Fansided

Projecting every NHL team’s chances of hoisting the Stanley Cup in 2019

By Griffin Youngs

LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 07: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals celebrates with the Stanley Cup after defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Five of the Stanley Cup Final during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena on June 7, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 07: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals celebrates with the Stanley Cup after defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Five of the Stanley Cup Final during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena on June 7, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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19. Colorado Avalanche

Last year’s Cinderella team went from last place by a mile to playoff team in one short season, and now the Avalanche want to prove that it wasn’t just a fluke.

The Avalanche went from a worst in the shootout era with 49 points last season all the way to 16th in the league with 97 points to get the second wildncard spot in Western Conference before losing in six games in the first round to the Nashville Predators.

Why they could win

Nathan MacKinnon has finally become the superstar that he was drafted to be, and came second only to Taylor Hall in the voting for the Hart Trophy. If there’s any reason that the Avalanche went from a joke to a playoff team, it was him stringing together a 44-point production increase from 53 to 97 and giving the organization and fans something to believe in. He elevated the whole team’s level of play, most obviously the ones he played with. His linemate Mikko Rantanen scored 84 points last year, and nobody noticed. Thats 84 points from a second-year 21-year-old who scored 38 points the year prior.

Looking outside of MacKinnon, the Avalanche are the youngest team in the league with players like JT Compher, Samuel Girard, Tyson Jost and Alex Kerfoot. With a year of team chemistry and growth under their belts, the Avalanche might not need any free agents to fill the holes for a long time.

Even though the Avalanche made it to the playoffs, their goaltending was their demise against Nashville in the first round. Their starter Semyon Varlamov was injured late in the year, and they didn’t have a good enough replacement to hang with the Predators so they went out and acquired Phillip Grubauer from the Washington Capitals at this year’s draft. Now they have two starting caliber goaltenders, and the future replacement for Varlamov if he gets injured again.

Why they won’t win

The Avalanche relied too much on Nathan MacKinnon last season, and while it just worked out for them last year, you can’t expect that same result again. Unfortunately not many moves were made to add to the depth of the team around MacKinnon this offseason, despite having more than $14 million in cap space.

The Avalanche do have a lot of young depth, but almost too much. Their second line looks more like a third line without any proven top six talent, and the only move they made to bolster was singing a fringe third line forward in Matt Calvert. Most times rely on a top six to carry a team, while Colorado is relying entirely on its top line.

The Avalanche are also in the Central Division, which leaves no room for error. They may have beaten out St. Louis by a single point last year in the final game of the season, but St. Louis made massive improvements while the Avalanche relatively stayed put. Dallas won’t be far behind, and Minnesota could be a threat if they get it together. One point was the difference last year, and it could be the difference again.

Conclusion

On paper, the Avalanche still have a lot of growing to do before a Stanley Cup can be brought into the question. They decided to stand pat with their young roster, which adds time to the equation.

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