The Colorado Avalanche have not been back to the Stanley Cup Final since they won it all in 2021-22. Unfortunately, things have not been easy for the team.
They have lost a few of their key contributors from that season, including goaltender Darcy Kuemper, who left in free agency. Kuemper signed with the Washington Capitals and then was traded to the Los Angeles Kings.
Things have to go very right for them to get back to the reason they play the game. So, what exactly will it take to make it happen?
Best case scenario for the Colorado Avalanche in 2024-25
The Colorado Avalanche make it to the 2024-25 postseason
Obviously, the best scenario for the Colorado Avalanche would be what I was just talking about: Getting back to the Stanley Cup Final. However, it goes much deeper and is more complicated than that.
Ideally, the Avalanche would be atop the Central Division, surpassing the Winnipeg Jets and Dallas Stars. Some might even put the Nashville Predators up there in terms of teams the Avalanche have to get past. There’s no question the Avalanche have several superstars.
Valeri Nichushkin is expected to return in mid-November and the Avalanche are hoping to get Gabriel Landeskog back at some point this year after he missed two full seasons with a severe knee injury. Those two players are key to the success of Colorado.
There are a few players the team will hope step up and help out the obvious stars. Rookie Calum Ritchie is one of those players, although, officially, we don’t know if he’ll earn a bigger role past his nine-game audition yet. A guy such as Ross Colton has to have a major contribution for the team this year. The point being, Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Cale Makar cannot be the only stars on this year‘s team.
Goaltender Alexandar Georgiev is entering a contract year. I haven’t been fully impressed by his play, and I’m sure many people would feel the same way. There’s no question about it: Georgiev has to play better if he wants to earn a long-term contract with the team. Ideally, Georgiev contributes to many wins this year. He probably won’t lead the league in victories this season, as the team hopes to get Justus Annunen a fair amount of playing time, but he has to make the most of his opportunities.