Time to start questioning Colorado?

[JianYang]

I think they need some more edge to their game, and they can do that without rattling the core. On that note, Kadri really needs to figure out how not to cross the line because it's ridiculous at this point.

The worst thing they an do right now is to shake the inner core.

If you take a step back, there's 31 teams in this league, and the one that knocked them out were tied in the standings with them.

 

[JianYang]

I’d give them 1 more year to try. Toronto hasn’t gotten out of the 1st round in 5 years lol

I guess you can say 5 years with the current core, but overall, they haven't won a round for 17 years.

 

[StLAvsFan]

I watched all the games, and it's unreal how you guys still think the Avs are better than Vegas after losing 4 straight. And hey, congrats on beating a disorganized, unprepared, unmotivated, injury/covid riddled Blues team in need of a retool/rebuild soon after winning a cup recently.

If Erik Johnson & Matt Calvert had been healthy for the playoffs, and dipshit Kadri hadn't gone headhunting again against the Blues, I bet the Avs would've taken Vegas in 6. The Avs are close, but they obviously need some additional size & grit in their bottom 6 + on the blue line to go all the way. Not sure Grubauer has what it takes to be the guy in net.

 

[Price is Wright]

They have a three year window.

Three years of Mackinnon, Rantanen, Girard, and Toews combined for $24.65 million.

Year one was this year. So they got two left.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

If we had Kadri, a healthy EJ and Byram in the lineup we take this series for sure.

If you can’t win with a couple of decent players missing then the team just isn’t good enough. Colorado had all of their best players. The playoffs is all about having the depth to withstand injuries. I’m sure Vegas had players playing through injuries but they just had so much depth.
And I don’t think you’d win even with those players. Vegas was the better team by a decent margin imo.

 

[Michael HOMERUNing]

If you can’t win with a couple of decent players missing then the team just isn’t good enough. I’m sure Vegas had players playing through injuries.
And I don’t think you’d win even with those players. Vegas was the better team by a decent margin imo.

Usually it is the "decent" players stepping up that makes the Cup winning team the Cup winning team. And Kadri and EJ are pretty damn important players that definitely would've helped in this series

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Usually it is the "decent" players stepping up that makes the Cup winning team the Cup winning team. And Kadri and EJ are pretty damn important players that definitely would've helped in this series

Every team deals with injuries. Colorado had their three best D, their top line and their starting goalie. They were fortunate to not have more injuries than just EJ. As for Kadri, this is his third time in a row he's been suspended. It's hardly a surprise.

 

[Cousin Eddie]

It’s certainly odd that Avalanche fans are more okay with how Colorado’s season ended than Canucks fans are with how Colorado’s season ended lol.

Wish they had won more games and won the cup but they didn’t and that’s not the end of the world. I think it’s safe to say they’re a top 5 team and with their young core and prospects I’m pretty comfortable as an Avs fan with where the team is. f*** Vegas are good and the Avs played them tough.

I was far more upset with them being eliminated last year after skating legit circles around that bad Dallas team than I am this year after being beaten by a better Vegas team.

 

[yeaher]

I think they got outcoached in the Vegas series. Despite Vegas outplaying them for most of games 2-5, the Avs could have very well won game three and five. I think the defense needs to improve, having Zadorov still would have been very nice in this series, I feel as though Girard and Graves were extremely intimidated, to a much lesser extent Makar, and Nemeth was a complete liability. If Colorado has a good trade deadline this year much like TB had last year I think they can pick up the pieces they need to overcome the physicality of Vegas, I think at this point we need to go all in and will.

 

[Nikolajs Sillers]

After first game against Vegas many people called Colorado-Tampa finals.

 

[Moosehead1]

The main page now re Colorado compared to a week ago is hilarious. Hopefully Colorado fans will drain the water from their ridiculous swollen heads now. But something tells me we'll be having the same conversation next year.

I know you're being facetious but you've stubbornly pointed out the fact they may win the league (again). So, you're probably right lol

 

[Moosehead1]

I swear the Golden Knights are rigged. Reaves getting two games and Kadri getting a series-long suspension?

Used to think Boston's team was Bettman's team, but I think now Bettman is hard for the Golden Knights.

With that being said Colorado is still the one of the best teams in the league, I expect within next season they'll win a cup.

$$$$$$$$$

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I think they deserve scrutiny. Their expectation had to be winning the Stanley Cup this season, and they didn’t even get close. But long-term I wouldn’t be worried. They should be one of the best teams in the league over the next five seasons.

 

[AvsFan29]

I think they deserve scrutiny. Their expectation had to be winning the Stanley Cup this season, and they didn’t even get close. But long-term I wouldn’t be worried. They should be one of the best teams in the league over the next five seasons.

They got pretty close...they lost to Vegas in 6 games. The Vegas series was arguably the real WCF, with the Montreal series being a formality. Vegas is going to the SCF, and Colorado would have also gone to the SCF if they had won. Lets not pretend the Montreal series would have been competitive.

 

[c9777666]

Just like the Leafs
Regular season team, not built for the playoffs

because they aren't a team of gritty mcgrits?

