32 in (roughly) 32 Season Preview: Colorado Avalanche

Colorado remains a very good team but will have a very challenging season ahead in an ever-improved Central division

Team: Colorado Avalanche

GM: Nicholas Caughell

Power Ranking Placement: 10/32 in league, 4/8 in division, 7/16 in conference

Significant Additions:

Jack Campbell, G - 92 OV

Jonas Brodin, D - 84 OV

Victor Olofsson, C/W - 83 OV

Alex Goligoski, D - 81 OV

Mike Matheson, D - 81 OV

Dan Vladar, G - 81 OV

Zachary Bolduc, C/W - Prospect

Shai Buium, D - Prospect

Significant Subtractions:

Connor Hellebuyck, G - 91 OV

Thomas Greiss, G - 85 OV

Lawson Crouse, C/W - 83 OV

Duncan Keith, D - 82 OV

JT Compher, C/W - 82 OV

Nick Holden, D - 81 OV

Jani Hakanpaa, D - 78 OV

Offseason grade: A-

Colorado did a lot more this off-season then I actually realized. However, a lot of the changes they made were lateral. Losing Hellebuyck and adding Campbell, losing Crouse and adding Olofsson, losing Keith, Holden and Hakanpaa and adding Brodin, Goligoski, and Matheson. They did downgrade a bit in going from Greiss to Vladar, but that’s only a downgrade in the respect that Greiss is better NOW than Vladar. Vladar has shown flashes of being a very good goaltender, and I think this time next year, Vladar will be well past Greiss’s level. The real win for Colorado this off-season was acquiring Zachary Bolduc, and to a lesser extent, Shai Buium. Zachary Bolduc came off a very successful season, and Colorado didn’t have many future pieces. It won’t matter for the current season, but he will be a much bigger piece in the future than I think many GMs give him credit for. Shai Buium is also a very solid prospect who has a lot of potential. All around, Colorado does look like a better team this year. Their offense has improved and has the potential to do so again next year, their defense is certainly not the worst in the league, though it certainly could be better, and their goaltending is very solid. Campbell should have a big year, and Vladar is a solid backup.

Projected Lineup: 

Landeskog - Larkin - RNH

Mantha - Strome - Olofsson

Arvidsson - Haula - Garland

Comtois - P. Suter - Wahlstrom

-

Brodin - Ceci

Ristolainen - Goligoski

Lindgren - Matheson

-

Campbell

Vladar

Quote from the GM:

I asked GM Nicholas Caughell his thoughts on his team and the upcoming season, and he said:  "I think we have the center depth to put together a solid season, with depth on D we should be able to create enough offense and definitely take the pressure of our new goalie (Campbell).  Expectations of making the playoffs with this group is our priority no less"

Season Expectations: Playoffs

Now, this is a very interesting team here. Colorado is a team I have ranked in my top 10 for best teams in the league. Yet, despite that, the Avalanche are ranked as the 4th best team in the league (and with 2 teams not so far behind). Minnesota at 6, Winnipeg at 7, Arizona at 9, Colorado at 10, St. Louis at 12, and Dallas at 13. It’s EXTREMELY close. I have 6 teams from the central in the top 13, and as I’ve said in the Arizona and Chicago articles, there are only 5 playoff spots available to these 6 teams. By default, all of these teams will probably be ranked in the playoffs category despite the fact that they can’t all make it because they are all playoff-caliber teams. So, despite the fact that Colorado is a top 10 team, they could very well be eliminated from the playoffs regardless. Winning the cup won’t be their biggest challenge, but making it to the playoffs in the first place. They certainly have all the tools to make the playoffs and they could probably beat any team on their way to a DCHL Cup. It’s going to be a battle in that division, and the only way Colorado makes the playoffs is if they’re able to win a majority of their games against teams in their division. Personally, I think Colorado takes the #1 wildcard spot in the West, but as I’ve said, it really could go any way between those 6 teams. 

Tomorrow, I don't know if I'll be able to get an article up. If I can't get it up tomorrow, I'll try and get two of them up on Sunday, but in the next article, I’ll be taking a look at the Columbus Blue Jackets. Thank you for reading, and have a wonderful day!

Previous entries:

Anaheim Ducks: https://dchl.ca/articles/senators/32-in-roughly-32-season-preview-anaheim-ducks

Arizona Coyotes: https://dchl.ca/articles/senators/32-in-roughly-32-sesaon-preview-arizona-coyotes

Boston Bruins: https://dchl.ca/articles/senators/32-in-roughly-32-season-preview-boston-bruins

Buffalo Sabres: https://dchl.ca/articles/senators/32-in-roughly-32-season-preview-buffalo-sabres

Calgary Flames: https://dchl.ca/articles/senators/32-in-roughly-32-season-preview-calgary-flames

Carolina Hurricanes: https://dchl.ca/articles/senators/32-in-roughly-32-season-preview-carolina-hurricanes

Chicago Blackhawks: https://dchl.ca/articles/senators/32-in-roughly-32-season-preview-chicago-blackhawks