Colorado Avalanche’s Future Will Be Defined By 2017

DENVER, CO – DECEMBER 31: Members of the Colorado Avalanche salute the crowd after a win against the New York Islanders at the Pepsi Center on December 31, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche defeated the Islanders 6-1. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Colorado Avalanche’s 2017 performance on and off the ice sets up a bright future.

2017 started off miserably for the Colorado Avalanche, but ended with a note of optimism. 12 months ago, the Avalanche were in the midst of a 1-10 stretch that all but guaranteed they would finish the season dead last and set a new bar of futility in the NHL. Now, the team is within striking distance of the playoffs, and the Arizona Coyotes appear to have taken the Avalanche worst season of the shootout era as a challenge and are trying to limbo under it.

The on ice product is markedly better than in seasons past. The big three of Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog are all within 5 points of matching their totals from last year. The team is only 2 wins and 5 points from equaling last campaign. Despite such a horrid start to the year, things are looking up in Denver.

A promising draft, some great signings, continued prospect development and of course, the big trade are all reasons for the Avalanche’s moderate resurgence. Which means that, for better or worse, 2017 will be the year that decides whether the Colorado Avalanche become Cup contenders, or languish back into the cellar and another rebuild.

The smart money is on the former.

End of the Saga

The most prolific thing the Colorado Avalanche did all year was trade Matt Duchene. Not at the trade deadline, or the draft, or even before training camp. It took until early November, but GM Joe Sakic finally pulled the trigger in a bizarre blockbuster that captivated the hockey world.

Trading one of your star players is never good. And it’s something Avalanche fans have grown all too accustomed to over the years. But everyone knew that it was time to move on, and so they did.

Nevertheless, the Avalanche traded an established, albeit disgruntled, top 6 centre for what amounts to a load of potential. Potential that may or may not be realized. If even some of the prospects and picks pan out, the Avalanche can look back on that trade as the moment that shaved years off their rebuild. But if they fizzle out, or the Avalanche mismanage them, the team will be back to square one, only with one less marketable asset to trade.

Given the sheer volume the Avalanche acquired, it will be difficult for them to lose this trade. As it stands, the big trade of 2017 will be a key moment if the Avalanche are to become Cup contenders.

Debuts/ Breakthroughs

2017 saw a number of players either begin their career, or begin playing up to their potential. First, it was the year that the Ryan O’Reilly trade finally started to pay real dividends for the Colorado Avalanche. Yes, they’d gotten some small contributions from Mikhail Grigorenko and Nikita Zadorov, but not enough to stop pundits from roundly declaring the trade an overwhelming loss for the Avalanche.

Now? Things are looking a little more even.

Grigorenko is gone, but Zadorov is emerging as a solid young D-man and J.T. Compher is just beginning what looks to be a promising career. As an added bonus, the extra assets acquired when

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Sakic moved down in the draft are coming along nicely – especially A.J. Greer.

And that’s not even the tip of the iceberg.

Last year also saw the debut of top prospect Tyson Jost, as well as newly acquired Samuel Girard and Vladislav Kamenev. All have very bright futures, and they’re not too far away. Even more surprising is the play of Alexander Kerfoot, who continues to show great vision and patience, and chips in important goals.

But the real story is Nathan MacKinnon. With Duchene gone, he’s the undisputed #1 centre, and he’s playing like it. He’s 5^th in league scoring as of the calendar’s turn, and doesn’t show signs of slowing down. Coupled with Landeskog and Barrie re-finding their form, and continued growth from Mikko Rantanen, the Avalanche look like a whole new team with a whole lot of promise.

Finally

Above all else, 2017 might finally be the year the Colorado Avalanche fixed their blueline. Not only did they sign a great prospect in Nicolas Meloche, but they drafted Cale Makar and Conor Timmins, and traded for Girard. All four of those guys have top pair potential, with Meloche probably just a cut below the others.

And, with an additional pick in each of the first three rounds over the next couple years, there is even more potential in the near future.

Makar and Timmins are both playing well for Canada at the World Juniors. Makar is tied for 2^nd in defenceman points with 4 (TSN only credits him with 3 for some reason), and Timmins has been very reliable and great on the breakout.

Coupled with Tyson Barrie’s resurgence, the ever steady Erik Johnson, and the frustrating but still developing Chris Bigras, the Avalanche may at long last have the pieces to staunch the bleeding from their eternal weak-point. Better still, none of them are 35 and overpaid.

Much like the O’Reilly trade, it will be somewhere down the road that Colorado can reap what they’ve sown. But for the first time in the salary cap era, the Avalanche look like they could reasonably fix their most glaring issue. And if they do, they can look at the pieces they added in 2017 as the reason why.

Welcome Back to the New Age

All in all, the Colorado Avalanche are a team to be excited about, even after one of the most dismal seasons in modern NHL history. They have an emerging superstar, one of the top offensive d-men in the game, several good rookies, a pile of prospects across various leagues and another pile of draft picks.

Next: New Year Resolutions for the Avs

If things continue to go the way they are, the Colorado Avalanche can look back on 2017 as the year that set them up as Stanley Cup contenders. There’s still a long way to go, and a lot can go wrong, but the team added a slew of good young players, prospects and picks behind an emerging group of elite players this past year.

Now to build on it.