I was so, so close to having the Edmonton Oilers as my number one ranked team in the West, but alas, the Colorado Avalanche are more than worthy of stealing their spot.

Thanks in large to a razor sharp NHL Trade Deadline for Avs General Manager Chris MacFarland, the Avalanche made all the right moves to bolster what was already a formidable foe, but is now a world beating juggernaut that I don’t want anything to do with come May (when the Canucks could end up meeting them).

The Avalanche scare the hell out of me. They’re essentially the Vegas Golden Knights on steroids: Speed off the rush, size at both ends of the ice, and are a good possession team (something the Knights are not). Much like most of their elite Western Conference counterparts, Colorado’s flaws are few and far between; but I think their upside exceeds the likes of the Canucks and Stars, for example.

It was basically a coin flip as to who I thought was the number one team in the conference, but the Avs profile as a team that is destined for another deep run, and that’s why they’re ranked number one on the list. Let’s not waste anymore time as to why I think the Avalanche are, maybe, the best team in the entire NHL.

The altitude advantage

Yeah. I’m not joking, I think this is an underrated aspect of the Avs’ dominance on home soil. Playing at such a high altitude, and ultimately getting used to it, could end up being an underrated x-factor for this squad.

I’m not actually going to dedicate a full section on this, but I thought it was worthy to note, at the very least.

They are LOADED at defence

Why does this team still choose to employ AND deploy Jack Johnson as an NHL defender?

Besides him, the Avalanche have one of the scariest defensive cores league wide; and that’s even with the down years from Cale Makar and Devon Toews. The (typically) best defensive pair in hockey has had quite the dip in form at 5v5 this season compared to most years, but the high-end ability is still there and the point production is undeniable. Makar has set a new career high in points (20-67-87) while having his worst season – based solely off the underlying numbers. Toews, on the other hand, has had a pretty similar year to Makar: Poor underlying form at 5v5 but is just one point shy of what he had last season (50 points in 2022-23).

So, Chris MacFarland went out and got an analytical darling in Sean Walker; a defenceman that can drive play at a high level when deployed correctly and an excellent puck mover and transitional defender. Paired with him is Jack Johnson, who… hasn’t been good for multiple years, now.

Then there’s the case of Sam Girard. The 5’9″ defender has had a bit of a rocky career in Colorado thus far, but is having an absolutely monster season playing alongside of Josh Manson, who’s no slouch in his own right – although the underlying’s aren’t quite as bullish on him.

Even with their top pair playing at an unusually low level at even strength, they are the leading duo on a stacked Avalanche defence core that, again, might be the best in the league… on paper.

The Avs’ defensive numbers this year, as a whole, have been mediocre at best; ranking 18th in xGA (expected goals against) per JFreshHockey’s model, and 19th on moneypuck’s rankings. Assuming that Toews and Makar’s form is just a strange anomaly, I think Colorado is going to be fine, especially with who they have at forward…

Their offence is loaded

Lines per Daily Faceoff: 

Drouin – Mackinnon – Lehkonen

Nichushkin – Mittelstadt – Rantanen

Duhaime – Colton – Parise

Cogliano – Trenin – Kiviranta

Injured: Landeskog, O’Connor, Wood

Who is stopping this lineup once the three injured forwards come back into the fold? And yes, apparently Gabriel Landeskog might play in the playoffs. Scary, scary stuff.

Obviously, Nathan Mackinnon is the headliner here. He’s having the best season of his career and is an automatic lock to be a finalist for the Hart Trophy (51-86-137 in 80 games). But, like any top forward, he needs support; so, it sure is a good thing that he’s got it in spades!

Mikko Rantanen and Valeri Nichushkin are two imposing, workhorse power wingers. Rantanen has notched a 100+ point campaign in consecutive seasons and has been one of the league’s elite for quite some time. Nichushkin, however, took a little longer to break in as a top line contributor. After many mediocre seasons with Dallas and a 56-game, 0-point campaign in 2019-19, Nichushkin was traded to Colorado where he became a favourite among the analytics community. His strong two-way game and scoring rate as a bottom six forward left a lot of people wondering if he was just a late bloomer. Then the 2022 playoffs came along: This is where Valeri Nichushkin officially arrived. With 9 goals and 15 points through 20 games – including a monster performance in the Stanley Cup Final – Colorado saw the value Nichushkin brought and gave him an eight-year deal following the cup win.

Those are the top guys, but you can’t win without good depth. The Jonathan Drouin reclamation project is going fantastic and the winger has finally found his form again next to his former Halifax Moosehead’s linemate, Nathan Mackinnon. Adding Ross Colton and Miles Wood in free agency proved to be a boon from the get-go, as their line with Logan O’Connor has been one of the best bottom six lines in the sport. Then you add in the likes of a strong two-way player in Artturi Lehkonen; an incredible, long-term fit at center like Casey Mittelstadt; and a hulking middle six power forward in Yakov Trenin. This team is so masterfully constructed.

The Georgiev situation is overblown

Alexander Georgiev is a good goalie that is being overplayed. Is that a controversial statement?

Much like the Oilers, Colorado’s main weakness – at least in the eyes of the public – tends to be their goaltending situation, which I think is a little overblown, in all honesty. The Russian netminder has played 61 games this season, which ranks second only to Juuse Saros (62). You wouldn’t imagine it, but Georgiev actually has a higher GSAx than Saros this season: Saros has a -1.9 GSAx, while Georgiev has a 7.9. Now, what this actually says is that Saros is having an uncharacteristically bad season – not too akin from Makar and Toews – and that Georgiev, although in a situation where he’s being played far too often, is holding up quite well.

I really don’t think the Avs’ goaltending situation is dire, at all. The one thing that gives me pause is that if Georgiev gets hurt, should they really trust in Justus Annunen to bail them out? We’ve seen young goalies do it in the past, but they’d basically be running on fumes at that point.

All of this is to say that, even with all of their flaws, the Colorado Avalanche are a damn near surefire bet to make a long playoff run; at least in most years, it’s anyone’s guess as to who’s going far in the west this year. It’s a coin flip, but with everything mentioned, the Avs seem like the most complete team in the conference; making them my pick as the Western Conference’s biggest threat.