St. Louis Blues Central Division Preview: Colorado Avalanche
By Jason Martin
The St. Louis Blues are in one of the most difficult divisions in the entire NHL, and the Colorado Avalanche have assembled a roster to make it even more challenging.
It’s no secret, the Colorado Avalanche have been a thorn in the St. Louis Blues’ side over the past two seasons. By knocking the Blues out of the playoffs on the final day of the regular season two years ago, St. Louis fans have a special place in their hearts for the Avs.
Colorado figures to be a contender not only for the Central Division crown but they are one of my picks to make the Stanley Cup Final and compete for a championship.
The Avalanche showed off their firepower in the playoffs last season by taking down the number one seeded Calgary Flames in the first round of the playoffs before losing to the San Jose Sharks in controversial fashion in seven games.
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The Avs have a mix of young talent and strong veteran presences that should at least get them back into the postseason this year, if not win the division and compete for the Western Conference crown.
Whether it was the playoff run, or the lack of sustained success over the years, Colorado’s front office has put together one of the best rosters in the Central Division, and they will be able to challenge almost any team in the league.
The Avalanche have two superstars on their team that are some of the most prolific and dangerous scorers on the planet. Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Gabriel Landeskog highlight the Avs’ forward core which makes it one of the best in the league.
Rantanen is one of many restricted free agents who have yet to sign a contract. However, after the signing on Mitch Marner, Rantanen might be more willing to sign sooner rather than later.
There are also some new faces to consider when looking at the 2019-20 Avalanche team. One of the more notable trades in the offseason brought Nazem Kadri to Colorado in return for Tyson Barrie.
Kadri had some issues with inconsistencies in Toronto, while Barrie has been a steady force in multiple situations for Colorado for several years. The trade, while surprising, figures to be beneficial for both sides.
Colorado also brought in Andre Burakovsky and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare in the offseason to give the Avalance some much-needed forward depth.
Defensively, the Avalanche don’t have any sexy names. However, they have six guys who can go in and do a solid job every night. One bright spot on the blue line is Cale Makar. The rookie put himself on the map after making his debut in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and figures to have a promising career ahead of him.
Goaltending is where I start to get a little nervous with the Avalanche when trying to project into next season. They will head into the year with Phillip Grubauer as their number one goalie.
No disrespect to Grubauer, but he is not listed very high among the top goalies in the Central Division. He is not Jordan Binnington or Ben Bishop. However, if the team can score in front of him, goaltending shouldn’t be an issue.
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The Colorado Avalanche are my pick to win the Central Division. Even with the Blues returning as Stanley Cup champs, the Avs have so many things to be excited about on offense, and they looked hungry for a shot at the title last year.