Colorado Avalanche: Top 3 reasons they can win the Stanley Cup
The Colorado Avalanche are one of the most exciting teams in the NHL. They’re also one of the best. Here’s why they could be the ones hoisting the Stanley Cup in June.
Going into this season, the Colorado Avalanche had a ton of promise. They were a goal away from making it to the Western Conference Final in 2019. After adding Nazem Kadri, Joonas Donskoi, and Andre Burakovsky, many had them contending for the top spot in the Central Division.
Things haven’t gone the Avalanche’s way this season, as they’ve suffered a ton of injuries, some of those to their best players. Despite this, the Avalanche have lived up to their hype. Head coach Jared Bednar has proven why he’s one of the best in the business, helping his team overcome obstacles all season long.
Winning a Stanley Cup is very hard to do. However, the Avalanche have what it takes to hoist the Stanley Cup for the third time in franchise history, and for the first time since 2001. Let’s take a look at why they’ve got what it takes.
3. Resilience
In order to win the Stanley Cup, you’ve got to be resilient. Champions are forged by overcoming adversity. The Avalanche have had the deck stacked against them at time this season, yet they enter March 7 just two points shy of the St. Louis Blues for first place in the Central Division.
Mikko Rantanen has only appeared in 42 games thanks to various injuries. Team captain Gabriel Landeskog all of November. Nazem Kadri, Erik Johnson, Cale Makar, and Matt Calvert have each missed more than 10 games. Moreover, Philipp Grubauer has been out with a lower-body injury since mid-February and there’s no set timetable for his return.
Most teams would be devastated by all of those injuries. But not the Avalanche. They enter March 7 fourth in the NHL in goals scored and they’ve also allowed the fifth-fewest goals.
2. An Underrated Defense
Defense wins championships in the NHL. Sure, you need to score more goals than your opponent, but at the end of the day, you also have to allow fewer goals than your opponent. The Colorado Avalanche are widely known for their high-octane offense, but don’t sleep on their defense, which has been outstanding as of late.
Since New Year’s Day, the Avs have allowed just 2.37 goals against per game, which is the third-fewest in the league. Their 29 shots against per game during that span is the fifth-fewest in the league.
Keep in mind, the Avalanche have been doing a good part of this without Grubauer. Since his injury, the Avs have had to rely heavily on their other goalies. Pavel Francouz has been impressive in relief, but a lot of credit needs to be given to the Avalanche and their unheralded blueline.
Cale Makar is their lone “star” and could wind up winning the Calder Trophy. There’s probably at least one Norris Trophy waiting for him. Erik Johnson is the veteran who is steady and reliable. Quietly, Ryan Graves provides a physical presence while also tilting the ice heavily on the Avalanche’s favor in terms of goals.
Samuel Girard isn’t your typical defenseman, but it’s hard to argue that he isn’t effective. Ian Cole is a solid, though unspectacular, defenseman. Nikita Zadorov provides a physical presence.
1. Star Power
What’s the one thing every Stanley Cup champion in the salary cap era have in common? They had stars. Don’t believe me?
- St. Louis Blues: Ryan O’Reilly, Vladimir Tarasenko
- Washington Capitals: Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson
- Pittsburgh Penguins (3x): Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel (2x), Kris Letang (2x)
- Chicago Blackhawks (3x): Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith
- Los Angeles Kings (2x): Anze Kopitar, Jonathan Quick, Anze Kopitar
- Boston Bruins: Tim Thomas, Zdeno Chara, Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron
- Detroit Red Wings: Pavel Datsyuk, Nicklas Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg
- Anaheim Ducks: Chris Pronger, Scott Niedermayer, Teemu Selanne
- Carolina Hurricanes: Eric Staal
Sure, you need guys like Justin Williams, Lars Eller, and Jake Guentzel to provide timely scoring. But at the end of the day, it comes down to your best players.
That’s where the Avalanche have a distinct advantage. Nathan MacKinnon is a serious Hart Trophy candidate. He’s carried the team at times this season, which he’s needed to do thanks to injuries. MacKinnon has been huge in the postseason too.
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The Avalanche have finally built a team around that, when healthy, is good enough to provide enough complementary scoring to be serious Stanley Cup contenders. Rantanen is a star as well, and so is Makar.