It would probably feel that way at times for Avs fans, even if the league didn’t add two games for every team. After the most successful regular season in franchise history and rolling through the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Colorado’s season ended in stunning fashion for the second year in a row.

The Avs rebounded from a crushing Game 7 loss in Dallas two years ago. Will they be able to do it again after being swept out of the Western Conference Final by the Vegas Golden Knights?

“When it comes to playoffs, you need bounces, but you need your players to be healthy,” Avs president and general manager Joe Sakic said late last month while discussing Cale Makar’s new eight-year, $163.2 million contract. “We ran into the injury bug a little bit last year, especially with Cale.

“We had a bad week that cost us, but we had a team that was built to win. Didn’t happen, and we expect our team to be built to win for a long time.”

Here are some of the biggest questions for the Avalanche ahead of training camp starting next week.

1. Will there be the same focus at the start of this season? 

The Avs were on a mission last year, from Day 1 of training camp. After losing Game 7 on the road in Texas, that group was determined to ensure any future Game 7s would be at Ball Arena. Colorado tore through the league with a 31-2-7 start and won the Presidents’ Trophy with a franchise-record 121 points.

That didn’t work out in the end. Will the Avs collectively see that as the right process but an unfortunate result and aim to do the same? Will there be a proverbial hangover from a second-straight stunning exit?

It could be harder to shake the feeling, either internally or externally, that what the Avs do from October to early April doesn’t matter as much. It would also behoove the Avs to not worry about any of that and just try to build towards being the best version of themselves in the spring. Sometimes, that’s easier said than done.

2. How to replace Valeri Nichushkin?

Much of the 121-point team is back. The defense corps returns. The goaltenders return.

Nichushkin does not. When he was healthy, available and in form, the Avs often looked unbeatable. There are few players like him in the league, and the Avs will not be able to replace him with just one guy.

Jaden Schwartz is not Nichushkin, but he can help. Having Nazem Kadri and Nicolas Roy for a full season can help. The cap space the Avs expect to bank with the intention of adding someone in late February or early March can help.

Not having Nichushkin available was the death knell for the Avs in the 2024 playoffs. How they rebuild the forward group without him could also define the 2027 playoff run.

3. Are they too old?

The Avs will be one of the oldest teams in the NHL, regardless of the answer to the next question. Will that matter?

It didn’t look like it mattered for most of last season. The team’s collective age wasn’t the No. 1 reason the Avs lost to the Knights. Was it on the list, though? Yeah, probably.

The age issue is not at red-alert levels right now. It could be by next season or the one after that. How the Avs find a way to infuse some youth into this group could help as soon as this season, but will be even more imperative in the years to come.

4. Will any of the young players make a leap?

Sam Malinski made a leap last year. He went from a solid, offense-first third-pairing guy to someone who could help drive success and handle top-four minutes when needed.

The Avs need a young forward or two to do something similar. Colorado has nine veteran forwards to fill out the top three lines with no issues for now. The Avs should have the cap space necessary to add an impact forward before the deadline.

Still, it would be better for the ceiling of this group if one of the younger guys forced his way into that mix. Whether it is Gavin Brindley, T.J. Hughes, Zachary L’Heureux or someone else, someone showing the ability to play up in the lineup and make an impact there would be huge.

5. Will the power play be better?

The power play looked like a potential thermal exhaust port in the Colorado Death Star for most of last season. Then, it was better after Nazem Kadri returned from Calgary. Then, it went silent again — 1 for 10 in the Western Conference Final, including several empty chances at critical points in the first three games.

Schwartz probably won’t impact the power play much. Will the same guys, with the same coaches, be able to figure it out? They should be able to. The talent is obvious. The results have to be better.

6. Will the penalty kill remain elite?

This is probably the most unsettled aspect of the team at the start of training camp, which is still relative. Most of the key figures with the penalty kill are back, but two very important pieces — Nichushkin and Jack Drury — are not. Joel Kiviranta, who was sixth in penalty kill time on ice among forwards, is also gone.

Colorado’s penalty kill had been solid in recent years, but it found a new level of success last season. Who will replace those two great defensive forwards? Will the goalies continue to play great when down a man? The Avs were second in the NHL last year in shorthanded save percentage (.886).

