The Colorado Avalanche are returning to the playoffs for another run at the Stanley Cup. This will be the eighth postseason appearance in a row for the Avalanche. There are many Avalanche players who have a chance to reach new statistical milestones in the playoffs. Here, I'd like to highlight a few that I've found pretty interesting.
Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon have the chance to reach multiple achievements in the playoffs this year, but they won't be included, I wrote about them recently and you can read about their potential milestones here.
The first-timers group
There are four players on the roster who have never played a playoff game before on the Avs‘ roster. Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood is making his first appearance. Of course, the San Jose Sharks, Blackwood's former team, haven't been in playoff contention for years, but it's a bit surprising considering he also spent the early part of his career in New Jersey with the Devils.
The other three players are Parker Kelly, Keaton Middleton, and Sam Malinski. Kelly came from Ottawa, who hasn’t made the playoffs since Kelly joined the league until this season. Middleton finally cracked an NHL lineup this year and will get his first opportunity in the postseason. Malinski was a bit of a surprise for me, as I thought he played for us last year, but he'll make his debut in about a week.
Forwards
The Avs‘ previous seven appearances has put a few players within striking distance of some playoff milestones. With 18 points, Valeri Nichushkin would reach 50. I can only imagine how many more he would have if he'd not missed time these past couple of years. In addition to that, if Artturi Lehkonen can manage seven points, he will also hit 50 points. Nichushkin would tie Chris Drury and Alex Tanguay for 12th on the Avalanche leaderboard.
The return of Gabriel Landeskog could bring another playoff milestone. Three goals will get Landy to 30 for his postseason career. Eight goals would push him up to 4th place, passing both Mikko Rantanen and Milan Hejduk. Of course, I imagine that every point Landeskog scores this postseason will be met with great celebration.
Of the forwards, this is my favorite set of milestones to look for. Joel Kiviranta has had a career year and he could hit a handful of milestones if he continues to play well. He needs three goals and three assists to reach ten for both. That also means he's 6 points away from 20. I would love to see him hit all three milestones.
Defensemen
Devon Toews is slightly overshadowed by Cale Makar's greatness, but he could climb to third on the points list for Avalanche defensemen all-time. He needs just eight points to pass Adam Foote and Rob Blake. With six assists, he'd move into the Avalanche defensive top three, also passing Adam Foote.
Another leader returned to the team this season. Erik Johnson has a chance to crack the top ten in points for Avalanche defensemen all-time. He just needs two points to tie Josh Manson at number ten with 15 points. I would love to see the Condor firmly put himself in the top ten. It'll be interesting to see if either Manson or EJ can catch up to Samuel Girard's current total of 25 points, which is currently sixth for the Avalanche all-time defensive leaderboard.
It's always awesome to see players reach new milestones. With Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon leading the way, the Colorado Avalanche players could see a ton of new achievements.