The Colorado Avalanche looked poised for a deep playoff run in 2024 but fell in the second round to the Dallas Stars after losing a key player to a suspension. As a result of a tight salary cap situation and some uncertainty around key players, the Avs had a quiet summer.
Welcome to Oilersnation’s summer series called Off-Season Review, in which we’ll take a dive into what’s going on with the other 15 teams in the Western Conference. So far, we’ve looked at every single Pacific Division team, as well as the team that beat the Avalanche in the playoffs, the Dallas Stars. Let’s take a look at the 2022 Stanley Cup winners.
The Colorado Avalanche 2023-24 Season in a Nutshell
The Avalanche won the 2022 Stanley Cup Final and were looking for another deep run during the 2024 postseason. They finished third in the Central Division, three points behind the Winnipeg Jets and six behind the Dallas Stars, but still finished with more points than the Oilers.
Leading up the postseason, the Avalanche traded for Casey Mittelstadt, who filled the second-line centre role that they’ve lacked since Nazem Kadri departed for the Calgary Flames. They also acquired rental right-shot defenceman Sean Walker, in exchange for Ryan Johansen and a 2025 first-round pick with conditions
The Avalanche weren’t done with their busy deadline though, as they acquired Brandon Duhaime from the Minnesota Wild for a 2026 third-round pick, as well as Yakov Trenin from the Nashville Predators for Jeremy Hanzel and a 2025 third-round pick.
They finished the regular season strong and faced the Winnipeg Jets in the first round of the postseason. After losing Game 1 in a 7-6 barnburner, the Avalanche proceeded to win the next four games en route to a second-round appearance. Much better than falling in Game 7 to the Seattle Kraken as they did the postseason prior.
Facing off against the Dallas Stars, the Avalanche were down 2-1 in the series heading into game four. Just an hour before the game, it was reported that Valeri Nichushkin was suspended for six months due to violating the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. It was a big blow to the Avalanche, as Nichushkin was tied for the postseason lead in goals with nine.