Colorado Avalanche: Is Finishing Last in Division the Most Realistic Outcome?

The Colorado Avalanche did a fairly big roster overhaul this off-season. Most of the new additions carry their very own question marks, with the big overall question being: is this team any better than last year? And to be honest, it may well not be, meaning that another last place in the Central Division is a very realistic outcome.

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This past season, the Avalanche caught up to the wild card playoff spots late in the season. They won 12 out of their last 20 games, finishing the season with three straight wins. However, despite only being nine points away from the Winnipeg Jets, who earned the second and last wild card spot, the Colorado Avalanche finished the season last in the Central Division.

The club did a lot of work to improve this summer. They drafted and signed Mikko Rantanen, then signed Carl Soderberg, Francois Beauchemin and Blake Comeau, and made a blockbuster trade that sent Ryan O’Reilly and Jamie McGinn to Buffalo for Nikita Zadorov, Mikhail Grigorenko, J.T. Compher and a second-round pick.

However, nobody knows if this team is really better than last year. In fact, if O’Reilly is missed too much, while the new acquisitions don’t turn out the way they’re supposed to, the team could even end up being worse than last year.

Either way, the rest of the Central Division also didn’t do nothing over the off-season. So let’s take a look, starting with the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Blackhawks did lose Brad Richards, Antoine Vermette, Brandon Saad, Patrick Sharp and Johnny Oduya — all thanks to Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews and their contracts. However, they added Trevor Daley, Ryan Garbutt, Artem Anisimov and Viktor Tikhonov. Overall, they lost a few very important players, but the team they still have, paired with some solid additions, is still one of the favorites for the division title.

Jan 19, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues left wing Jaden Schwartz (center) celebrates with Vladimir Tarasenko (91) and Jori Lehtera (12) after scoring a goal against the Colorado Avalanche during the second period at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

However, the No. 1 favorite to beat the Colorado Avalanche and all others for the Central Division title are the St. Louis Blues, who also happen to be last year’s winners. The Blues didn’t make a lot of changes. One notable move is the trade that sent T.J. Oshie to the Washington Capitals for Troy Brouwer, a pick and a prospect. Overall, they are just as good as they were last season.

Next up is the Minnesota Wild. Currently the Colorado Avalanche’s biggest rival, the Wild also didn’t make a lot of changes. They bought out Matt Cooke, renewed a contract here and there, but overall, we are looking at the same team as last year. Expect them to be just as good next season.

Moving on to Nashville. The Predators re-signed centers Mike Ribeiro and Mike Fisher, signed free agent Cody Hodgson and traded for Max Reinhart. They also locked up some restricted free agents, but that’s about it. Overall, they should be just as good as last year as well.

The last of the five 2014-15 Central Division playoff teams, the Winnipeg Jets also kept their team intact. They brought back Alex Burmistrov, but basically stayed the same other than that. The Jet’s young stars will be even better, another one may join in Nikolaj Ehlers. Unfortunately, the Jets are only getting better — The Hockey News are even projecting them to win the cup in 2019.

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