A healthy Logan O’Connor will move toward the top of the PK forward depth chart. L’Heureux was a penalty killer when he was in the lineup for Nashville. Fedor Svechkov was not, but he might need to be to secure a spot on this team.

Joe Sakic, back in the general manager role, wrapped up business for the 2025-26 season quickly in July. There were three key members of the organization entering the final year of their contracts then. All three — Cale Makar, Artturi Lehkonen and coach Jared Bednar — are still without extensions about three weeks before training camp begins.

Sakic, speaking Sunday ahead of the second annual Avalanche-University of Denver alumni game at Magness Arena, made it clear he is not concerned.

Makar, a two-time Norris Trophy winner and co-face of the franchise alongside Nathan MacKinnon, is expected to sign the largest contract in franchise history.

Avalanche 2026-27 schedule: Best matchups, toughest stretches in NHL’s new 84-game slate

"Not really an update. We continue talking," Sakic said when asked about No. 8. "I'm pretty confident that he'll be signed before the season starts.

"I'm not worried about it. I don't think Cale is worried about it. The dialogue has been great. When there's an agreement, we'll be glad to announce it. Hopefully something will be done before the start of training camp."

Lehkonen has been a critical member of the club since arriving ahead of the 2022 trade deadline. The 31-year-old Lehkonen had 21 goals and 48 points in 70 games last season, but was injured during the second round of the 2026 playoffs and did not have his typical postseason impact after returning in the conference finals against Vegas.

Bednar is the most accomplished coach in franchise history, and is entering his 11th season at the helm. He's the second-longest tenured coach in the league, behind only Tampa Bay's Jon Cooper. There have been calls to fire Bednar from outside the organization after stunning postseason endings each of the past two seasons, but management and ownership have stood firm in its support of the coach both times.

"Everything's great," Sakic said of his relationship with Bednar. "Not worried about that. There's been coaches, been players that have entered the last year of their deals before, and there's going to be in the future. Not really concerned about that, and I don't think Jared is either.

Makar is entering the final season of a six-year, $54 million contract. His next deal could be worth twice as much per season or more. The financial environment in the NHL has been changing rapidly in recent seasons as the salary cap ceiling has experienced unprecedented spikes after years of post-COVID pandemic stagnation.

There is also a new collective bargaining agreement coming in the NHL, and one part matters for Makar and the Avs. The current maximum contract length is eight years to re-sign a player and seven to sign with a new club. That will change with the CBA, and the last day Makar and the Avs could agree to an eight-year pact is Sept. 15, one day before the new CBA begins.

"No, not really worried about (that deadline)," Sakic said. "I think when there's a deal announced or signed and agreed to, both sides will be comfortable with whatever term it is."

Makar and fellow defensive superstar Quinn Hughes are both expected to reset the market for elite defensemen. The top contract for a defenseman in 2026-27 will be Pittsburgh's Erik Karlsson with an $11.5 million cap hit. Former Avs defenseman Bo Byram has signed a new deal with Chicago that starts in 2027-28 that carries a $12.5 million cap hit.

Hughes and Makar are expected to blow past that. The landscape has changed, even since Byram's surprising mega deal was announced July 1. The Anaheim Ducks matched a five-year, $90 million offer sheet for center Leo Carlsson in early July, then the San Jose Sharks signed their franchise star Macklin Celebrini to a five-year, $94 million pact. At $18.8 million per season, Celebrini has the largest contract in league history on a per-year basis.

Whether or not Makar and/or Hughes top that remains to be seen.

"I think everybody's projecting where the cap is going, and that's why you're seeing these contracts at a certain level," Sakic said. "Everybody wants to lock up their young stars, and that's what is happening."

While camp is a few weeks away, the Avs' projected lineup looks pretty similar to the one that won the Presidents' Trophy with a franchise-record 121 points before the stunning conference finals sweep by the Golden Knights. Sakic and Co. re-signed defensemen Brent Burns and Brett Kulak, so the defense corps and goaltending will be the same.

There were changes up front, notably trades of Valeri Nichushkin, Ross Colton and Jack Drury to provide some salary cap flexibility. Younger players will compete to replace Drury and Colton, while the Avs signed free agent Jaden Schwartz to a three-year, $9.75 million deal to fit somewhere among the top-nine forwards and ostensibly replace Nichushkin.

