Colorado Avalanche: NHL Awards Reflections

Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon and Head Coach Jared Bednar were shut out at this year’s NHL Awards. What’s comes next?

Like most Colorado Avalanche fans I was delighted when Nathan MacKinnon and Jared Bednar were shortlisted for the Hart Trophy and Jack Adams Award respectively at this year’s NHL Awards. Both MacKinnon and Bednar were key contributors to the Avalanche, proving themselves to be a playoffs team this past season.

In my heart and in the heart of many fans, after the gut-wrenching 2016-17 season where they finished bottom of the league, it felt right that important members of the team be recognized for the incredible effort the Avalanche put forth to bring themselves out of that miserable season and into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

MacKinnon smashed through his previous personal best, scoring 97 points in 74 games and ensured his team stayed in the playoffs race. If the award was given for soaring past previous personal records, he would have won it hands down. Bednar kept things fresh by regularly mixing up his 2nd, 3rd and 4th lines which allowed the whole team to develop on ice chemistry with each other and keep their opponents guessing how to handle the team defensively.

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Unfortunately, fans of the Avalanche watched as both MacKinnon and Bednar walked away from the awards empty handed.

MacKinnon came in at a very close second after New Jersey left winger Taylor Hall, while Bednar took third place behind Boston’s Bruce Cassidy and Vegas’ Gerard Gallant.

Of course. this is disappointing. However if there’s one thing the Colorado Avalanche and their fans know how to do it’s dust themselves off and move on. While it would have been nice to see the efforts of MacKinnon and Bednar officially recognized after an outstanding comeback for the team it’s what happens in the locker room and on the ice that matters. And what happened on the ice last season was nothing short of magic.

The Avalanche have proved to themselves, their fans, and the NHL as a whole that they are a team worthy of attention. Several of the players hit new personal bests in the 2017-18 season and while the team is still rebuilding there’s no reason to think that they can’t continue to grow, reaching even more personal bests in the seasons to come.

MacKinnon and Bednar may not have taken home any hardware at the awards but I have no doubt we will be speaking highly of them both throughout the next season.

So what’s next?

With the 2018 draft just a day away the immediate focus will be on continuing the rebuild. The Avs have the 16th pick in the first round and have a selection of decent wingers, centers and defencemen to choose from, so we will be waiting to see what new prospects the draft brings in.

After that it’s back to training and development. There are a few holes in the roster that need to be filled either by re-signing players that are about to hit free agency, or by bringing in some new blood, so once those spaces are filled we will start to have a clearer picture of the Avalanche for the upcoming season.

Next: MacKinnon Deserved the Hart over Hall

One thing is certain, though. Bednar has proven he has what it takes to build and develop a playoffs team. MacKinnon has shown us just how dangerous he is on the ice, and how hungry he is for the Stanley Cup. The entire team made sure their fans and the hockey world know that they are a team to watch out for. The Colorado Avalanche have what it takes to do great things in the next season.

And we don’t need an NHL Award to tell us that.