End of the Avalanche?

[LaCarriere]

Why do some people get so dramatic following some eliminations?

It's hard to win the Stanley Cup in a 32-team League and very hard to win it more than once. Even many of the best teams are eliminated yearly.

I can understand poking fun at a team that has never won with its core or come close (like TOR), but COL won just two years ago and had a decent playoff showing this year. They have a strong core that has proven capable of winning and may win again. This year they ran into a better team.

They've won 3 cups in under 30 years. Most franchises would love to be in their position, though the mid/late 2000s and early/mid 2010s were some dark days.

The front office needs some clarity on landeskog, and they need to decide what to do with nuke. Missing two top forwards certainly didn't help their chances and wasting another season without addressing those issues is probably another wasted year of mackinnon, makar and rantanen.

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

They've won 3 cups in under 30 years. Most franchises would love to be in their position, though the mid/late 2000s and early/mid 2010s were some dark days.

The front office needs some clarity on landeskog, and they need to decide what to do with nuke. Missing two top forwards certainly didn't help their chances and wasting another season without addressing those issues is probably another wasted year of mackinnon, makar and rantanen.

Eh, not much you can do with Landeskog as long as he’s trying to return- they’ll know better going into next season, this one was always gonna be a crapshoot.

And tough to say if they f***ed up with Val, but my guess is yes. That meltdown/very scary and potentially dangerous situation with him last year was seemingly not dealt with properly. They swept it under the rug, it bit ‘em in the ass, and now Val really needs help. Sweet.

 

[newsportsfan123]

Everybody thinks it’s the end for teams when they lose in the playoffs after making it for years.

Teams like the Rangers and Knights might have a shorter window imo, or the Panthers if they can’t find a replacement for Bob. Luckily, Spencer Knight is still young for a goalie.

 

[LaCarriere]

They're fine. Makar is young. Mack and Rant are still under 30. Half of their forward group this post-season was fringe-NHL garbage, however, so fill holes next year and be smarter about it, don't fall for the name value of a 47 year old Zach Parise. Also, graduate Colton to a larger role, for god sakes.

I don't think Parise was the issue. He played for half a year at basically the league minimum. If that was their best move to be made for a forward without mortgaging the future then I can live with it. He came to the team for next to nothing for one last chance at a cup.

 

[KingsFan7824]

Was it the end for Chicago, when after winning the Cup in 2010, they had consecutive first round losses in 2011 and 2012?
Was it the end for Pitsburgh, when they made it past the second round only once in the six seasons after their 2009 win, including a rather decisive beat-down by the Rangers in 2015?

Colorado still has a high-end team with elite-players. They didn't exactly lose againt rabble either, a six game series against the top team the western conference is nothing to sneeze at. They have all the means to get themselves back on track. It's a 32 team league now, even great teams will have a tough time making it to the third or fourth round now and then. Sometimes you just have the misfortune of running one another great team rather early on. Imagine what would have happened if Colorado, Detroit or Dallas gave up, just becaues they ran into each other quite often in the late 90s / early 00s.

Kane and Toews were in their early 20's in 2010. When Pittsburgh finally won again in 2016, Crosby and Malkin were basically as old as MacKinnon is now. Not that that guarantees anything one way or another, but Chi and Pit may have had a little more time to "re-tool" the roster. And time goes by quickly. Makar is a UFA in 3 years, Rantanen a UFA next summer, and MacKinnon will be 29 in Sept. That's not Chicago in 2010.

Once you lose your depth for cap reasons, and your top guys get their Cup contracts, and now it's been 2 years since you won the Cup, it just gets more difficult climbing back up the mountain. It'll be another year grind just to get back to the end of the 2nd rd. Same thing with TB. 2 years removed from a Finals appearance, but 3 years removed from the Cup win, and it's not getting better. Everyone is close to, if not 30 already. Everybody got paid. Stamkos is a UFA and will be 35 next year.

The Avs won't go away. Too much talent to do that. But, windows, if you want to call it that, usually end before you think they will. Once you start not winning the Cup, it's a little easier for seasons to go by. Eh, they just lost to an upstart team that was really hot for a round, that's all. It happens sometimes. They'll be back next year. Eh, they just lost to a better team this year, that's all. It happens sometimes. They'll be back next year.

 

[Kranix]

I don't think Parise was the issue. He played for half a year at basically the league minimum. If that was their best move to be made for a forward without mortgaging the future then I can live with it. He came to the team for next to nothing for one last chance at a cup.

