Since the Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 2021-22, they have gone through three seasons losing in the postseason: The first round two times and the second round once. It has gotten to the point where some fans have expressed their frustration and have taken it out on head coach Jared Bednar and general manager Chris MacFarland. While some fans want one or the other of those two gone, it won’t be happening this year.
As it unfortunately happens in sports, folllowing a championship victory, teams often lose some of their key free agents. That was no exception for the Avalanche after winning it all after the 2021-22 season. They lost a handful of players, to free agency as well as retirement.
The team brought in players to try and make up for their departures, but none of the moves had put them over the top. At this point, they may be far past the reminders that they let a few key players go. However, it can’t go ignored that some of those players have gone on to have a successful post-Cup career.
These two players were big contributors for the Colorado Avalanche in 2021-22
One of those players is Nazem Kadri, who left in free agency to the Calgary Flames after winning the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche. Kadri spent three seasons with Colorado, putting up 58 goals and 97 assists during that time. He played in 178 games during that stretch.
Kadri was a huge part in the team’s goal to find a second line center to take faceoffs. Since his departure, the Avalanche went through several players trying to replace his productivity. The big name that they tried out there was Casey Mittelstadt. However, since he struggled for most of the season to find a groove and score some points, he was shipped off to the Boston Bruins in the trade that brought Charlie Coyle to Denver.
Coyle had two goals and 11 assists in 19 games for the Avalanche this past season.
The main piece this year that was inserted into the second line center spot was Brock Nelson, who is 33 years old. It stings that the Avalanche gave up draft capital and a former first-round draft pick in Calum Ritchie for Nelson, simply due to age.
I’m sure that the Avalanche wish they were able to extend Kadri at this point. Their last three attempts to make the Stanley Cup Final have failed, and Kadri was a big part of their success at that time of the win.
The second player I want to talk about is goaltender Darcy Kuemper, who is currently with the Los Angeles Kings after being traded by the Washington Capitals, where he went after Colorado. Kuemper helped lead the Avalanche into the postseason with a 37-12 record. He played in 57 games, posting a .921 save percentage and an goals against average of 2.54.
Kuemper suffered an eye injury but played in 16 of the team’s playoff games that season. He had a .902 save percentage and a goals against average of just .257, the second-best GAA of his entire career.
When Kuemper was in net for the Avs, they had a chance to win every time.
Kuemper had a magical season in 2024-25, going 31-11 in that span and having a .922 save percentage as well as a goals against average of just 2.02.
He is a Vezina Trophy finalists this season, alongside likely-winner Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets and Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning.