The Colorado Avalanche remain hot to start the 2025-26 season. They are winners of five straight games and currently sit atop the National Hockey League standings with 27 total points. At 11-1-5 Colorado has proven their mettle in a variety of ways.
Most casual observers would look at this roster and say, well yeah, of course. Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar continue to lead all players in points at their respective positions. Scott Wedgewood even leads in wins. Wedgewood is the only part of that which counts as surprising. Nobody thought a career backup would be an early Vezina contender.
As true as these things may be, I'm here to tell you that it's sustained contributions deeper down the depth chart that I find most encouraging. Drilling down on important takeaways from the last three games specifically should help to illustrate my point. In each case, Colorado's forward depth proved a different kind of value.
Torching the Oilers
Colorado has absolutely annihilated some clubs, including the back-to-back Western Conference Champion Edmonton Oilers. The 9-1 whooping was a message to the rest of the league. Colorado is different this year. This team is on a mission, and even against a slow starting Edmonton, virtually everyone can agree it was a statement win.
The national media loves the matchup for the MacKinnon vs McDavid narrative. For the guys themselves, I imagine it's more about seeing how their teams stack up. On this occasion at least, the Avalanche looked far superior. Again, Makar and MacKinnon showed their superstar credentials, scoring twice each.
But it was extra gasoline poured on by the so-called 'bottom six' forwards that was truly eye-opening. On a night with an unprecedented quadruple hat trick watch, every line was lethal.
3C Jack Drury played probably his best game in Colorado, adding two goals. The chemistry he is building with Ross Colton and Victor Olofsson is remarkable and will continue paying off.
Incredibly, the fourth line was even more productive on Saturday than the third. A returning Gavin Brindley got things started for them fast in the second frame, and then Parker Kelly scored the first of two buttery smooth backhand goals on the night. Kelly's second goal was the first shorthanded score on the year for Colorado and served up another sweet highlight.
In my article about Colorado's previous blowout win, I talked up Kelly's backhand goal as my favorite of that bunch too. He has five goals on the year and three of them were like that? You bet your buttered roll they were. In fact, I think all Avalanche fandom should know it's now a sacred rule: if you butter a Parker House roll, it goes on backhand.
Aside from being super fun, this detail shows how crucial a supposed checking line guy can be. Parker Kelly has the perfect initials because he is dynamite on the Penalty Kill this year. The Avalanche PK is currently second in the NHL.
I know shootouts are technically a scary word for Colorado fans, but I would go as far as saying Parker Kelly should be considered for an opportunity to test that move the next time an extra five minutes doesn't decide things.
At last, an OT win
Speaking of overtime, the following night in Vancouver, the Avalanche finally cleared a particularly pesky hurdle. They won a game in OT! Prior to Sunday, the club's one glaring blemish had been their perplexing 0-5 record in OT.
Finally getting off an annoying skid like that is always important to a team's psyche. But the way they did it was maybe equally as cool as the win itself. That's because the unlikely hero who netted the game winner was none other than Gavin Brindley.
Brindley, who just earned himself a 2-year extension through guts and hard work. Against Vancouver, on the second night of back-to-back, most of the team was a step slow. Brindley was not, as he had noticeable energy and found himself shuffled onto the top line in the patented 'Bednar blender'.
The very fact that head coach Jared Bednar trusted Brindley in overtime speaks volumes. It might have been an easier call because Martin Necas was frankly not feeling it. But however it was decided, the team should feel great about it. Every locker room can appreciate seeing quality play rewarded with significant ice time.
Bumping Brindley all the way up to top line duty on a regular basis is not expected by any means. Still, that he handled it well is a great sign for his future on the Avalanche. Going into the season, he was a feel-good story. Now, the trade to acquire him is being labeled a fleece job by our own Nestor Quixtan.
The captain finally scores against the Ducks
Last but certainly not least, we come to Colorado's Tuesday night win over Anaheim. The 4-1 result wasn't as dramatic as a 9-1 beatdown, or as thrilling as seeing a rookie steal the spotlight in overtime. But I would argue that it has meant more to the organization.
First of all, it was a matchup with a Ducks squad that is right behind Colorado (and tied with Dallas) at 23 points in the Western standings. Anaheim recently put up a seven goal games against the Panthers and Stars. They followed that with wins over Vegas and Winnipeg. That qualifies as five-alarm hot in any puck watcher's book.
Colorado didn't exactly dominate the Ducks on Tuesday. The Avalanche came out fast with yet another first minute strike. But they cooled off and were actually tied after one thanks to a late-period goal from Leo Carlsson.
The Avalanche eventually took the lead midway in the second frame when Gabriel Landeskog snapped his goalless streak, scoring his first regular season tally since 2022. To say that Landeskog was due is a gross understatement. Heck, he's been robbed of two goals that would have broken the ice on his cold streak, had they not been called back for offsides.
The first of those calls was against Utah, in an eventual OTL. I'll be honest, I'm still mad about it weeks later. That said, Landeskog's goal against the Ducks came at the perfect time for the team as a whole. In a 4-1 final, it counted as the game winner, although the insurance the team tacked on in the final period was still evidence of a roster building something more lasting.
Necas scored the Avs’ third on a power play. On the surface, it was just some distance in a tough game. Yet, it was also vital because it meant that Colorado scored with the man-advantage in consecutive games. I'm not willing to say the issue is solved, but consistency in production is perhaps the only path to rebuilding confidence collectively.
The final goal was an empty-netter, converted by Parker Kelly. The score itself was immaterial to the outcome. However, as a matter of team chemistry, it was serendipitous. Parker Kelly deserved that ENG as much as anyone I've ever seen. I'm not kidding, he rocked on Tuesday night. If we're just going by the old eye test, Kelly was the best Avalanche skater against Anaheim not named Nathan Raymond MacKinnon.
It was started by a good play from Brock Nelson, and hustle from Nate Dogg, but Kelly was out there with the empty net precisely so he could get a chance to cash in. Once more, it was a case of a guy getting a nod from the coaching staff for exceptional effort.
The Avalanche have been searching for this kind of overall depth at forward since kissing the Cup in 2022. It's unfortunate that the injury to Valeri Nichushkin means that the team will definitely need to lean on it.
Ironically though, I find myself excited for the prospect of more Gavin Brindley in the top-six. The fluidity with which Colorado likes to test combinations can be stressful at times. When it's working though, you see why this squad should be feared. The Colorado Avalanche are not just 'top heavy', they are deep and they are ready to prove just that.