"We like the roster," Sakic said. "I think we have a good enough team to compete for the Stanley Cup. It's a long season. It's a process. Just got to try and get better every day. Obviously, there's some changes, but there's changes with every roster, every year. But we have the core here and it's a great core. They have a standard and we expect and assume that everyone's going to live up to that standard."

Colorado will have back-to-back games just 10 times after the NHL released its schedule for next season on Thursday. Three of them are among the first 10 games and six are before Thanksgiving. The first 84-game slate since before the franchise moved to Denver from Quebec City gets a little less congested after that and includes a nearly week-long holiday break.

The Avs are the reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners, but will be trying to move past a shocking postseason exit for the second straight year after being swept by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2026 Western Conference Final.

Here’s a look at some of the highlights from Colorado’s 2026-27 schedule:

Sept. 30 vs. Los Angeles — The Avs will welcome the Kings to Ball Arena to start the season. There will be a banner raising, if not the one fans were expecting after such a dominant 2025-26 season. Colorado swept Los Angeles in the opening round of the 2026 playoffs.

Oct. 10 vs. Toronto — Avs fans will get an early look at Gavin McKenna, the No. 1 selection in the 2026 NHL draft, when the Maple Leafs come to Denver.

Oct. 13 at Dallas, Oct. 14 vs. Dallas — Colorado will play four games against each of its seven Central Division neighbors. Half of the matchups with Mikko Rantanen and the Stars are a midweek back-to-back in Games No. 6 of 7 of the season. These two rivals also have back-to-back games on Jan. 22 and Jan. 24, with the latter at Ball Arena.

Oct. 16 vs. Pittsburgh — We’re running low on Nathan MacKinnon-Sidney Crosby matchups. The two friends will also see each other on Jan. 12 in Pittsburgh. This probably isn’t Crosby’s last trip to Denver, but it could be. Landon DuPount, the expected No. 1 pick in the 2027 NHL draft, will also be in town this weekend. Michigan plays the University of Denver at Magness Arena on Oct. 16 and 17.

Oct. 25 at Nashville, Nov. 5 vs. Nashville — A couple of early-season matchups with the Predators, who now include many more people with Avalanche ties. Chris MacFarland left to become Nashville’s president and general manager in June, and he traded for both Jack Drury and Ross Colton.

Nov. 27 at Minnesota — A Friday matinee the day after Thanksgiving, this will be the Avs’ only meeting with the Wild until March. Colorado and Minnesota will play three times in the final 13 contests of the season. The Avs handled Quinn Hughes and the Wild in five games during the second round of the 2026 playoffs.

Dec. 1-8 at Boston, Detroit, N.Y. Rangers, N.Y. Islanders, St. Louis — This is the longest road trip of the Avs’ season, and also the silliest one geographically. Boston to New York City is one of the shortest flights of the season, or a train ride. Instead, the Avs will go to Detroit in between. And then have a Long Island-St. Louis back-to-back that will be one of the longest in club history, though the game against the Islanders is in the afternoon, at least.

Dec. 12 vs. Washington — This is almost certainly the last time the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer, Alex Ovechkin, will be in Denver. It should be quite the farewell tour for Ovechkin this season, and the Capitals loaded up this summer to try and make it a memorable one. This game also kicks off the first of two five-game homestands.

Dec. 18 vs. Carolina — The fourth game of that homestand will feature the 2026 Stanley Cup champion Hurricanes and their lone trip to Denver.

Dec. 31 at Utah — The marquee game on the NHL’s calendar — the 2027 Winter Classic at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. The Avs have to play a home game on Dec. 29, but should get to practice at the football stadium the next day before the outdoor game on New Year’s Eve.

Jan. 2 at Vegas, Jan. 4 vs. Vegas — Going straight from the outdoor game to back-to-back tilts with the club that ended their dream season could be interesting. The Golden Knights will have a new coach and like the Avs had to do some salary cap gymnastics this summer, but they should be one of the top teams in the Western Conference again.

Feb. 15 vs. Columbus — The Avalanche will play Valeri Nichushkin and the Blue Jackets on Nov. 3, but this will be the first game back in Denver for him after being traded in June. Expect the memories of the 2022 championship run to be front and center that night, both in the tribute video and with Ball Arena’s reception.

