This will officially be the longest regular season in the NHL since the Colorado Avalanche moved to Denver.
It would probably feel that way at times for Avs fans, even if the league didn’t add two games for every team. After the most successful regular season in franchise history and rolling through the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Colorado’s season ended in stunning fashion for the second year in a row.
The Avs rebounded from a crushing Game 7 loss in Dallas two years ago. Will they be able to do it again after being swept out of the Western Conference Final by the Vegas Golden Knights?
“When it comes to playoffs, you need bounces, but you need your players to be healthy,” Avs president and general manager Joe Sakic said late last month while discussing Cale Makar’s new eight-year, $163.2 million contract. “We ran into the injury bug a little bit last year, especially with Cale.
“We had a bad week that cost us, but we had a team that was built to win. Didn’t happen, and we expect our team to be built to win for a long time.”
Here are some of the biggest questions for the Avalanche ahead of training camp starting next week.
1. Will there be the same focus at the start of this season?
The Avs were on a mission last year, from Day 1 of training camp. After losing Game 7 on the road in Texas, that group was determined to ensure any future Game 7s would be at Ball Arena. Colorado tore through the league with a 31-2-7 start and won the Presidents’ Trophy with a franchise-record 121 points.
That didn’t work out in the end. Will the Avs collectively see that as the right process but an unfortunate result and aim to do the same? Will there be a proverbial hangover from a second-straight stunning exit?
It could be harder to shake the feeling, either internally or externally, that what the Avs do from October to early April doesn’t matter as much. It would also behoove the Avs to not worry about any of that and just try to build towards being the best version of themselves in the spring. Sometimes, that’s easier said than done.
Valeri Nichushkin (13) of the Colorado Avalanche speaks to Nathan MacKinnon (29) during the first period against the New Jersey Devils at Ball Arena on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
2. How to replace Valeri Nichushkin?
Much of the 121-point team is back. The defense corps returns. The goaltenders return.
Nichushkin does not. When he was healthy, available and in form, the Avs often looked unbeatable. There are few players like him in the league, and the Avs will not be able to replace him with just one guy.
Jaden Schwartz is not Nichushkin, but he can help. Having Nazem Kadri and Nicolas Roy for a full season can help. The cap space the Avs expect to bank with the intention of adding someone in late February or early March can help.
Not having Nichushkin available was the death knell for the Avs in the 2024 playoffs. How they rebuild the forward group without him could also define the 2027 playoff run.
3. Are they too old?
The Avs will be one of the oldest teams in the NHL, regardless of the answer to the next question. Will that matter?
It didn’t look like it mattered for most of last season. The team’s collective age wasn’t the No. 1 reason the Avs lost to the Knights. Was it on the list, though? Yeah, probably.
The age issue is not at red-alert levels right now. It could be by next season or the one after that. How the Avs find a way to infuse some youth into this group could help as soon as this season, but will be even more imperative in the years to come.
Gavin Brindley (54) of the Colorado Avalanche works against the defense of Jacob Bernard-Docker (25) and Elmer Soderblom (85) of the Detroit Red Wings during the first period at Ball Arena on Tuesday, February 2, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
4. Will any of the young players make a leap?
Sam Malinski made a leap last year. He went from a solid, offense-first third-pairing guy to someone who could help drive success and handle top-four minutes when needed.
The Avs need a young forward or two to do something similar. Colorado has nine veteran forwards to fill out the top three lines with no issues for now. The Avs should have the cap space necessary to add an impact forward before the deadline.
Still, it would be better for the ceiling of this group if one of the younger guys forced his way into that mix. Whether it is Gavin Brindley, T.J. Hughes, Zachary L’Heureux or someone else, someone showing the ability to play up in the lineup and make an impact there would be huge.
5. Will the power play be better?
The power play looked like a potential thermal exhaust port in the Colorado Death Star for most of last season. Then, it was better after Nazem Kadri returned from Calgary. Then, it went silent again — 1 for 10 in the Western Conference Final, including several empty chances at critical points in the first three games.
Schwartz probably won’t impact the power play much. Will the same guys, with the same coaches, be able to figure it out? They should be able to. The talent is obvious. The results have to be better.
6. Will the penalty kill remain elite?
This is probably the most unsettled aspect of the team at the start of training camp, which is still relative. Most of the key figures with the penalty kill are back, but two very important pieces — Nichushkin and Jack Drury — are not. Joel Kiviranta, who was sixth in penalty kill time on ice among forwards, is also gone.
Colorado’s penalty kill had been solid in recent years, but it found a new level of success last season. Who will replace those two great defensive forwards? Will the goalies continue to play great when down a man? The Avs were second in the NHL last year in shorthanded save percentage (.886).
A healthy Logan O’Connor will move toward the top of the PK forward depth chart. L’Heureux was a penalty killer when he was in the lineup for Nashville. Fedor Svechkov was not, but he might need to be to secure a spot on this team.
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