Colorado Avalanche Stats, Odds, Standings and Schedule for NHL Season 2023

Colorado Avalanche Last Season Performance

The Avalanche followed up their Stanley Cup run in 2022 with their third straight Central Division title but lost in the first round of the postseason against the Seattle Kraken in seven games.

Colorado went just 1-3 at home in the playoffs and was better on the road (29-11-1) than at Ball Arena (22-13-6) during the regular season if you bet online.

The Avalanche were just 11th in the league in goals per game (3.34) and ninth in goals-against average (2.72).

Captain Gabriel Landeskog sat out the entire 2022-23 campaign due to injury while the team’s other stars, Nathan MacKinnon (11 games) and Cale Makar (22 games), also missed time in the regular season.

Colorado Avalanche Offseason Changes

Key Additions

Colorado never really replaced second-line center Nazem Kadri after the Cup season but made a move to acquire Ryan Johansen to fill that role. The Avs hope he can revive his career after struggling the last few seasons with Nashville and getting salary-dumped.

President of Hockey Operations Joe Sakic had to refresh his forward corps, trading for Ross Colton while signing free agents Miles Wood, Jonathan Drouin, and Tomas Tatar.

Colton had 38 goals in the last two seasons with Tampa Bay, Wood is a hard-working bottom-six player, and Drouin, an offensive dynamo who has struggled with injuries, is reunited with junior teammate MacKinnon (Halifax).

Key Subtractions

Veteran defenseman Erik Johnson was let go after 13 seasons with the team and signed with the Buffalo Sabres.

Johnson was +22 during the Cup season in 2021-22, but the 35-year-old former assistant captain was expendable with a deep roster of defensemen in Colorado.

The big loss is forward J.T. Compher, who had a career-high 52 points last season and signed with the Detroit Red Wings as a free agent.

The Avs also traded forward Alex Newhook to Montreal for a couple of high draft picks and allowed forwards Lars Eller and Evan Rodrigues to go to free agency.

Colorado Avalanche Head Coach Analysis

Jared Bednar has brought the Avs to the playoffs six straight seasons after struggling in his first with the club in 1996-97.

Bednar is 291-192-53 in the regular season and 43-27 in the playoffs. The 51-year-old Bednar has certainly proved himself with three straight division titles. He is +1200 to win the Jack Adams Award in the Las Vegas odds.

Colorado Avalanche Prediction for the 2023-24 Season

The Avalanche managed just six goals in four home games during the first round of the playoffs, which led to a surprising early exit. But that was likely an aberration.

Many things led to Colorado’s demise, including injuries and the loss of forward Valeri Nichushkin due to off-ice issues. While Landeskog will miss another season due to another knee surgery, there is plenty of talent to make the Avalanche among many NHL expert picks to win another Cup.

Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog will undergo a cartilage transplant in his right knee on May 10. The surgery will be performed by Dr. Brian Cole at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. The 30-year-old forward is expected to miss the entire 2023-24 season. pic.twitter.com/bM466EpL3G

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) May 9, 2023

MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen are 100-point scorers and Makar is one of the league’s top defensemen. Depth on offense may be a little bit of a concern, but look for Drouin to make a major impact if he can stay healthy and Johansen to have a bounce-back campaign.

The defense is solid behind Makar with Bowen Byram, Devon Toews, and Josh Manson. Alexandar Georgiev (40 wins, .919 save percentage) was just fine as a No. 1 goalie in 2022-23.

Colorado is a good bet to win the Stanley Cup (+800), the Western Conference (+375), and the Central Division (+150) at our sportsbook.

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