One year ago, the Colorado Avalanche hoisted the Stanley Cup after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning. It was a magical year in which the team went 56-19-7 and 16-4 during their playoff run. Despite this, their 2022-23 season was a rocky one.
The Avalanche dealt with so many injuries throughout the year. Pairing that with them just seeming to be fatigued most of the year, they barely made the 2022-23 playoffs. I mean, when it’s all said and done, it doesn’t matter how you make the playoffs. It matters that you do and what you do in the postseason when you get there.
Sadly, the Avalanche fell to the Seattle Kraken in the first round of this year’s playoff run but it was amazing to see them rally to the postseason with all that they had been through.
Their resilience showed tremendously. Even head coach Jared BednarJared Bednar secured a contract extension during the season. While that may not be a surprise, the timing could have been viewed as such.
Colorado Avalanche are Stanley Cup favorites in 2023-24.
The Colorado Avalanche are still being shown quite a bit of respect despite their down year. Colorado is +800 favorites to win the Stanley Cup for the 2023-24 season.
It’s a remarkable thing because of what the team showed last year. I suppose that oddsmakers are taking into account the possibility that the Avalanche will be healthy next year, something they weren’t this year. Even still, they will likely be without Gabriel Landeskog for the entire 2023-24 season.
It will be interesting to see how the Avalanche address their needs this offseason. That could potentially push oddsmakers to sway in a different direction. But as of right now, they are believers in the 2022-23 Stanley Cup champions. As fans of the team, it’s something you should love to see. Still, they have to prove that they deserve to be favorites when they hit the ice next season.