 

[Bounces R Way]

I don't think I would want to count on Nazem Kadri. But that's just a personal opinion. DeBoer coached circles around Bednar this series but I wouldn't give up on him. Young teams need to learn the regular season doesn't mean that much and that there's another level you need to find if you want to go far in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Avalanche learned that this year.

 

[LOFIN]

I think they deserve scrutiny. Their expectation had to be winning the Stanley Cup this season, and they didn’t even get close. But long-term I wouldn’t be worried. They should be one of the best teams in the league over the next five seasons.

Colorado, Tampa and Vegas were clearly seen above the rest by pretty much everyone even before the season started. So Colorado lost to one of the top-3 teams. In a normal year, it would have been a CF.

So while it is true that they dropped out in the 2nd round for the 3rd time in a row, you can still look at the series a bit closer than just say they screwed up. It's a very different situation compared to what is going on with the Leafs, or heck what Tampa did in 2019 when they got swept by the Blue Jackets.

 

[Sasha Orlov]

because they aren't a team of gritty mcgrits?

No because they suck shit in the playoffs

 

[PAZ]

Three straight years not getting by the second round. Great regular season, but undoubtedly were a playoff disappointment this year. Forget about not winning the Stanley Cup the last few years, how about winning two rounds? They haven’t even gotten close. Shouldn’t we expect more of the best team in the league during the regular season and the fastest rising team in the league?

Or should we wait another season or two before the pressure starts to elevate?

The previous 2nd round exits are nothing to be ashamed of. Losing to San Jose when we weren't even suppose to make the playoffs and then losing to Dallas in GM7OT with a 3rd string goaltender is damn impressive in my opinion. If anything, they overachieved in both years given the circumstances.

This year they definitely deserve some scrutiny, regardless of how good Vegas is and I hope some changes and tweaks are made. Everyone in the Avs organization have been essential to get the team to this point, but now Sakic needs to figure out how to tweak this roster for a cup run, and Bednar needs to figure out how to adapt in the postseason quicker. Sakic still has a very long leash before anyone should be calling for his head. Bednar should get 1-2 more years, depending on how the next playoff run or two go.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

The previous 2nd round exits are nothing to be ashamed of. Losing to San Jose when we weren't even suppose to make the playoffs and then losing to Dallas in GM7OT with a 3rd string goaltender is damn impressive in my opinion. If anything, they overachieved in both years given the circumstances.

This year they definitely deserve some scrutiny, regardless of how good Vegas is and I hope some changes and tweaks are made. Everyone in the Avs organization have been essential to get the team to this point, but now Sakic needs to figure out how to tweak this roster for a cup run, and Bednar needs to figure out how to adapt in the postseason quicker. Sakic still has a very long leash before anyone should be calling for his head. Bednar should get 1-2 more years, depending on how the next playoff run or two go.

I agree.

The people that point to Vegas as actually the the Conference Final, so it's not that bad of a loss, are missing the larger point, in my opinion. If in 10 years that Vegas core won 1-2 Cups, and the Colorado core won 0, are you going to be okay knowing the team you lost to was actually very good? No, of course not. It's a failure if you have one of the best teams in the league, and don't get the job done. There is absolutely shame in being one of the main Cup Contenders, and losing to another of those teams. There are no participation Stanley Cup trophies. You get the trophy if you win the Cup. If you come up just short, you don't.

Obviously Colorado has plenty of time. I don't hold the prior two years against them, although I still think every year a team makes the playoffs and doesn't win the cup, that at least a small failure. You only have so many years in the league and years that a team is good enough to make the playoffs, let alone one of the best teams. Being 1 of the 8 best three years in a row and not winning any of those three years isn't good. It's an overall negative situation. This is the only season I'd call it a total failure. The other years are small failures. I think though that when you build a total failure year on two small failure years, it starts adding up that there should be more pressure on a team to win. The team isn't exactly going into the playoffs next year as a team with a great playoff reputation.

 

[Anaheim4ever]

Maybe they need a guy like Josh Manson in the playoffs ?

 

[ps241]

Three straight years not getting by the second round. Great regular season, but undoubtedly were a playoff disappointment this year. Forget about not winning the Stanley Cup the last few years, how about winning two rounds? They haven’t even gotten close. Shouldn’t we expect more of the best team in the league during the regular season and the fastest rising team in the league?

Or should we wait another season or two before the pressure starts to elevate?

Caps have got passed the second round once in the Ovi era and they have been regular season beasts. Sometimes it can take teams a while.

I like the Avs allot but the cap is going to start coming into play so we’ll see.

 

[tstracuzza]

I guess you can say 5 years with the current core, but overall, they haven't won a round for 17 years.

Yeah sorry I meant current core

 

[Red Dread]

We had this same discussion about the Caps in 2017-18. Avs may need some changes, but they're still a threat.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

We had this same discussion about the Caps in 2017-18. Avs may need some changes, but they're still a threat.

We also had the same discussion about the Sharks and the Canucks in 2010-2011. Sometimes it goes like the Caps and sometimes it doesn't. There's no guarantees.