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Colorado Avalanche: 2016-2017 Season Set the Team up for Success

By Taylor Worlton

DENVER, CO - APRIL 07: Mikko Rantanen #96 of the Colorado Avalanche celebrates with his teammates an empty net goal in the third period against the St Louis Blues at the Pepsi Center on April 7, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - APRIL 07: Mikko Rantanen #96 of the Colorado Avalanche celebrates with his teammates an empty net goal in the third period against the St Louis Blues at the Pepsi Center on April 7, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /
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The Colorado Avalanche’s 2016-2017 season led to one of the most promising Avalanche squads in recent franchise history.

The date is April 9, 2017, the Colorado Avalanche fall 2-3 against the St. Louis Blues. That game would be the 56th loss of the season. With a record of 22-56-4, the Colorado Avalanche finished dead last in the 2016-2017 season with only 48 points, making it the worst season in team history.

Fast forward to April 7, 2018, the Colorado Avalanche have a chance to clinch a playoff spot for the first time since winning the division in 2013-2014. With the memory of the 48 point season fresh in everyone’s minds, the anticipation for Game 82 against the St. Louis Blues is at an all time high.

With goals from Samuel Girard, Tyson Barrie, Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog and Matt Nieto, the Colorado Avalanche would beat the St. Louis Blues 5-2 and clinch a playoff spot. The Colorado Avalanche would have a first round exit falling 2-4 in the series against the Nashville Predators.

Even with a first round exit, the 2017-2018 season will forever be remembered as the comeback season for the Colorado Avalanche. From ending the season with 48 points a year prior to clinching a playoff spot with 95 points, it was an absolutely incredible turnaround. Expectations for the next season were higher than they had been in years.

The 2018-2019 season was an absolute rollercoaster of emotions.

The top line would absolutely dominate the league, the entire team would go cold resulting in one of the worst records across the league in the month of December, and injuries to two key players, our beloved Captain Gabriel Landeskog and winger Mikko Rantanen, would leave everyone questioning if the team would see the post season this year.

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On April 4, 2019 the Colorado Avalanche would clinch a playoff spot for the second year in a row, proving to the masses just how resilient they are. In the last six weeks of the regular season when every point mattered, the entire team rallied together and made the playoffs happen.

The 2019 playoff run was one of the most exciting and memorable playoff runs in recent years. We got a glimpse of how exciting the future of this team is and how hard GM Joe Sakic has worked to turn this team around. Even with the disappointment  of the controversial call in Game 7, the 2019 playoff run was extremely memorable and something to be proud of.

As we head into the 2019-2020 season, let’s all take a moment to remember how far this team has come since the 2016-2017 season.

This summer we said goodbye to Tyson Barrie, Alexander Kerfoot, Carl Soderberg, Semyon Varlamov, Patrik Nemeth, Gabriel Bourque and Sven Andrighetto. The hard work and dedication each of them contributed to this team and organization will not be forgotten. Without each and every one of them, the Colorado Avalanche would not be where they are today.

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It’s an exciting time to be a Colorado Avalanche fan. The Game 7 loss in the second round left not just the team, but the fans hungry for more. Bring on the 2019-2020 season, let’s do that hockey!! Be loud, be proud and always…GO AVS GO!!

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