Winnipeg Jets 2022-23 Central Division Opponent Preview
Colorado Avalanche
Last Season Head to Head: Colorado Avalanche win season series 3-1
2021-22 Season
Some would say that the Colorado Avalanche had a successful 2021-22. Which they did, of course. The Avs captured the Stanley Cup for the first time since 2001, having one of the most dominant seasons in recent memory. It’s hard to talk about Colorado without mentioning the success of Cale Makar. Makar has become arguably the most electric player in the league, and the hardware he took home confirms this. After winning the Norris Trophy for the league’s top defenseman, Makar went on to win the Conn Smythe trophy, recording 29 points in 20 playoff games. The vote was unanimous. Their team was filled with success stories, and their cup win was a testament to that.
The Avalanche finished 2021-22 with a record of 56-19-7.
Offseason
Despite losing some key players, the Avalanche looked primed for another cup run. They did lose some important pieces in Nazem Kadri, Andre Burakovsky, and Darcy Kuemper, but attempted to fill the holes created by their departures. In goal, the Avalanche acquired Alexander Georgiev from the New York Rangers. Georgiev, the Rangers’ backup for the past couple of seasons, looks to fill a full-time starter’s role for the first time in his career. With the team in front of him, the Avalanche provides him with a great chance to succeed. The Avs also signed Evan Rodrigues, who should fill the hole, in part, that was left by Nazem Kadri in their middle-six.
They also re-signed a few of their own. Nichushkin, Lehkonen, Cogliano, Manson, and Helm all re-upped with the Avs. The most notable, however, is the extension of Nathan McKinnon. McKinnon signed an eight-year extension with Colorado, with an AAV of $12.6 million
Projected Lines
Forwards
Valeri Nichushkin – Nathan McKinnon – Mikko Rantanen
Gabriel Landeskog – Alex Newhook – Artturi Lehkonen
Evan Rodrigues – JT Compher – Logan O’Connor
Andrew Cogliano – Ben Meyers – Darren Helm
Defense
Devon Toews – Cale Makar
Sam Girard – Josh Manson
Bowen Byram – Erik Johnson
Goalies
Alexander Georgiev
Pavel Francouz
Strengths and Weaknesses
The Avalanche are one of those teams where it’s harder to list all the strengths because they have so many of them. Their forward core, even when losing Nazem Kadri and Andre Burakovsky, is among the best in the league. That defensive core is the best in the league, and it isn’t particularly close.
Goaltending is the only thing that could be questionable, as there isn’t a large sample size that supports Georgiev being a consistent starting goalie. That being said, the job becomes slightly easier when you have the best puck-moving defensemen in the entire league.