Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche were once a perennial Stanley Cup contender from 1996 up until the 2005 NHL lockout. Colorado’s roster entailed notable skaters such as Joe Sakic, Rob Blake, Peter Forsberg, Milan Hejduk, Chris Drury and goaltender Patrick Roy.
Though, times have changed in Colorado since that time, and the Avs haven’t advanced past the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2003. Yes, the future appears to finally be bright in Denver, but there’s one top skater that’s still Cup-less.
2018 Hart Memorial Trophy nominee, Nathan MacKinnon, entered the NHL in 2013-14 and is the Avalanche’s best player that’s still seeking a Stanley Cup ring.
After the former 2013 first-overall selection recorded a career-high 97 points last season (39 goals, 58 assists), he led the Avs on a Cinderella Story run to the playoffs. Both his goal and assists totals were career-highs, too.
The Halifax, Nova Scotia native proved that he could take his game to a whole another level in 2018, and the chances are that MacKinnon will end up breaking the 100-point benchmark at least once in his career.
Yes, there are other top players on Colorado’s roster that are Cup-less such as Gabriel Landeskog, Tyson Barrie and Erik Johnson, but MacKinnon would act as the best heading into next season. The combination of those players mentioned above in addition to a goaltender on the rise in Philipp Grubauer could help deliver the team’s third Stanley Cup championship.
Keep in mind that MacKinnon is only 22-years-old, too.