After winning the 2022 Stanley Cup, the Colorado Avalanche are in a situation familiar to most reigning champions in the salary cap era: looking at a number of departures as pending free agents look to capitalize on the open market. As a result, the high-flying Avalanche will have a number of holes to fill within
Advanced Stats
With the conclusion of the Eastern Conference Final, the matchup for the 2022 Stanley Cup Final is set. The Colorado Avalanche are set to take on the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are looking to become the first organization to win three consecutive Stanley Cups since the New York Islanders of the early-1980s. The Lightning represent
In the opening stanza of Game 3 of the 2022 Western Conference Final, the Colorado Avalanche’s Nazem Kadri was on the receiving end of a dangerous hit, the ensuing headfirst impact eliminating him from the rest of the series at minimum. For a player who was producing at an elite level and finally looked to
Welcome back for the third part of my four-part series on the best and worst forward lines and defensive pairings of the 2021-22 season. To this point, I have highlighted the best forward lines and most dominant defensive pairs, leaving the worst for last. Let me pre-empt any arguments by saying that putting a line
Yegor Sharangovich’s journey to NHL winger has been a heck of a ride. He was a fifth-round selection of the New Jersey Devils in 2018, and after breaking out with Dinamo Minsk while on loan in the KHL to start the 2020-21 season, he’s settled in as one of Jack Hughes’ most common linemates. Sharangovich got off
Last night’s loss was all too familiar for the New Jersey Devils. They came flying out of the gate and were the better team through 40 minutes. But like so many times, goaltending let them down. They eventually fell 6-3 to the Tampa Bay Lightning, who scored five unanswered goals en route to the win. Here
On Tuesday night, Elliotte Friedman published the latest edition of his 32 Thoughts blog and suggested that the Colorado Avalanche are a “stealth” trade candidate to acquire Jakob Chychrun from the Arizona Coyotes. Such a move is admittedly a longshot, especially considering the quality and number of assets that the Coyotes could procure from other
As the NHL is rapidly approaching the halfway mark of the 2021-22 season, there is no better time to reflect on what’s transpired during the first half of the campaign. While many of the usual suspects have unsurprisingly landed atop their respective divisional standings, a few teams have exceeded expectations on the back of superb
After an embarrassing 4-1 loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday night, the New Jersey Devils rebounded by putting up seven goals on the Carolina Hurricanes en route to a 7-4 win. Nathan Bastian had one of his best games of the season since the Devils claimed him on waivers from the Seattle Kraken, while Andreas
Amidst the crowded 2021-22 Norris Trophy field, one dark-horse candidate has emerged to unexpectedly submit his portfolio to be crowned the NHL’s best defenseman. The dramatic entrance belongs to none other than Devon Toews, the Colorado Avalanche‘s other dazzling blueline star. Despite missing 11 games this season, he has gradually crept up the scoring leaderboard,
After a tough 5-3 loss to the Boston Bruins on Tuesday evening, the New Jersey Devils bounced back yesterday with a 3-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Jack Hughes led the way again, with a goal and two assists, but there were plenty of other standout performances. Here are five takeaways from their victory ahead
The Montreal Canadiens are hurting right now, literally and figuratively. Losses are piling up, frustration is mounting, and the playoffs are a pipe dream. General manager Marc Bergevin has a few months to determine what direction he wants to take his hockey club. Although the 56-year-old GM has indicated he does not intend to make
After applying consecutive offensive destructions, the Colorado Avalanche officially marked the end of October, and now head into the second month of the 2021-22 season. The early returns indicate that the Avalanche won’t cruise through the regular season again, and face an uphill battle to reclaim their place atop the NHL’s Western Conference. Now, let’s
One of the biggest storylines coming into this season and out of last season was the captain of the Detroit Red Wings, Dylan Larkin, and his performance as the top-line center. Doubts were going around, including writers like myself that wrote about management needing to find someone to take over that role. It felt as
The New Jersey Devils were on the cusp of a win yesterday until they weren’t. They gave up a late game-tying goal in the third period and ultimately fell to the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 in a shootout. Despite the loss, the Devils secured a point and finished October with a 4-2-1 record. There were plenty of
After Tuesday night’s 6-3 loss at the hand of the Washington Capitals, the Colorado Avalanche fall to 1-2-0 and extend their frustrating start to the season. Although Nathan MacKinnon made his season debut after being kept out of the first two games by COVID-19 protocol, the team failed to capitalize on the return of their
Although most would consider Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche one of the NHL’s best defensemen – by whichever definition they abide – he may not rank first within every list. Physically speaking, Makar is anything but imposing, but the third-year blueliner compensates for his lack of brawn with an uncanny ability to effortlessly dictate
The New Jersey Devils have gotten off to a fast start to their preseason. They defeated the Washington Capitals 5-4 on Wednesday evening and followed it up with a 7-1 beatdown of the New York Rangers last night. Sure it’s only the preseason, but the Devils are getting notable performances from players like Dougie Hamilton and top