4 Big Questions for the Colorado Avalanche in 2020-21

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.

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.