The Colorado Avalanche enter the 2025-26 campaign with some of the best players in the world, but that doesn’t always result in a championship formula.
Three years removed from their 2022 Stanley Cup triumph, and with their championship window narrowing, the Avalanche still possess one of the league’s most formidable cores. The pressing question, however, is whether they can cultivate the requisite depth and restore the cohesion necessary to translate talent into sustained success.
The full-time return of captain Gabriel Landeskog stands as a pivotal development for Colorado. His reemergence in the NHL is nothing short of extraordinary—arguably one of the most remarkable comebacks in recent sporting memory, and, within the context of hockey, perhaps the most significant since Mario Lemieux’s storied return in 2000 after nearly four years away from the game. Lemieux wasted little time in announcing his return, recording an assist a mere 33 seconds into the contest on a goal by longtime linemate Jaromír Jágr. The symmetry of the moment deepened in the second period, when Jágr reciprocated with a deft no-look pass to the left circle, allowing Lemieux to beat Toronto goaltender Curtis Joseph and ignite Mellon Arena into unrestrained ecstasy.
Landeskog found the back of the net in just his second game after a 1,041-day absence, capitalizing on a perfectly-timed feed from Brock Nelson that left him unmarked in the slot. With characteristic authority, he unleashed a thunderous slapshot past Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger, extending Colorado’s lead to 3–0 en route to 4–0 shutout victory in Game 4 of the Western Conference First Round at Ball Arena.
Yet, as with Lemieux’s celebrated return, the comeback did not culminate into a championship. The 2000–01 Penguins fell in five games to the New Jersey Devils in the Eastern Conference Finals, and, in parallel, the Avalanche saw their own aspirations extinguished last season in a grueling seven-game defeat at the hands of the Dallas Stars.
Some people handle defeat better than others. Nathan MacKinnon is a man that wears his emotions on his sleeve. Despite the fact Dallas was missing a good chunk of their core, the Avalanche couldn’t beat them, and that was hard for MacKinnon to digest, much like when Colorado was eliminated in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2021 by the Vegas Golden Knights.
Assessing the candid reflections of a professional athlete immediately following a crushing defeat is invariably challenging. From an external vantage point, such commentary can sometimes appear unduly harsh or even unfair—after all, few of us are summoned to account for our performance with a microphone pressed to our face after a difficult day at work. MacKinnon’s frustration, therefore, is both understandable and justified.
Yet history offers perspective. Consider the Avalanche in 2022: despite enduring the absence of key contributors at various points during their playoff run—including Darcy Kuemper, Nazem Kadri, and Samuel Girard—the team ultimately captured the Stanley Cup, a testament to the depth and resilience woven throughout the roster. Conversely, the Dallas Stars’ victory over Colorado last season similarly reflected the advantages conferred by organizational depth; though they ultimately fell in the Conference Finals to the Edmonton Oilers, their consistent roster strength allowed them to prevail in critical matchups.
So that brings our next question. Do the Avalanche have the depth this year to compete at a high level? The answer is yes.
Brent Burns
The addition of Brent Burns in the offseason is a win-win for the Avalanche. He brings size, leadership, and energy to the blue line. It’s hard to be around Burns and not smile when you see him. At optional skates, he’s not just chopping it up with his teammates, he also gets the fans involved as well. At the skate on Wednesday, he was exchanging smiles and laughter with none other than Martin Nečas, who was his teammate on the Carolina Hurricanes for parts of the last three seasons. So it’s very clear that Burns is the type of guy who takes his craft very seriously, but he knows how to joke around and keep people smiling when they need to be lifted up. That is a spark that Colorado desperately needs.
Jack Drury/Brock Nelson
Drury may not yet be a household name, but his work ethic is unparalleled. He arrives early to nearly every practice and is often among the select few who remain afterward, diligently honing his craft. This combination of commitment and steadily improving skill positions him well to assume the responsibilities of the third-line center, and there is every reason to anticipate that he will make a significant impact.
In a complementary development, the Avalanche, for the first time in several seasons, can approach the second-line center position with confidence. Brock Nelson, a consistent presence during optional skates, secured an offseason extension and has demonstrated strong form on the ice.
Best Prospects from Rookie Showcase
Hockey’s appeal lies in its extraordinary synthesis of speed, skill, and strategy, making it, arguably, the preeminent sport in the world. Talent runs deep throughout the ranks, yet a select few invariably distinguish themselves from their peers. This offseason, and most notably during Thursday’s rookie showcase, Gavin Brindley and Nikita Prishchepov have emerged as such figures.
Brindley, a dynamic two-way forward, combines elite speed with a high hockey IQ and incisive offensive instincts. Despite a comparatively modest frame of 5’9”, he confronts significantly larger opponents along the boards with remarkable efficacy and poise—a testament to both his skill and competitive character. Witnessing his assertiveness in these battles is, in every sense, a compelling display of the sport’s artistry.
Prishchepov, by contrast, distinguishes himself as a consummate playmaker, endowed with exceptional vision, precise passing, and deft stickhandling. His one-timer, particularly lethal, underscores his offensive versatility, and it is reasonable to anticipate that, upon reaching the main roster, he will make an immediate and meaningful impact on the power play.
Taken together, these developments suggest that the Avalanche possess the requisite talent to mount another deep playoff run. Yet, as ever in hockey, the challenge lies in assembling all of the pieces with cohesion and consistency—a prerequisite for transforming potential into championship reality.