A pause in the middle of the season is a great time to reflect on the latest news and happenings for the Colorado Avalanche but to also look ahead at the near future including the 2026 Winter Olympics, trade deadline and beyond.
What are your thoughts on the Winter Classic announcement and outdoor game in 2027 against the Utah Mammoth?
Jackie: I’m so glad the NHL listened to my suggestion! It’s been long overdue for the NHL to showcase the Avalanche in its marquee event plus the location and opponent in Utah are a great choice. It’s might even breathe new life into the event from an outsider’s perspective.
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Jess: I’m so incredibly excited, my family and I are already talking about possibly making the trip out to Utah next year to watch the game in person, and I’m interested to see what each team comes up with for their jerseys for the game as well. I’m a sucker for a good outdoor hockey game, and I love the venue they picked in the University of Utah football stadium. I think it’s going to be super cool, and I’m really looking forward to it!
Adrian: It’s a great announcement and a great foe when you consider the possibility of the Utah Mammoth being a real rival to the Avalanche one day. The geographical proximity and seeds of a former flame in Avs vs. Coyotes have seemingly jump-started the tension. Add to that the setting of an outdoor game at a college football stadium that should actually be able to accommodate the guests, and you have a recipe for another classic outdoor game.
Matthew: As an Avalanche fan, I’m glad that they’re finally getting their chance to participate in the Winter Classic. For too long, we’ve had to sit on the sidelines waiting for our first chance to be in the premier outdoor game on the NHL schedule while other franchises which shall remain nameless—coughcoughChicagoDetroitPittsburghChicagoBoston—have been in multiple Winter Classic events. This will mark the fourth outdoor event for the Avs, but first appearance in the Winter Classic, which is long overdue. Stadium Series games are nice, don’t get me wrong, but they’ve always played the bridesmaid to the Winter Classic’s perennial bride in terms of prominence. Even though they’re going to be the visiting team in their first trip to the Winter Classic, it’ll definitely be a memorable experience for the players and for the fans, who will be hoping to witness their first victory in an outdoor setting (yes, they won the Lake Tahoe game against Vegas, but sadly, no fans were able to savor the moment in person). All of that said, as someone who was a fan of the Arizona Coyotes until the very end, this is a bittersweet feeling for that side of my fandom watching Utah get the spoils that Arizona was denied for their entire existence in the desert. An Avalanche/Coyotes Winter Classic would have been an absolute dream of mine, and that side of me that pines over the loss of the Coyotes can’t help but feel dejected.
Who are you rooting for in the men’s Olympic hockey tournament?
Jackie: It’s always exciting rooting for the Americans to add to their medal count during the Olympics but for all hockey tournaments it’s easy for me to pull for the underdogs. With so many Avalanche players on different teams this Olympics there’s no obvious choice of interest so I’m putting my support behind Finland and Czechia. Hopefully Joel Kiviranta, Artturi Lehkonen and Martin Nečas find a lot of success.
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Jess: I don’t know that I’m rooting for one specific men’s hockey team in the Olympics; it’s been over a decade since NHL players were last at the Olympics in the 2014 Sochi games, and I’m really looking forward to watching everyone play in the games again. That being said, similarly to Jackie, I think it would be incredibly fun for Czechia to find some major success and earn a medal.
Matthew: I would love to see Team USA finally snap its gold medal drought. While the Miracle on Ice certainly is the stuff of legend, adding a fresh, new chapter to Team USA’s Olympic portfolio would do more to help grow the sport stateside and also add a new layer of intrigue to the ongoing rivalry with our Canadian neighbors. The Four Nations tournament provided a nice spark to that rivalry; a gold medal would just add even more fuel to the fire. Locally, having a third generation Olympian in Brock Nelson is something that may not be getting the credit that it deserves. Not many people make it to a single Olympics, and for Nelson, being able to carry on what’s now a family legacy is a huge honor, no matter what awaits Team USA in Italy. That said, a gold medal would certainly silence Brock Nelson’s detractors, who can then find new things to “cough and wheeze” over.
How should the Avalanche approach the upcoming March 6th trade deadline?
Jackie: I really think every team should both buy and sell; everyone should be looking for an opportunity to improve and also rid themselves of underperforming contracts. Obviously, Colorado wants to fortify for a long Stanley Cup run, so they are going to add veteran depth, which shouldn’t break the bank. They already have such a strong team that minimal changes are needed, thankfully. I’d prefer to see the addition of some younger players with term, perhaps get back into the RFA game, and avoid pointless rentals.