March 5 at San Jose — This is the second of a three-game road trip, but it is also the day of the NHL’s trade deadline. For the second straight year, the Avs will play on that day.

March 9-17 vs. Philadelphia, N.Y. Rangers, Chicago, Edmonton, Minnesota — The second of two five-game homestands, this one is part of seven home games in an eight-game stretch. If the Avs need to make a late push, this might be the time to do it.

April 10 vs. Minnesota — The Avs will hope that Game No. 82 doesn’t have any postseason implications, but this would be a doozy of a season finale if it does. Colorado also finishes with six of its final nine games on the road, including a three-game trek to Minnesota, Vancouver and Calgary just before the finale.

Lysell, 23, played 12 NHL games two years ago for the Bruins. He’s a 5-foot-11, 186-pound wing who Boston selected 21st overall in the first round of the 2021 draft. He spent the 2025-26 season playing for the American Hockey League’s Providence Bruins and registered 42 points (17goals, 25 assists) in 57 regular-season contests. He ranked sixth in scoring on a team that won the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy (AHL’s best record) and also finished fifth in both goals and assists.

From Gothenburg, Sweden, Lysell turned pro ahead of the 2022-23 season and has recorded 163 career points (57 goals, 106 assists) in 219 AHL games as well as three assists in 12 Calder Cup playoff showings — all with Providence. During the 12 games he dressed for the Bruins in the 2024-25 season, he scored one goal and had two assists.

The Avalanche has been acquiring new forwards this offseason after being swept by the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final. Before trading for Lysell on June 27, Joe Sakic sent Jack Drury, Chase Bradley, and a 2029 third-round pick to the Nashville Predators on June 24 for forwards Zachary L’Heureux and Fedor Svechkov.

Svechkov and L’Heureux, both 23, are also former first-round picks — Nos. 19 and 27 — from the 2021 draft, who mostly played in fourth-line roles for Nashville last season.

Svechkov, listed at 6 feet and 187 pounds, had four goals and 17 points in 70 games for Nashville last season. L’Heureux, listed at 5-foot-11 and 197 pounds, had four goals and an assist in 25 games.

L’Heureux has a history of playing a physical brand of hockey — and also going beyond the boundaries of legality. He’s been suspended once in two years in the NHL, twice in the AHL, and nine times during his junior career in the QMJHL, for a total of 34 games. He was once suspended for 10 games in the QMJHL for assaulting a fan with his stick. His NHL suspension came in January 2025 for slew-footing Minnesota defenseman Jared Spurgeon. L’Heureux missed some time early in this past season with injury and also played 30 games for the Milwaukee Admirals.

Both players have two years remaining on their current contracts. Svechkov’s cap hit for this coming season and next is $1.25 million. L’Heureux will cost $875,000 against the cap both years. Both players will still be restricted free agents at the end of these deals.

L’Heureux was 10th among Nashville forwards in average ice time per game (13:23) while Svechkov was 13th at 12:05. L’Heureux was a regular on the penalty kill when he was available this season, while Svechkov was not.

 — Corey Masisak contributed reporting.

The Avs are Doja Cat. The Nuggets? Hello Kitty.

The difference between the approach of the local hockey team and resident hoops club remains striking. What makes it more confusing is that they are both owned by Kroenke Sports & Entertainment.

The Avs throw caution to the wind. The Nuggets rely on caution to prevent wins.

Knee-deep into the offseason, general manager Joe Sakic has executed three trades, shipping Ross Colton and Jack Drury to Nashville and Valeri Nichushkin to Columbus for a combined five draft picks and three players. He created $8 million in additional salary cap space to re-sign Brett Kulak and Brent Burns.

And he still has $6 million left to pursue a forward. It is easier to make moves in the NHL, but the Avs have been bold over the last two trade deadlines and summers.

They moved on from Mikko Rantanen and Nichushkin, exhausted by Moose’s contract demands and wisely recognizing Nichushkin’s decline. These were not only top players on their team, but, at times, in the league. And they ripped off the band aid in pursuit of a Stanley Cup.

As CSG podcaster Jeff Morton pointed out last week, the Nuggets have been cautious, while other KSE properties are aggressive. Is it because president Josh Kroenke is more involved in the basketball operations, becoming too close to the players?

