Building on two years of playoff success, the Avalanche look to improve from the first round exit last year. As fans know, they won the Stanley Cup in 2022 and were on top of the hockey world. 

This past year, the Avs struggled against their Western Conference opponents, the Kraken and lost in 7 games in that series. However, recent moves and the return of a captain could make all the difference for their Cup hopes this year. 

The Avalanche have a ton of league known talent this year, with NHL stars such as Nathan Mackinon, Miko Rantenen, Cale Makar and returning captain Gabriel Landeskog. While the Avs struggled last season in his absence, Landeskog looks to have a resurgence to propel the Avs further in the playoffs this year. 

Players such as Tomas Totar, who had 48 points in 82 games for the Devils, Ross Colton, who scored 32 points in 81 games for the Lightning, and Ryan Johnansen, who in 55 games netted 28 points for the Predators, look to contribute. They were picked up in trades and various acquisitions this offseason. They’ve proven to be key players on their previous teams and look to improve the depth in the already impressive avalanche roster.

During the preseason, the Avalanche looked to showcase new and up-and-coming talent rather than compete with their regular season roster. A new face to the Avalanche, Ryan Johnansen, capitalized on this opportunity and added two goals in three games. Take this with a grain of salt, though, as the preseason is usually not a great indicator of regular season success. 

Below are our predictions for the season from two of our writers.

Braeden’s prediction: I predict the Avs will slightly improve from the first round exit last year. With last year’s upsetting loss to the Seattle Kraken, the playoffs were a bit disappointing. They were capable of much more and should have made it to the western conference finals. This year will be different, though. The core of stars remains from their championship run two years ago, and Landeskog will make his return. All this considered, I predict the Avs will make it to the second round but lose to a team like the Dallas Stars. They will beat up on a team like the Kraken in the first round, but Dallas should overwhelm them. Dallas looks like a strong team since they sustained most of their roster from last year’s Western Conference Finals run. 

Ben’s prediction: I predict that the Avalanche will finish first in their division and earn the first seed in the playoffs. They’ll tear through the competition until the Western conference Finals, where they’ll face a dominant Edmonton Oilers team. The Avalanche will battle hard, but unfortunately succumb to Connor Mcdavid and Leon Drisiatal’s goal scoring abilities, falling short of the Stanley Cup final.