PPG wrote: ↑02 Jul 2026 09:51 am
Anybody who thinks the Avs are NOT contenders, is way off base.
Don't forget they dominated a very good Minnesota team that defeated Dallas with relative ease.
And they outshot And outchanced Vegas in almost every game. Carter Hart outplayed the Avs goalies, pure and simple.
They are getting older but their window is still definitely open.
They may not be the favorites but definitely still a legit contender.
And I say this as a person who hates their team the way I used to hate Detroit 30 years ago & hated the Hawks/ Kings 10 years ago
Agreed. MacKinnon and Makar were both injured too. Colorado is certainly top heavy so they’re susceptible if any of those top guys goes down but they’re still really (drat) good.
Oh they are real good.
This era which I believe included 5 top 5 picks for multiple years has 1 Cup to show for it.
I just think it's going to stay that way. Nate runs a weird ship imo.
PPG wrote: ↑03 Jul 2026 07:25 am
The Avs window is definitely closing and so is Edmonton's window.
Two very good teams with super star talent and a grand total of ONE Cup between them in the last 10 years.
Look at Carolina- their model is at least as sustainable, if not moreso, than the Colorado/ Edmonton model.
No superstars on Carolina, just lots and lots of good players who buy in to the system they are playing in and have tremendous balance up and down their lineup.
And strong goaltending.
That's basically how the Blues won.
IMHO, the main reason why the Oilers and Avalanche haven’t won more cups is goaltending. Neither has a goalie who can steal a game consistently in a playoff series.
Yes, I realize that there have been some teams who win The Cup without that shutdown goalie (like the 2022 Avs), but you have to have a powerhouse hitting on all cylinders. If you have some nagging injuries to your stars, the hot goalie can compensate for that. And that’s what the Avs didn’t have versus Vegas this year.
