Colorado Avalanche Quarter Season Review: Above .500 Hockey

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - NOVEMBER 10: Nathan MacKinnon
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - NOVEMBER 10: Nathan MacKinnon
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STOCKHOLM, SWE – NOVEMBER 11: Blake Comeau

Analysis

As of right now, the Colorado Avalanche are a bubble team for the playoffs. They keep bouncing in and out of the wild card spot. Now that they’re on a more regular schedule, they’re catching up in games played and we’ll get a better feel for what they can do.

I still vacillate on which would be more useful for the Avalanche — making the playoffs or getting a good draft pick. There’s certainly no question that seeing Colorado in the playoffs is more fun. Plus, there’s something to be said for getting these youngsters some playoff experience — especially the likes of MacKinnon and Landeskog, who are striding into their prime and need to learn how to lead in high stakes hockey.

However, the Avalanche are not a team that will go far into the playoffs — it’s highly unlikely they would make it past the first round. They could even get swept. They’re just too young and lacking in the depth pool.

What’s more, this year is heralding a stellar draft class. Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin leads the way with some ridiculously showstopping play. There are four other drool-worthy defensemen currently ranked high:

  • Adam Boqvist
  • Quinn Hughes
  • Jared McIsaac
  • Bode Wilde

Three forwards are also distinguishing themselves:

  • Andrei Svechnikov
  • Filip Zadina
  • Brady Tkachuk

Naturally I would love to see Colorado get some draft karma back and win the first-overall pick — but they can only do that if they don’t make the playoffs.

Next: Bold Predictions for the Avs' 2017-18 Season

Whether or not the Colorado Avalanche make the playoffs this season, I hope they keep shrugging off the stink of last season. If the first 19 games of this season are any indication — and they are — this is not the same downtrodden team that only won 22 games last year.

So, my ultimate hope for the current inception of the team is they stay as competitive as they have in the first 19 games of the season. Maybe they make the playoffs, maybe they win the Rasmus Dahlin Sweepstakes — but hopefully they stay true to their identity through the next quarter of the season and beyond.