There is no question he has strong relationships. I witnessed the emotion first hand in the locker room after the Nuggets were eliminated the past two seasons. Caring is not a bad thing. But it is always better to like players, not love them.

And it is fair to wonder if Kroenke’s connection to the Nuggets has influenced the team’s conservative movement this offseason.

The other potential answer? It is about money. NBA owners would rather swim through a moat of alligators and walk in hot lava to their suite at The Four Seasons than go into the second apron.

It is punitive, and the Nuggets showed how scared they were during the first round of the draft. Desperate for a better ball handler or a tougher big man — Jonas Valanciunas was a scorer, not an enforcer — the Nuggets traded their pick to San Antonio for a pair of second-round selections.

They moved back to make the team they are chasing better, giving the Spurs another brute, Tarris Reed Jr., to guard Nikola Jokic.

Co-general manager Jon Wallace said it was important that the Nuggets not catch “draft fever.” The buzzword was discipline. Cheap also works for a team that hired two general managers and a coach with no previous experience in their roles.

Remember, the Nuggets’ new second rounders — Trevon Brazile and Bryce Hopkins — will receive non-guaranteed contracts. Hardly anyone does unless their name is Bronny James. Brazile might become a rotational player this season, but it is more likely he is hooping with Hopkins in the G-League.

It would be easy to crush Wallace and co-GM Ben Tenzer for this draft night yawn.

But was it really their choice? Or are they operating under guidance from Kroenke?

Collecting picks is not uncommon, and there is an argument to follow this path as a market correction for the horrible trades of Isaiah Hartenstein and Reggie Jackson and for Bol Bol and DaRon Holmes II.

Those missteps left the Nuggets without assets to move up, or contributing players to fill out the roster (Where have you gone Bryn Forbes? Nuggets Nation turns its lonely eyes to you, woo, woo, woo).

Why can’t the Nuggets be transparent? Just admit they are in the middle of a reset?

Instead, Kroenke insists they are in a championship window because, you know, Jokic is on the roster. Well, you know who seems to be having a hard time believing that?

Jokic.

As the well-conditioned captain of the Serbian national team, Jokic said last week that the Nuggets were not good enough to win last season. The year before he said they were not deep enough.

All he left out was too predictable and unathletic, and he would have hit the problems right on the nose.

And the answer to all of this is frugality? Really?

“I think any time you get bounced in the first round like that, everyone’s gotta look themselves in the mirror,” Wallace said. “I think a large part of that is health. I think a large part of that is, as our team has entered into a more seasoned state individually, the type of basketball we play. The way we prepare, the way we attack teams is gonna have to change a little bit.”

This word salad makes me hungry for the Nuggets to just be honest about their intentions. Ship off two of the four starters between Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Cam Johnson and Christian Braun and re-sign Peyton Watson.

Develop Spencer Jones and Julian Strawther, hope Brazile and Holmes become contributors and position the franchise to make a championship run in 2028, or more likely, 2029.

This is not my preference. I would love ownership to say, “F-them dollars!,” pay a significant tax penalty and become a second apron team for the first time under the current collective bargaining agreement. Then trade Johnson, keep Tim Hardaway Jr., and add backup point guard Keaton Wallace.

That would spark talk of another championship.

But that is not realistic. That is something the Avs would do.

They, after all, are Ozzie Osbourne to the Nuggets’ Ozzie and Harriet.

Colorado signed Brett Kulak and Brent Burns to new contracts Friday, ensuring that the Avalanche’s top six defensemen from last season are now under contract. Kulak’s contract is a five-year deal with a $4.5 million cap hit, a source confirmed.

Burns signed a one-year deal with a base salary of $850,000, but with bonuses, the deal could be worth about $3 million. This is similar to his contract from last season, which featured a $1 million base salary and $4 million in potential bonuses.

The Avs have traded away Valeri Nichushkin, Ross Colton and the rights to restricted free agent Jack Drury in the past 10 days, which freed up the cap space necessary to sign Kulak.

Kulak, 32, joined the Avs ahead of the trade deadline this past season from the Pittsburgh Penguins in a deal that sent Samuel Girard the other way. He was a steady, defense-first presence for the Avs, and could slot in on the second or third pairing, depending on what else general manager Joe Sakic accomplishes this offseason.

