It’s a little weird to be thinking that hockey is roaring in August, but here we are. The Avalanche kicked off its round-robin play to determine its seeding with an insane buzzer-beating win over the Blues Sunday night.
So how does Colorado compare to the other NHL hopefuls? Here’s a look at how various media outlets across the U.S. and Canada rated the Avs in their power rankings:
: “Led by Hart Memorial Trophy finalist Nathan MacKinnon, the Avalanche overcame a series of injuries to stars such as Mikko Rantanen and captain Gabriel Landeskog. The additions of Nazem Kadri, Joonas Donskoi, Andre Burakovsky and Vladislav Namestnikov since last summer provided an invaluable boost of experienced depth,” Bleacher Report’s Lyle Richardson writes.
: “Colorado has been building momentum over the past few years and they may be ready to take the next step this postseason. They proved to be one of the conference’s best teams throughout this season and are led by one of the best players in the world in Nathan MacKinnon. At the very least they should be one of the most fun teams to watch over the next few months,” CBS’ Pete Blackburn writes.
: “If the Avalanche’s inexperienced goaltenders can rise to the occasion, there is enough here to go four rounds. Nathan MacKinnon is one of the best three hockey players on this planet. Mikko Rantanen is healthy. Cale Makar is a Calder finalist. And unheralded role players like Nazem Kadri, Andre Burakovsky, Joonas Donskoi and Ryan Graves have all excelled this year,” SportsNet’s Luke Fox writes.
: “There’s no question that all eyes will be fixated on how far Nathan MacKinnon can carry a Cup-ready Colorado squad. The Hart Trophy finalist is one of the game’s most dynamic players, and if the Avalanche claim their first title since 2001, you can bank on MacKinnon leading the way.”
: “The Nathan MacKinnon line is healthy and will be hard to stop. Young defenseman Cale Makar makes the offense more dangerous. Gritty Nazem Kadri will have to avoid the playoff suspensions that led to his trade from Toronto.”
— , The Denver Post
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