The Colorado Avalanche looked poised for a deep playoff run in 2024 but fell in the second round to the Dallas Stars after losing a key player to a suspension. As a result of a tight salary cap situation and some uncertainty around key players, the Avs had a quiet summer.

Welcome to Oilersnation’s summer series called Off-Season Review, in which we’ll take a dive into what’s going on with the other 15 teams in the Western Conference. So far, we’ve looked at every single Pacific Division team, as well as the team that beat the Avalanche in the playoffs, the Dallas Stars. Let’s take a look at the 2022 Stanley Cup winners.

The Colorado Avalanche 2023-24 Season in a Nutshell

The Avalanche won the 2022 Stanley Cup Final and were looking for another deep run during the 2024 postseason. They finished third in the Central Division, three points behind the Winnipeg Jets and six behind the Dallas Stars, but still finished with more points than the Oilers.

Leading up the postseason, the Avalanche traded for Casey Mittelstadt, who filled the second-line centre role that they’ve lacked since Nazem Kadri departed for the Calgary Flames. They also acquired rental right-shot defenceman Sean Walker, in exchange for Ryan Johansen and a 2025 first-round pick with conditions.

The Avalanche weren’t done with their busy deadline though, as they acquired Brandon Duhaime from the Minnesota Wild for a 2026 third-round pick, as well as Yakov Trenin from the Nashville Predators for Jeremy Hanzel and a 2025 third-round pick.

They finished the regular season strong and faced the Winnipeg Jets in the first round of the postseason. After losing Game 1 in a 7-6 barnburner, the Avalanche proceeded to win the next four games en route to a second-round appearance. Much better than falling in Game 7 to the Seattle Kraken as they did the postseason prior.

Facing off against the Dallas Stars, the Avalanche were down 2-1 in the series heading into game four. Just an hour before the game, it was reported that Valeri Nichushkin was suspended for six months due to violating the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. It was a big blow to the Avalanche, as Nichushkin was tied for the postseason lead in goals with nine.

Colorado lost Game 4 by a score of 5-1, falling to 3-1 in the series. They won their next game in Dallas 5-3 and sent Game 6 to double overtime before former Avalanche Matt Duchene ended their season.

Some Notable Statistics

Nathan MacKinnon has truly become one of the league’s best players. Last season, he scored 51 goals and 140 points, finishing second in National Hockey League scoring. This included a 35-game point-scoring streak at home from the start of the season, falling five games shy of matching Wayne Gretzky’s record of 40.

Mikko Rantanen had another under-the-radar season, scoring 42 goals and 104 points in 80 games, two shy of beating a career-high in the point category. Of course, Cale Makar has become one of the league’s best defencemen, as he scored 21 goals and 90 points in 77 games.

Free agent signing Jonathan Drouin got his career back on track, as he scored 19 goals and 56 points in 79 games. He and MacKinnon played alongside one another in the Québec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, winning the Memorial Cup in 2013.

When Valeri Nichushkin was active in the regular season, he scored 28 goals and 53 points in 54 games, along with nine goals and 10 points in eight postseason games. It’s unclear what his future will be when his suspension is finished.

Speaking of unclear futures, captain Gabriel Landeskog last played a game on June 26, 2022, the day the Avalanche won the cup. He underwent two different knee surgeries, with the last being a cartilage transplant surgery, missing all of 2022-23 and 2023-24.

The 2023-24 Avalanche had a good supporting cast, as defenceman Devon Toews scored 12 goals and 50 points, Artturi Lehkonen scored 16 goals and 34 points in 45 games, Miles Wood scored nine goals and 26 points, and Logan O’Connor scored 13 goals and 25 points.

However, the question is how’d the Avalanche change heading into 2024-25?

Off-Season Transactions

The Avalanche made a handful of trades at the 2024 draft, trading their first-round pick for picks in the second round, the third round, as well as an additional pick in next season’s draft. Moreover, the third-round pick was used to trade down five picks and pick up a fifth-round pick.

Colorado’s only other trade was acquiring netminder Kevin Mandolese and a 2026 seventh-round pick from the Senators for a 2026 sixth-round pick. Mandolese re-signed on a one-year, two-way deal in mid-July.

Speaking of re-signing players, the Avalanche re-signed Casey Mittelstadt to a three-year deal worth $17.25 million ($5.75 million AAV), as well as Jonathan Drouin to a one-year deal worth $2.5 million.

On the opening day of free agency, the Avalanche signed Calvin De Hann to a one-year deal worth $800,000, as well as Joel Kiviranta, Jacob MacDonald, Parker Kelly (two-year, $1.65 million), and Callen Rosen.

Erik Brännström signed a one-year deal worth $900,000, a good low-risk, high-reward signing as Brännström was a 15th-overall selection in the 2017 draft. Chase Bradley, Wyatt Aamodt, Jason Polin, and Calum Ritchie all signed contracts with the Avalanche as well.

With that being said, there were notable departures. Former Oiler Andrew Cogliano retired, as did Zach Praise and Pavel Francouz. Former Oiler Caleb Jones signed with the Los Angeles Kings, while Jack Johnson signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Three trade deadline acquisitions departed, as Sean Walker signed with Carolina, Yakov Trenin with Minnesota, and Brandon Duhaime with Washington. Depth players Nate Clurman, Fredrik Olofsson, Corey Schuenemann, Spencer Smallman, and Riley Tufte also departed.

Overall, there weren’t any major moves in the off-season, and the Avalanche will look similar to last season. How far they go depends on what happens next with their two top-six forwards, Valeri Nichushkin and Gabriel Landeskog.