Burns, 41, signed a one-year deal with the Avalanche before last season. He had 12 goals and 35 points in 82 games. He has played in 1,007 consecutive games, which is the second-most all-time behind Phil Kessel. Burns could break Kessel’s mark and be the NHL’s all-time Ironman in Game No. 58 this coming season.

Because he is older than 35, Burns can sign contracts that include bonuses. The Avs can also roll over bonus money to the following year if they make the club exceed the salary cap ceiling. Burns attained $3 million in bonus money last season, and nearly $2.3 million of that was rolled over onto the 2026-27 cap for next season.

The Avs now have 11 forwards, six defensemen and two goalies on one-way contracts for next season, and about $5.63 million in cap space remaining. One of the forwards currently on a two-way deal could win the final spot up front and would eat up a little less than $1 million of the remaining space, but there is still room for Sakic and Co. to add.

It is a historically weak free agent class, but the Avs have also added more draft capital over the past 10 days for potential trades. They now have 10 selections in the 2026 NHL draft, which begins Friday night in Buffalo.

The Avs’ defensive depth chart could look the same on opening night as it did after Kulak arrived, but Colorado could still use reinforcements beyond the top six. The guys who were Nos. 7 and 8 at the end of last season, Nick Blankenburg and Jack Ahcan, are both UFAs.

Valeri Nichushkin leaves a decorated and complicated legacy in Colorado.

There were long stretches, including during the last championship run, where he was one of the best two-way wingers in the NHL. And there were two moments off the ice where his conduct sabotaged postseason chances. He left the team during the first round of the 2023 playoffs against the Seattle Kraken under troubling circumstances and was suspended hours before Game 4 of the Dallas Stars series the following spring.

Open arms lead to broken hearts, but the Avs welcomed Nichushkin back, knowing a third violation could result in a lifetime ban. And the record when Nichushkin played remained remarkable.

But give Joe Sakic, the old, new GM, credit for recognizing that Nichushkin was trending in the wrong direction.

He faded last season. No, he was not the reason the Golden Knights broomed the Avs in the Western Conference Finals — that list starts with Nathan MacKinnon, Jared Bednar, and Brock Nelson — but he was no longer a menace in front of the net or along the boards.

By trading Nichushkin to Columbus for three draft picks, Sakic acknowledged the obvious — something of a surprise given the confidence he showed in the team at the end-of-the-season presser.

The Avs could not just run it back. What happened in Vegas needed to stay in Vegas.

Sakic shipped out Ross Colton and Jack Drury to buddy Chris MacFarland in Nashville, and sent Nichushkin packing.

There is no guarantee it works, but the moves served two purposes. It creates nearly $11 million in salary cap space to add a piece — perhaps they pursue Mario Ferraro — or use the draft picks to execute a midseason blockbuster.

This is what good leadership looks like. While I still disagree with Sakic’s reasoning for keeping Bednar, he is not afraid to be bold. He let MacFarland operate in this fashion and has continued the tradition.

The Avs need to get younger, even as they cross their white-knuckled fingers that the playoff version of Nelson and Nazem Kadri is not a harbinger of things to come.

It can be argued that Nichushkin is a better player than the Nuggets’ Aaron Gordon. And while the local hoops franchise frets about Gordon’s future, Sakic ripped off the band-aid with Nichushkin.

Did he get enough in second, third and fifth-round picks? Probably not. But if it allows the Avs to add a young impact player in the coming weeks or months, then it works.

There is a reason Trader Joe is buying the groceries again. He knows what he is doing.

WNBA Clark Mess

The WNBA was gifted its Tiger Woods with the arrival of Caitlin Clark. And the league has spent the last three years trying to prove that it doesn’t need her. The pettiness and jealousy are stunning. The lack of leadership from commissioner Cathy Engelbert is embarrassing. We can all agree that Clark is not better than some of her predecessors. But none moved the needle like her. The TV ratings, increased salaries and better travel scream as much. Yet, the league continues to let opponents bully and foul her in ways that are unspeakably bad. Does Clark beg for calls? Yes. That does not mean refs should turn a blind eye to Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas placing her fist on Clark’s throat in a pile-up. If the league wanted to send a message, Thomas would have been suspended for 10 games without pay, not one. The light discipline means that when it comes to Clark, it remains open season.

