalanche in the first round and could get a tryout.

Strengths

Top Trio

The Colorado Avalanche were carried by their top forward line last season. There’s no way around it. The Avalanche scored 257 goals as a team. 93 of them were scored by MacKinnon, Rantanen, and Landeskog. They were a net gain across the board in terms of possession. Also, the Avalanche outscored their opponents 47 to 27 at five-on-five when the trio were on the ice.

Even if you factor in expected goals, MacKinnon, Rantanen, and Landeskog did remarkably well. The Avalanche will need this trio to at worst repeat their performance from last season. And probably improve on it. The Avalanche would likely be better if they could seperate their three forwards, but they don’t have the depth to pull it off. They need them together.

Special Teams

The Avalanche only outscored their opponents by four goals at even strength. So how did they make the playoffs? By absolutely dominating on both ends of special teams. The Avalanche ranked eighth in power play efficiency and fourth in penalty kill efficiency.

They shot incredibly well with an extra man, posting the third-best shooting percentage during power plays. But is it sustainable? It might not be, as the Avalanche were a bottom five team as far as generating scoring chances. They didn’t fare much better in terms of high danger chances. Their power play reminds me of the Pittsburgh Penguins. It has so much skill, they might be able to sustain a ridiculous shooting percentage.

Likewise, the Avalanche weren’t as great on the penalty kill as you’d think. A large part of their success involved having the highest shorthanded save percentage in the NHL. They also allowed a ton of shots against.

All of this said, the Avalanche did well on special teams last year. They’ll need to be effective on both ends again if they want to make the playoffs again.

The Right Side

The Colorado Avalanche have Barrie and Johnson anchoring the right side of their blueline. Both are very good at what they do. Johnson is more of a shutdown defenseman. Meanwhile, Barrie’s much more of a puck mover and offensive defenseman.

If the Avalanche can find the right guys to partner with them, that would go a long way to solving their defensive issues.

Goaltending

There might not be a better tandem in the NHL than Varlamov and Grubauer. Most of the better tandems have a clear starter and backup. But the Avalanche have two guys who could start for them. Both Grubauer and Varlamov put up outstanding numbers last season. Considering the latter’s injury history, the Avs were smart to trade for the former.

Weaknesses

Forward Depth

I’m not sold on the Colorado Avalanche’s other three forward lines. Jost struggled in his first full season. A breakout season, while undeniably plausible, isn’t likely. Kerfoot looks like a nice complementary piece, but can he carry the second line? Unless the Avalanche break up their top line trio, it looks like he’ll have to.

Soderberg and Nieto did alright together. If Calvert can replace Comeau, that should be a solid trio. But their possession numbers last year weren’t impressive at all. They’ll have to be better in 2018-19.

If the Avalanche get Kerfoot and Jost to carry the second line, that would be huge for their chances. But if they can’t handle the increased playing time, there are going to be some major issues.

Left Side

As great as Barrie and Johnson are, the Avalanche are relatively weak on the left side. Girard probably deserves more minutes, but I don’t see how he’s going to get them. Zadorov is pretty much locked into a top-four role. Cole is the new shiny free agent, so you can expect him to at least start in the top four.

Head coach Jared Bednar has proven to be someone who thinks outside the box, so maybe Girard will be paired with Johnson. He would help cover the latter’s relatively unimpressive offense. But looking past Girard, there’s not that much.

Burning Questions

Is Their Goaltending Good Enough?

The Colorado Avalanche will need Grubauer and Varlamov to be at the top of their games next season to make another playoff appearance. On paper, the Avs have too many weaknesses to overcome. And if their special team units decline, that’s going to significantly hurt their chances.

My guess is Grubauer will start more games. He’s their goalie of the future and the Avalanche likely didn’t surrender a second round pick for a backup goalie. Expect Grubauer to get about 40 to 55 starts to help ease him into the starting role.

If this sounds familiar, it should. The Carolina Hurricanes banked on Scott Darling being a starting goalie last summer and boy did that blow up in their face. Goalies are voodoo, but Grubauer has the appearance of a starting goalie. Let’s see if that’s just a mirage.

Is MacKinnon For Real?

Seeing MacKinnon last season was a rewarding experience. Before 2017-18, he consistently got pucks on the net, but could never quite figure out how to score. MacKinnon busted loose, scoring 39 goals and 97 points in 74 games. Had it not been for an injury, he likely would have won the Hart Trophy.

MacKinnon has always been a talented guy. Now it seems like he’s gotten everything figured out. The Avalanche are going to need him to lead the way next season, much like he did in 2017-18.

Season Prediction

The Colorado Avalanche relied heavily on their elite talent to make the postseason in 2017-18. That will remain the case in 2018-19. They have three excellent forwards in MacKinnon, Landeskog, and Rantanen. The Avalanche also have two defensemen they can build around in Johnson and Barrie.

Their goaltending was great last season and it has the potential to be even better this season. Grubauer is an upgrade over Bernier and Hammond, who served as Varlamov’s backup last season. Their depth is a bit unimpressive and there are some questions there. But the Avalanche have gotten the hardest part of building a team over with – they have their building blocks.

Will they be able to make the playoffs again? That remains to be seen. But it’s worth noting both the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars have improved this summer. At least one of them will likely make the Stanley Cup Playoffs (likely the former). The Avalanche were the second wild card team last season, so it’s easy to point to them as the team to be replaced in the playoffs.

However, the Avs have something the Blues and Stars don’t – top-notch goaltending. Goaltending is the ultimate equalizer in the NHL. And the Avs have two very capable starters.