Things came to an unceremonious end for the Colorado Avalanche and their NHL 2023-24 season. Though they have one of the best groups in the league, featuring stars like Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Mikko Rantanen, they came up short when it mattered most.
There is a lot to process since the end of the season. Though we still haven’t crowned a 2024 Stanley Cup Champion, it is never too early for the Avs to look ahead to the 2024-25 season. This begs the question, “What do the Avs need to do to get back to the top of the mountain?”
Check the Avalanche odds for next season here.
How it Ended
The Avs played in what may be the toughest division in hockey. They finished second to the Dallas Stars in points (113-107), eventually drawing them in the second round of the Western Conference playoff bracket.
Coming into the playoffs, the Stars were widely considered to be one of the main contenders. With size, experience, a deep lineup, and one of the top goalies in the league, it is easy to see why they were looked at so fondly.
After a six-game elimination of the Avs in the semifinals, all of those compliments proved true. The Stars were just too physical, too skilled, and too deep to topple. The Avs gave it their best shot but ultimately fell short.
Alexandar Georgiev 11-13-2023
Glaring Weaknesses To Address In Colorado Avalanche Offseason
Coming off a season where the team won 50 games and had 107 points, it might feel hyper-critical to say that the team has glaring weaknesses. That said, there are a few key points that led to the defeat at the hands of the Stars. Let’s take a look at the two biggest issues facing the Colorado Avalanche offseason right now.
Scoring Depth
In the regular season, the Avs were led by MacKinnon (140 points), Rantanen (104 points), and Makar (90 points). After Makar, the next-highest scorer was Casey Mittelstadt with 57 points, and he didn’t arrive until just prior to the trade deadline.
In the playoffs, Artturi Lehkonen (11 points) stepped up to complement the Big Three. That said, losing Valeri Nichuskin to the substance abuse program was a massive blow. He was tied for the playoff lead with 9 goals in 8 games when he was suspended, leaving the Avs without critical scoring in the middle six.
Let’s also not forget that captain Gabriel Landeskog is still out recovering from a knee injury. Those are two critical pieces to be missing from the middle part of the lineup, especially when facing a team the caliber of the Stars.
Goaltending
Let’s get one thing out of the way first: Alexandar Georgiev was fine. He wasn’t an albatross by any means, and you can’t solely blame him for the loss to the Stars. That said, he isn’t the kind of guy who is going to steal a game when you need him to.
Georgiev is talented but notorious for having lapses in concentration and allowing weak goals. Against a team like Dallas, the Avs needed him to be the best version of himself. He played fine but not well enough that he could make a difference.
If the Avalanche are going to be so top heavy, then they need more out of the goaltending position. With just 9 wins in 20 career playoff games, it shows the ceiling of Georgiev. The question, however, is whether or not they can find a solution in the Colorado Avalanche offseason that they like more.
Hats off to Alexandar Georgiev for making enormous saves during the OT period. Could have easily gone the other way. He was one better tonight! #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/rQG6n95wNt
— Avs Sparky (@AvsSparky) May 8, 2024
Important Decisions Loom
Going into the offseason, the Avalanche have a few decisions to make. They have roughly $15 million in cap space heading into the offseason, but $7 million will go back onto the books when Landeskog returns from injury.
It’s unclear how long Nichushkin will remain out of the picture. As of now, his $6.125 million cap hit is off the books for 2024-25. Then there is the need to sign RFA Mittelstadt, and UFAs Walker, Jonathan Drouin, Andrew Cogliano, and others.
The core of the Avs is in place with MacKinnon, Rantanen (UFA in 2025), and Makar. After that, they may have to get creative to avoid falling into cap hell. The depth and scouting of the Avalanche will be put to the test this offseason. What decisions they make could very well dictate whether they are merely good or true contenders.
Final Thoughts
The Avs are largely what they are going to be for the next year and beyond. They are tight with the cap and there may be a chance that they re-sign one of Mittelstadt or Walker, but even that remains dubious.
The return of Nichushkin would be a big boon but that is very much up in the air. For now, the Avs will contend but might not have enough to really emerge as favorites.
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) May 23, 2024
