The Colorado Avalanche are tops in the NHL in just about every metric. That situation has led the market to be bullish on the Avs’ chances of making it out of the Western Conference gauntlet next season.
But there’s one critical metric in which the Avalanche rank towards the bottom of the league.
A ranking of average age per team shows that the Avs are the third-oldest team with an average of 30.6 years.
Now, I am WAY older than 30.6 years. And I’m not exactly ready for the glue factory. But in pro sports, that's positively ancient. As such, the situation does raise some concerns about the Avalanche’s longevity moving forward.
For instance, Colorado’s core players are all getting a bit long in the tooth. Nathan MacKinnon is 30. Brock Nelson, 34, Gabriel Landeskog, 33, Nazem Kadri, 35, and Jaden Schwartz, 34, are all on the wrong side of 30.
Then, there’s the blue line. Cale Makar and Sam Malinski are both 27. But beyond them, everyone is over 30, with the ageless wonder Brent Burns turning 41.
That situation will raise questions about the club’s ability to remain healthy and rested, especially now that the NHL has moved to 84 games.
Avalanche will need to manage load throughout the season
The topic of load management is typically reserved for goaltenders. Teams talk about not overly working their goalies over the course of a season.
But that’s something that also applies to skaters. Oftentimes, teams push their stars to the limit. And why wouldn’t coaches do that? Not every team can roll out MacKinnon and Makar at the same time.
So, there’s always a temptation to do that.
But as far as this season goes, Jared Bednar will need to be careful. He will need to ensure that he doesn’t overly deploy his top stars.
That’s why the team’s depth will be more important than ever.
In fact, it would be surprising to see the Avalanche give some of the AHL guys a chance to prove what they can do at the NHL level. Cap limitations permitting, it wouldn’t be out of the question to see some call-ups during the regular season. Doing so could spell regulars, especially down the stretch.
Let’s see what happens. This new 84-game format with the shortened preseason is a bit of uncharted territory for the NHL. All clubs will have to adjust accordingly. The Avalanche won’t be an exception. So, here’s hoping the club manages to stay in one piece before hitting the postseason.
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