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Jess: I absolutely think they should buy, but also be reasonable. To Jackie’s point, there are such minimal changes needed because of how good your team is already, so you don’t have to swing big and break the bank in doing so. I can understand why a big name might be really interesting and why you’d at least check in on one of those players that have been made available, but they don’t really solve anything you need them to. Really, as it stands right now, I think you just need a 3C and a depth defenseman.
Adrian: I am conflicted. On the one hand, it feels like a bottom-of-the-league power play won’t cut it in the postseason, but on the other hand, shouldn’t a PP unit with the likes of Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon on it succeed as is? Acquiring a forward to stimulate the man advantage would require a significant ask, likely a commitment that could make the Makar contract a little more complicated, and how do we even know that talent is the issue?
Sure, it seems clear that a left-shot forward on the endboards would potentially make this power play approach click, but you traded Mikko Rantanen, and someone with elite-level finishing from that spot isn’t just a readily available commodity.
Get you a true 3C and a left shot stay at home defender, and pray the power play comes to life at the perfect time, I guess?
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Matthew: The sensible approach would be to follow a blueprint similar to the 2022 deadline: identify areas where there may be some deficiencies and upgrade if possible, and secure some depth additions that may help out in key situations. The Avs were able to convert prospects and picks to make those additions, but the prospect pool and draft stock has rapidly diminished since then. Frankly, the return of Gabe Landeskog and—fingers crossed—Logan O’Connor may blunt the need to make changes to the forward lines*. Adding another defenseman that can deploy the breakout pass similar to that of Sam Girard and play steady minutes to help spell some relief for both Cale Makar and Devon Toews would be ideal.
*(Having said this, there is one trade I want the Avs to make, simply to keep him away from Dallas and Minnesota, and because it would be a hero’s welcome to rival Landeskog’s return from injury last spring: get Nazem Kadri back from Calgary. Think about it: Artemi Panarin just went to Los Angeles for peanuts—and that includes the upcoming two year extension he signed—it certainly is possible that Calgary might(?) do the same to send Kadri back to Colorado. Wishful thinking? Maybe. We’ll see, just as long as he doesn’t land somewhere else in division.)
Which Avs goaltender would you start if the playoffs began tomorrow?
Jess: Unless something drastically changes, it’s Blackwood for me. He played really well last year and showed he could compete at that level of playoff hockey. I absolutely can understand the argument for Scott Wedgewood, and there’s a really solid case to start him instead because of how stellar his play has been this year, but I’d still start Blackwood. I don’t think I would split the time personally and play them both, unless there’s an extenuating circumstance that requires you to do so, solely based on the fact that we saw the record-setting Boston Bruins team try that with their goalies in the 2022-2023 season, and we all know how that went.
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Jackie: I’ve been team Wedgewood so he’s the one I’d start if the Stanley Cup finals began tomorrow. He had the better statistics up until the last week when Blackwood earned the Detroit shutout and has 20 wins. But splitting time is got them to the position they are in so I don’t think it’s smart to change that, therefore I’d like to see both goaltenders in net in the playoffs. Wedgewood for me earned a greater trust level as he has played more and been more consistent of the two.
Adrian: It would be MacKenzie Blackwood for me. Scott Wedgewood did some legendary work early in the season while Blackwood was on the mend. Since then howerver, Scott has sustained a few injuries of his own and struggled to match his early-season consistency. Add to that Blackwood having the exact opposite road to right now. He has slowly worked out the kinks and appears to be all that the Avalanche hoped he’d be.
Matthew: The answer to this question depends largely on who the Avalanche draw in the first round. If the Avalanche wrap up the Central and are guaranteed one of the wild card draws of Utah, Anaheim, Los Angeles, Nashville, or San Jose, my preference would be to start Mackenzie Blackwood against whoever earns the wild card. Given how the Avs bowed out in the postseason last year, giving Blackwood an extra round of games and putting him in a position to secure his first playoff series win would be a huge confidence boost for him and the team as a whole. It’s one thing to make the postseason, but gaining confidence in winning in the postseason means everything, especially for a goaltender. Scott Wedgewood can—and has—stepped up admirably throughout the season, but when it comes to the postseason, it’s Blackwood’s net to lose.
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