It’s been an interesting season for the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs were very busy with plenty of moves before the season, haven’t had captain Gabriel Landeskog for even one game, and have seen Nathan MacKinnon somehow take his offensive game to an even higher stratosphere.
With roughly half the season left, their eyes are still on a familiar prize – the Stanley Cup. However, there are plenty of question marks surrounding the club. The Avalanche are still dealing with some injuries, and have battled some inconsistent play. The calendar turned to 2024, and here’s a look at three burning questions for the Avs through the remainder of the season.
Can Nathan MacKinnon Win the Hart Trophy?
Let’s start with one of the easier questions. MacKinnon can absolutely win the Hart Trophy. He recorded his first career 100-point campaign last season, and he’s making that effort look like it was an appetizer. He’s appeared in all 40 of Colorado’s games, and has failed to score a point in just seven of those contests. Of those seven scoreless games, four came before Halloween.
The highlight of his season was his 19-game point streak, where he rattled off 13 goals and 36 points. It was the longest point streak of his career, and the third-longest in franchise history. MacKinnon currently leads the NHL with 43 assists, and his 65 points are second behind Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov (67). He is on pace to score north of 130 points this season. That’s a ridiculous pace to keep up, but would certainly make him one of the favorites to win the Hart Trophy.
Related: Nathan MacKinnon’s Record-Breaking 2023 for the Avalanche
MacKinnon has been a Hart Trophy finalist three times, finishing second twice – in 2018 and 2020. He’s arguably the best player in the NHL without a Hart Trophy on his resume, but this could be the year he breaks through. Not only is he scoring almost every single night, but he’s delivering at crucial points to boot. He has just four game-winning goals – but two came in back-to-back overtime games. As long as he keeps pumping in points and making memorable highlights, he’ll be tough for the voters to ignore.
Who Will Step Up in the Middle Six?
Going all the way back to last season, depth scoring has been an issue for the Avalanche. They’ve particularly struggled down the middle, as the rotating door of centers in 2022-23 is what led the club to go out and get Ross Colton and Ryan Johansen in the offseason. Neither has been anything close to consistent, as they have just 32 points combined. Colton has just one goal and five points in his last 15 games, while Johansen has just five points in his last 19 games.
The team has had to deal with injuries in the middle six, as well, most notably to Artturi Lehkonen. He’s still likely a couple weeks from returning, and the Avalanche desperately need him. He’s played in only 12 games this season, scoring eight points, but scored 21 goals in 2022-23 – his first full season in Colorado. He is most likely to be the guy that pops up Colorado’s scoring on the second or third line – but that is only if he doesn’t suffer any setbacks over the next couple weeks, and returns to form promptly after returning. Those are big ifs.
Related: Johansen’s Struggles Highlight Avalanche Need for Top-Six Center
It’s important to note that there is still time for the Avalanche to make another move. Many thought Tomas Tatar’s departure in a trade signaled the team was clearing up some cap room for something bigger. Whether they bring in someone new or stick to their guns, the chemistry will be a concern. Even if Lehkonen comes out firing in his return, some of this has to fall on Colton and Johansen, too. If Colorado is going to make a serious push, one (or both) of those two has to generate some scoring on a more consistent basis.
Are the Avalanche Legitimate Stanley Cup Contenders?
This is a tricky question, but really the only one many Avalanche fans care about. Do the Avalanche have the firepower to take home hockey’s top prize? Certainly – but with a caveat. The consistency has to be there. There’s also the rest of the Western Conference to contend with, and that’s no easy task. There are currently five teams within five points of holding the best record in the Western Conference, and teams like the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers are coming.
Colorado’s problem is the aforementioned scoring depth. The team already has three 20-goal scorers in MacKinnon (22), Mikko Rantanen (20) and Valeri Nichushkin (20). Cale Makar is once again doing Cale Makar things, as his 38 assists sit fifth in the NHL. After those four, however, the points take a serious dip. Nichushkin is fourth on the team with 40 points, but then it drops to Devon Toews in fifth with 24. Only one other skater has double-digit goals, and that’s Johansen with 11.
The goaltending also has to be a bit better, as well. Alexandar Georgiev is a workhorse once again, playing in a league-leading 33 games this season. He also leads the NHL with 21 wins and 1,914 minutes played, but also in goals allowed (95). His 2.98 goals-against average (GAA) and .894 save percentage (SV%) are a long way from his 2.53 GAA and .918 SV% from last season. That has to be better if the Avalanche intend to make a deep playoff run.
One thing the Avalanche had in their 2021-22 championship season was a lot of depth. Seven different players scored at least 22 goals, and 10 different players had a game-winning goal in their 16 playoff wins. They also got pretty good goaltending from Darcy Kuemper. However, MacKinnon and the top line can’t carry the load by themselves. Colorado clearly has the talent to make a run for another title, but they’re leaning too often on a few players. They may be looking at another early exit if they don’t get the depth scoring sorted out. They have just half the season to do it.