Best and worst case scenario for the Colorado Avalanche in 2024-25
What are the best and worst scenarios for the Colorado Avalanche in 2024-25?
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.
The worst-case scenario for the Colorado Avalanche in 2024-25
The Colorado Avalanche miss the 2024-25 playoffs altogether
On the flip side, anything is possible in the world of sports. The Colorado Avalanche could miss the 2024-25 postseason. That isn’t to say that I believe they will.
What could lead the team to miss out on the playoffs?
It certainly is possible that one or more of the team’s top players has a down year. Whether it be because of injury, or perhaps something else on their mind, any player can go through a slump. Look at Nathan MacKinnon last season in November: he had a 5-game stretch without scoring a goal.
They need all of the firepower they can get this season, especially given that they will be without Valeri Nichushkin for at least until the middle of November. The hope, too, is to get Gabriel Landeskog back at some point. Many questions surround these situations, especially the salary cap. They have $7.23 million in LTIR.
That could have been much worse, however. I think that some people expected the team to ship off a guy such as Sam Girard, who carries a $5 million cap hit. Instead, they decided to go several different routes to accumulate cap space. Cheers, Chris MacFarland!
If the Colorado Avalanche are to miss the postseason this year, Alexandar Georgiev will definitely have to be terrible. I wasn’t too impressed with his play last year, as I’ve said multiple times. However, coming into a contract year should put Georgiev into an elite mindset. He wants to earn more years with the Avalanche. Can he? Sure.
I think that the Avalanche want to have Justus Annunen as their future, though. It will be interesting to see what type of contract the team offers Georgiev. I also do not think Georgiev will follow up his season last year, leading the league in wins for goalies. That’s tough to do for any goaltender.
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