5 random players you forgot were on the Colorado Avalanche

Whether they came between titles or too late for the brand’s early glory, a handful of otherwise notable NHLers are forgettable Colorado Avalanche alums.

As of June 21, the Colorado Avalanche have existed for precisely 25 years. But as the ex-Quebec Nordiques round out that milestone, their first decade under the current brand remains the crux of their story.

Two Stanley Cup championships in their first six years and six Western Conference Finals in their first seven constitute all of the Avs’ deep playoff runs to date. In turn, that powerhouse era has yielded the bulk of the franchise’s most historic names.

Between those names and the years they fell short of the ultimate goal, the mid-’90s-to-mid-’00s Avalanche also logged their share of players far better known for their tenure and achievements with other franchises. In addition, following the 2004-05 lockout, Colorado players have had a better bet for prestige outside of the Rockies.

Two of the following five won a title within four years of leaving the Avalanche. Two others had a ring when they came, including one with the franchise’s predecessor in Denver, but did not add to their trophy case.

5. Dave Andreychuk

Ray Bourque was not the only championship-deprived veteran the lowly Boston Bruins sent to Colorado in 2000. Andreychuk was in his 18th season and still searching for his first ticket to a Stanley Cup Final.

But throughout the Avalanche’s 14-game homestretch and 17-game, three-round playoff run, Bourque was the natural media magnet. Andreychuk was lost in that storyline and the core group from Colorado’s 1996 title.

When Bourque and the Avalanche fulfilled unfinished business the next year, Andreychuk was back with Buffalo, the team that drafted him. Of his six NHL stops — including Tampa, where he finally got his ring in 2004 — Colorado was the only one where he did not stay for the majority of a season.

The Avalanche’s rental also saw Andreychuk’s production rate dip to a pace he never set before or after. A single regular season goal in 14 outings amounted to an 82-game pace of nearly, but not quite six. With three points, his full-season rate in Denver was south of 18.

Conversely, everywhere he played at least half a schedule, he scored an actual minimum of six. And that was his final year of action, when at age 42 he tallied a half-dozen plus 12 assists for 18 points in 42 games for the Lightning.

Otherwise, he never amassed fewer than 14 goals and 28 points in a given campaign. In fact, upon his 2000 offseason return to Buffalo and transfer to Tampa, he broke the 20-goal plateau four more times.