The Colorado Avalanche have had a very similar offseason in 2026 to the one they had a year ago.
And, according to The Hockey News, it was still good enough to rank among the best in the NHL.
The Hockey News, led by writer Adam Proteau, ranked the Avalanche No. 8 out of 32 teams in its offseason rankings. It’s another indication of the high expectations surrounding Colorado heading into the 2026-27 season, even after the team had to make several notable subtractions from the roster.
The Avalanche followed a familiar blueprint this summer.
Last year, Colorado said goodbye to notable pieces such as Ryan Lindgren, Charlie Coyle, Jonathan Drouin, and Miles Wood. The team didn’t do much to replace them immediately, bringing in Brent Burns and Gavin Brindley before eventually adding Victor Olofsson later in the summer. They also brought in Zakhar Bardakov from the KHL.
This summer has followed a somewhat similar path.
Like in 2025, Colorado made significant additions at the trade deadline, loading up for another Stanley Cup run. And like in 2025, the Avalanche then had to subtract from that deadline roster in the offseason.
Valeri Nichushkin, Jack Drury, Ross Colton, Joel Kiviranta and Nick Blankenburg are among the notable departures.
They’ll be replaced in large part by Jaden Schwartz and a collection of young forwards, including T.J. Hughes, Fedor Svechkov and Zachary L’Heureux. Fabian Lysell could also enter the mix.
On defense, Noah Juulsen is expected to replace Blankenburg (and Jack Ahcan) as the team’s No. 7 blueliner.
The result is a roster that looks a little weaker than the one Colorado iced after the trade deadline, when they added Brett Kulak, Nazem Kadri and Nic Roy.
But compared to the group that opened the 2025-26 season, the Avalanche are in a much better position.
And that’s an important distinction.
Colorado still has one of the deepest collections of star talent in the NHL, led by Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas. Devon Toews, Gabe Landeskog, Artturi Lehkonen and Brock Nelson give the Avalanche plenty of experience and talent beyond their top three.
That’s enough to keep Colorado among the handful of legitimate Stanley Cup favorites entering the season.
Then there’s Makar’s new contract.
The 27-year-old superstar defenseman just signed an eight-year extension that will keep him in Colorado through 2035, ensuring the Avalanche will continue to have arguably the NHL’s best defenseman anchoring their blue line for the foreseeable future, even at a hefty price tag.
All of that helps explain why The Hockey News viewed Colorado’s offseason so favorably.
