Latest Bleacher Report power rankings put the Colorado Avalanche at a surprising spot

The Colorado Avalanche have not gotten off to a great start during the 2024-25 NHL season. The team is 0-4, despite facing a relatively weak Columbus Blue Jackets team. They should at least be 1-3, which isn’t saying a ton because that is still a losing record. It’s been what some may call a disaster for the Avalanche to start the year.

Alexandar Georgiev was pulled several times already, in favor of Justus Annunen, who did not fare much better. Despite Georgiev’s struggles, head coach Jared Bednar is standing by his current starter. How long Georgiev will still be the starter remains to be seen, despite his encouraging comments. What Bednar said is what he’s supposed to say, as to not shake Georgiev’s confidence more than it already is.

When you think of the Colorado Avalanche, for the most part, you think of a winning organization. The Avalanche have won three Stanley Cups since they came to Colorado, their first season being in 1995-96. Their latest Stanley Cup victory was after the 2021-22 season, when they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Final.

Unfortunately, it’s been an up-and-down time since that Cup win. They’ve dealt with several losses, and it appears at this point that there has been no greater loss for this team than when Darcy Kuemper left in free agency. The Avalanche signed Georgiev to be his replacement as the starter, and while the Avalanche have made it to the playoffs each year since, goaltending is a huge reason they are being held back.

Bleacher Report ranks the Colorado Avalanche dead last in NHL power rankings

In Bleacher Report’s latest NHL power rankings, the Colorado Avalanche can’t get any worse than where they are ranked. Unfortunately, dead last at 32 overall is where they should be ranked. Confused about the title of this article? My point here is that despite agreeing with the ranking, it’s surpising that things have gotten so bad for this team.

Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar are the team’s two biggest stars who only have one goal each. Despite six and seven assists respectfully, that’s a recipe for failure as far as I’m concerned.

Jonathan Drouin is just one of many Avalanche players who have already missed time and will miss even more time. Others include Gabriel Landeskog, Valeri Nichushkin, and Devon Toews. Those are major losses. I cannot stress major enough.

The Avalanche lack depth. Despite the team having a promising young rookie in Calum Ritchie, he’s still learning the ropes. You cannot rely on a young player to carry your team.

The lack of depth of this team is a major concern. While I agree with everyone that the goaltending is the biggest issue, it is not the only issue. There needs to be better play all around. The Avalanche are so bad right now, that there are literally no players with a positive plus-minus on the team. The best on the team is a flat zero.

Once their injured/suspended players return to the lineup, surely things will change and start to get back to the team’s normal ways. It’s no time to panic right now, but the Colorado Avalanche need to make some depth changes and especially a starting goaltender change. Whether they make a major change/trade prior to March 7th’s trade deadline remains to be seen, but if they are going to shake things up, it probably should be sooner than later.