This is Colorado’s best chance to win a Stanley Cup. After back-to-back, one-goal, game seven losses, Colorado went all out. They pushed most of their chips into the table for Brandon Saad, whose contract expires this season, and Devon Toews. At the trade deadline, they acquired two other rentals: Patrik Nemeth and Devan Dubnyk. After this season, they must resign their stud Defenseman, Cale Makar, who will undoubtedly draw at least $5 million (assuming it’s a bridge deal) before re-signing Philip Grubauer, who could demand another $5 million. If they didn’t have enough trouble, Captain Gabriel Landeskog’s deal also expires in a few months, and other teams could swoop in and steal their beloved captain with $7-million offers. The signings will undoubtedly force the Avalanche to break up their luxurious team. Thus, they must capture Lord Stanley this season.
For now, the President’s Trophy winners have Nathan MacKinnon, who I believe is a top-five player of all-time. If that wasn’t scary enough, he only (technically) counts as a third of their Rocky Mountain Line with Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog on his wings. Better yet, for the Avalanche, defenses must endure more than Rocky Mountain Line. Nazem Kadri, Brandon Saad, and Andre Burakovsky can score at any moment. With their prolific offense, the Avalanche will have no difficulty scoring; teams will constantly shift their feet looking to contain the Colorado attack, only for the Avs to bury the puck.
Did I mention the Avalanche have an absurd and unfair defense that contributes at both ends of the ice paired with a Vezina-caliber goalie? Of course, Makar leads the D, but there is much more around him; look at Toews and Samuel Girard if you don’t believe me. The three can easily be the best three-defensemen combo. Though Grubaeur is somewhat injury-prone, he was a Vezina-caliber goalie this season. If he were unavailable, Dubnyk is a competent starter, providing he can revert to his 2017-18 form.
This postseason, teams will feel the ferocity of the Avalanche. They are hungry for a cup, and a golden opportunity to capture the cup, like this, won’t appear again. In a few months, they could lose their starting goalie, their captain, or their stud defenseman. However, they still have a few months, and young players like Tyson Jost and Bowen Bryam can step up and further bolster their Stanley Cup odds. Colorado is more than capable of winning Lord Stanley for the third time in 25 years and their first cup in two decades with their ultra-great team. This postseason, they are my pick to capture the Stanely Cup championship.
Prediction: Colorado Avalanche win Stanley Cup