For sure, and maybe it fuels some extra motivation to get the old guy a cup. I would have preferred a pair of 20-something legs on the cheap to his, if they needed a league minimum body.

 

[FrozenKing18]

Windows is still open for them. Like others have mentioned, they need to retool.

 

[StreetHawk]

Windows is still open for them. Like others have mentioned, they need to retool.

Since the Makar draft selection, most of the reconizable names or early picks are no longer with the organization. Timmons, Barron, Kaut, Helleson, Newhook are gone, as are a lot of 2nd and 3rd round picks in the past couple and future drafts. No 3rds in the next 3 drafts. No 2nd in the next 2 and no first in 2025 (unless they are bottom 10).

Byram is now Mittlestadt. Now sure what they have internally coming up in the next season or two from their prospects. Going to have to pull a FLA with excellent pro scouting and signings to round out the roster.

Cap friendly has them with a 12 man roster with $16 mill in cap space, but that includes the $7 mill for Landy and $0 for Nuke, so it's 11 players signed and $23 mill in cap room to round out the 23 man roster. Mittlestadt needs a new deal so a chunk of that goes to him.

How they fare in the short term going to be heavily dependent on how good their pro scouting is and they need to find some solid players for a low price.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

Its the toughest trophy to win in sports for a reason , ultimate team game. Avs still have an amazing team.

 

[Hasbro]

Crosby is a free agent next year.

 

[AvroArrow]

Yes they're done, Leafs offer 1 Mitch Marner for that scrub Cale Makar, maybe he'll re-open their window

This team is 2 years removed from winning a cup, lost a series 4-2 to a legitimate cup contender and we're writing them off ? lol As long as you have Mackinnon + Makar you will always be competitive, they'll be fine.

 

[Hasbro]

They've won 3 cups in under 30 years. Most franchises would love to be in their position, though the mid/late 2000s and early/mid 2010s were some dark days.

The front office needs some clarity on landeskog, and they need to decide what to do with nuke. Missing two top forwards certainly didn't help their chances and wasting another season without addressing those issues is probably another wasted year of mackinnon, makar and Rantanen.

Yep.

Can't win it every year... unless you are the Canucks and then you can't win it ANY year.

 

[Mountlaine]

Avs need to find a way to reduce their aging top horses' minutes during the regular season so they don't run out of gas in the playoffs.

 

[Oilslick941611]

It’s not him who left, he got suspended for 6 months

for violating his player assistance reinstatement conditions. Completely and totally selfish. It's also 2nd year in a row he abandoned his teammates in the playoffs.

 

[Faceboner]

They need to restructure their forward core keep mack and mitts and go from there

 

[acor]

Chicago and Pittsburgh also had some playoff problems first few seasons after their cup wins in 2010 and 2009 respectively... As long as they have their core in prime, you can't say they're over.

 

[ViD]

for violating his player assistance reinstatement conditions. Completely and totally selfish. It's also 2nd year in a row he abandoned his teammates in the playoffs.

I mean he was leading the entire league in goals, was giving it all

 

[Oilslick941611]

I mean he was leading the entire league in goals, was giving it all

You make it sound like the league did him wrong, when in fact he did his team wrong.

 

[DFC]

Turns out dynasties are hard.

They'll be fine. They will contend for several years and maybe win another cup or two if the stars align. That's just the reality of really good teams -- they have to play other really good teams.

 

[HisIceness]

As long as snow falls on mountains, avalanches will always occur.

Now if we're talking about the Hockey team, as long as MacKinnon and Makar are on the roster they will be contenders.

 

[ViD]

You make it sound like the league did him wrong, when in fact he did his team wrong.

Addiction is bad mmkay

 

[Big Daddy Cane]

While Pittsburgh and Chicago bounced back, there are plenty of examples of slippery peaks as well. Pittsburgh itself has only won one round since 2017. Chicago never won another (non play-in) round after 2015. Ditto Washington 2018 and L.A. 2014. Detroit never made it past the 2nd round after 2009. Boston missed the playoffs in back to back seasons starting 2 years after their peak of 2 Finals appearances (1 Cup) in 3 seasons. We’re watching Tampa’s descent in real time.

 

[Oilslick941611]

Addiction is bad mmkay

It 100 percent is but it doesn’t absolve a person of personal responsibility .

 

[NVious]

Mack, Makar and Rantanen are as good of 3 players as you can get in the league, there will always be opportunities to build around them.

You can't win the cup/make runs every year, 2nd round is respectable all things considered

 

[MOGlLNY]

They’ll be fine.