The Colorado Avalanche have been one of the NHL’s most storied franchises. They’ve made the playoffs 21 times since relocating to Colorado from Quebec in 1995. Well, as of Friday evening, you can bump that number up to 22. That equates to the team making the postseasons 73.3 percent of the time in the last 30 years.
This will be official once the postseason begins, but it is really official right now since the Toronto Maple Leafs are dead last in the Atlantic Division. Toronto last missed the postseason in 2015-16, while Colorado and Tampa Bay both missed the playoffs last in 2016-17. Therefore, the Avs and Lightning are officially going to be your playoff streak kings for the time being.
This didn’t come easily, though. When they last missed the playoffs, the Avalanche were dreadful. They had a record of 22-56–0-4, good for seventh place in the Central Division and 30th overall in that particular season. What came from it, however, was a chance to add a game-changing player through the NHL Entry Draft. They were rewarded with the fourth overall pick, behind the New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, and Dallas Stars.
The first two players off the board were Nico Hischier and Nolan Patrick. Third overall to Dallas was Miro Heiskanen.
Then, it was the Avalanche’s choice. They took the player who they were happy fell to them in defenseman Cale Makar. Makar has turned out to be the best defender of this generation. It’s amazing that there was another defenseman who was taken before him—no disrespect to Heiskanen.
Makar has 158 more points than Heiskanen in 78 less games. That alone is incredible.
The decision to take Heiskenan over Makar was seen as strategic, given a number of reasons such as the fact that Heiskanen is a left-handed defenseman, and those are not as common. Ultimately, it has worked out pretty well for Dallas, so they can’t really be too upset about that outcome years later.
Nathan MacKinnon has been part of the Avalanche since 2013, when he was selected first overall. Since that time, he was part of a frustrated team that saw his second-through-fourth seasons in the league without a postseason appearance. In 95 postseason games, MacKinnon has 55 goals and 70 assists for 125 points. Of those 55 goals, 10 were game-winners.
After the team’s series defeat to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2021, MacKinnon said something that fans will always remember: “I’m going into my ninth year and I haven’t won (expletive).”
One of the fun facts about this streak the Avalanche are on is that they are tied with their 2021-22 Stanley Cup Final opponent, the Lightning, for the most consecutive playoff appearances. Continuity goes a long way with that, as Jared Bednar and Jon Cooper have developed into top-tier head coaches in the league. Cooper was hired in 2013, while Bednar was hired in 2016 following Patrick Roy’s resignation. Bednar and Cooper are the league’s longest-serving coaches.
It’s also helped that Colorado has kept several of the best players in the league for such a long time. Gabriel Landeskog’s knee injury was a huge blow following the Stanley Cup title, but having guys like MacKinnon and Makar had proven to be crucial in the team’s growth over the years. They were big contributors in keeping the Avalanche afloat. It also helped that guys such as Mikko Rantanen and Martin Necas have been solid partners with MacKinnon on the top line, among other players.
With Landeskog back in the mix (though he’s missed some time with a few injuries this season), the Avalanche have their captain back in the building and have some core components which has helped create a winning organization—an organization who is first in the league in points and the first to clinch a postseason spot for the 2025-26 playoffs. We’ll see if it generates into a Stanley Cup Final berth, but even if it doesn’t, the Avalanche should be proud of themselves.