The Colorado Avalanche are in a championship window. They should be in that same window as long as Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Gabriel Landeskog are wearing the bergundy and blue sweater.
But what will happen once these players become older and are nearing the end of their career? The Avalanche cannot continue down the same exact path forever. There is one thing that needs to change badly.
Despite Colorado’s best attempts, they weren’t able to keep general manager Chris MacFarland from heading to the Nashville Predators. Thankfully, they had a solid backup plan in Sakic. He’s someone they are obviously very familiar with and who has had the general manager title in the past. While it’s likely his job for as long as he wants it, his reputation could become harmed if he doesn’t have success in the next couple of NHL Drafts.
Colorado Avalanche need better draft success
In just the past three NHL Drafts alone, the Avalanche have selected 21 players. This past draft, they took nine. It is getting closer to the period of time where the players selected in earlier drafts should be making a name for themselves, either as a pleasant surprise making the Avalanche roster, or, more likely, taking that next step with the Avalanche’s affiliate, the Colorado Eagles.
One player selected in the 2021 Draft that people have their eyes on is Sean Behrens. Behrens was a second-round pick and at this point one of the older players in their system. He has yet to play in an NHL game for several reasons ranging from injury history and just not standing out when he is healthy. That’s a disappointing outcome as a player selected 61st overall.
One player I have been high on is Nikita Prishchepov. Prishchepov saw action in 10 games for the Avalanche as a rookie in 2024. Though he did not record a single point in that time, he seemed to be all over the ice and around the puck frequently. I thought there was something to build off of there.
Unfortunately, Prishchepov played in just 22 games in 2025-26 for the Eagles, recording three goals and nine assists. That’s not terrible, but the glaring issue is that his total games played equates to 50 games missed last season. He missed 21 games in 2024-25 with the Eagles, too.
Aside from Prishchepov, Calum Ritchie is the most “recent” player to be drafted by the Avalanche and play in several games. He played in seven games as a rookie, recording one goal. Then, he was involved in the trade that brought Brock Nelson to Colorado. I understand the mindset of that move, but if the Avalanche to win a Stanley Cup while Nelson is on the team, it looks pretty bad.
There’s no saying that Ritchie would’ve become a star with the Avalanche. But we’ll never truly know that answer unless he finds his way back to Colorado several years down the road. Trading Ritchie may have been a smart move at the time because the Avalanche were acquiring a developed Nelson, but it could hurt the team long-term.
The Avalanche traded their 2027 first-round pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs for center Nicolas Roy this past season. If Colorado ends up selecting in the top-10 in the 2027 NHL Draft, the pick does not go to Toronto. If they do end up picking in the top-10 in 2027, the pick remains with them but they’d be forced to send over their first-round picks in 2028 instead.
In 2027, Colorado has two third-round picks, two fourth-round picks, two fifths, a sixth and a seventh. That is plenty, though in the NHL, having higher picks is generally the better way to go. You never know the path a prospect will take and the trajectory he will go in for several years. While the Avalanche are in a championship window, this is not a good recipe.
Sakic and the Avalanche do not have a full arsenal of draft picks. Going forward, selecting the right players isn’t the only thing he has to do—He has to keep them in Colorado.
Add us as a preferred source on Google