4 Big Questions for the Colorado Avalanche in 2020-21
Stanley Cup or Bust, that is the mantra for the Colorado Avalanche coming into the 2021 season.
Last season did not finish the way the Colorado Avalanche would have wanted. Coming into the 2019-20 Stanley Cup Playoff Bubble the Avs were one of the top teams in the league and the second seed in the West, but lost in seven games to the Dallas Stars in the Second Round.
Going into the offseason there were not many questions as it came to roster construction. Aside from adding defenseman Devon Toews in a trade from the Islanders and nabbing veteran forward Brandon Saad from Chicago, Head Coach Jared Bednar will have his entire group back from last year.
This is the same group that finished with the second highest point total in the Western Conference. Now, let’s take a look at the 4 Big Questions facing the Colorado Avalanche in the 2020-21 NHL season.
4. Are Philipp Grubauer and Pavel Francouz a Stanley Cup caliber tandem?
One of the few questions facing the Colorado Avalanche coming into the season is what they have between the pipes with Pavel Francouz and Philipp Grubauer. The two goalies split the duties between the pipes last season in 70 regular season games. Both finished the regular season with very respectable numbers, Francouz with a 2.41 GAA and .923 SV % and Grubauer with a 2.63 GAA and .918 SV %, and the Avalanche are seemingly heading into the postseason with a two headed monster in net.
Though when the Playoffs started, Grubauer seemed to take control of the crease with 5 wins in 7 playoff games with a 1.87 GAA and a .922 SV %. Heading into the new season it seems that Grubauer will be the No. 1 netminder for Jared Bednar and the Avs. If the Avalanche want to win the Cup this year, however, they will need both goalies to step up in the postseason and take over some games.
3. Can Cale Makar continue his rise to stardom?
Cale Makar burst onto the season in his rookie year in 2019-20, playing a top-two defensive pairing roll and averaging over 20 minutes a game. In just his first season in the NHL, Makar ended the season with 12 goals and 38 assists for 50 points, earning the Calder Trophy as a result of his stellar debut season.
The 21-year-old stud also helped anchor the play on the defensive end, finishing with a plus / minus rating of +12 to go along with a 52.3 % Corsi. Along with the growth he is assured to gain going into his second year, along with the addition of Devon Toews, there is no question Makar will continue to mature into an elite defenseman in the league.
The question here is can he make such a jump in just his second year that he would be considered for the Norris Trophy?
Just looking at how well he handled playing in the NHL in just his first year, I don’t really see any reason to doubt the young defenseman’s capability. Therefore, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him as a Norris finalist at the NHL Awards at the end of the 2020-21 season.
2. Will Special Teams be a step above mediocre?
The Colorado Avalanche have without a doubt one of the most talented rosters in the entire league. Their top line of Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen is one of the best top lines in the National Hockey League.
With talent like that, you would think that their Power Play would be quite lethal, not to mention a guy like Cale Makar on the back end to anchor that man advantage. However, somehow last year Colorado’s PP clicked at a 19% clip, which was below league average.
The Penalty Kill was slightly above league average at 81.4 %. They always say the ideal number for your special teams is 100%, and the Avs finished just below that number last year. Going into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they were able to improve their finish on the PP.
The Avs didn’t rank in the top 10 on either the PP or the PK during the 2019-20 regular season, and that will have to improve if they are to fulfil their lofty potential in 2020-21.
The Power Play ended up converting at a 22 % clip through the postseason, while the penalty kill took a dip finishing at 75 %. If the Avs win the Stanley Cup this year, I see their special teams playing a huge part in their success.
1. How big of an impact will Brandon Saad make?
Championship pedigree and Playoff experience is hard to teach and has always been an integral part of most Stanley Cup runs. Acquiring Brandon Saad added some of that playoff experience, with the forward having won two Cups with the Chicago Blackhawks.
The 28 year old winger is coming off back-to-back 20 goal seasons, with the Avs essentially just adding more depth to a team that was already one of the deepest in the league. With their best players getting another year of experience and matched with guys like Nazem Kadri and Saad, who have had postseason experience in tough environments, it could help lift them to heights they have yet to see.
Look for Saad to continue his steady scoring pace on the second line with Nazem Kadri and either Andre Burakovsky or Gabriel Landeskog. The Avalanche will have two lines that can compete with most of the top lines in the league, and the addition of Saad makes them that much deeper.
For the bettors out there, getting the Colorado Avalanche at +700 to win the Stanley Cup seems like a very good value in a shortened season with a lot of parody ahead.
Next. 4 Big Questions for the Flames in 2020-21. dark
It will be an interesting season for most of the league but the boys in Colorado are more worried about playing deep into April and hoisting the best trophy in sports later this year. Hopefully in front of a sold out crowd at Pepsi Center.