World Cup break

The hydration break has created an H2OhMy! effect on the World Cup. It helps that the United States won its pool. But it goes beyond that. There is actual scoring, the most since 1958. The more goals, the more exciting it becomes for fringe fans. It is unclear whether this World Cup will be a transformational moment for soccer in the United States, but the style of play makes that outcome seem more realistic.

The Avs sent Valeri Nichushkin to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday, removing another member of the 2022 Stanley Cup championship team. Columbus is sending three draft picks to Colorado — a second-round selection in 2026, a third-round choice in 2027 and a fifth-rounder in 2028.

Nichushkin had 17 goals and 49 points in 72 games for the Avs this past season. The 31-year-old power forward has four seasons left on his contract with a salary cap hit of $6.125 million.

It is the third cost-cutting move of the offseason for the Avs, who were too close to the $104 million salary cap ceiling with four of the top eight defensemen from last season slated to be unrestricted free agents. The Avs now have 10 selections in the 2026 NHL draft, which starts Friday. They added No. 43 overall in this trade, and No. 74 in the first trade of the offseason.

The beginning of the offseason looks very similar to a year ago, when the Avs traded Charlie Coyle and Miles Wood to the Blue Jackets for Gavin Brindley, two draft picks and the salary cap flexibility to sign Brent Burns and eventually make in-season trades for Nazem Kadri, Nicolas Roy and Brett Kulak, among others. “Selling” early in the offseason to “buy” later in the summer or during the regular season has become a popular strategy for a few championship contenders with salary cap issues in recent years, most notably Vegas.

Colorado began this offseason with 17 of its top 20 players from the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs under contract for next season, but with a little less than $3 million in cap space. The Avs now have 15 of the top 20 guys back from last year, plus two young forwards from Nashville (Fedor Svechkov and Zachary L’Heureux) and nearly $11 million in cap space. The Avs now also have an obvious hole in the top-six forward group, unless the plan is to move Nazem Kadri or Nicolas Roy to the wing next to Nathan MacKinnon or Brock Nelson.

This ends an often productive, but also often turbulent tenure for Nichushkin with the Avalanche. Signing Nichushkin to a one-year contract in August 2019 proved to be one of the better reclamation projects in recent NHL history. Nichushkin scored zero goals in 57 games in his final season with the Stars.

Nichushkin became a critical part of the 2022 championship run. He had nine goals and 15 points during the 2022 postseason and became one of the best two-way wings in the league during his time with Colorado. His combination of size, skating ability, skill and defensive prowess is exceedingly rare in the NHL.

The story of Nichushkin’s time in Denver can’t be told without the reasons why he wasn’t available at critical times. Nichushkin left the team during the first round of the 2023 playoffs against the Seattle Kraken. An intoxicated woman was found in his hotel room in Seattle ahead of Game 4. He was not charged with anything related to the incident and has since claimed that he would have rejoined the club for the second round had the Avs advanced. The organization has never corroborated this.

Then, he entered the NHL-NHLPA player assistance program twice during the 2023-24 season. The first time was during the regular season, but the second came during the second round of the playoffs. He was suspended for at least six months just hours before Game 4, effectively ending Colorado’s Stanley Cup hopes, and was placed in Stage 3 of the program.

To Nichushkin’s credit, he has had zero off-ice issues the past two seasons. The 72 games played were his most since 2025-16. If he has another issue in the future, Stage 4 of the player assistance program includes a one-year suspension and no guarantee of reinstatement by the NHL.

When he was available, he was often brilliant, though less so at times this past season. His per-game totals this season were his lowest since 2020-21 and he had just two goals and four points during the club’s run to the Western Conference Final. He was also one of several key players who was injured against the Vegas Golden Knights or was playing through an injury in that series.

Nichushkin is the third forward from the 2025-26 Presidents’ Trophy-winning club that is no longer on the roster since Sakic took over general manager duties earlier this month. Sakic also traded both Ross Colton and restricted free agent Jack Drury in separate deals to former GM Chris MacFarland with the Nashville Predators.

Or is it Nashville Avalanche?

Either way, Joe Sakic and Chris MacFarland continue to do business together. The Colorado Avalanche sent Jack Drury, Chase Bradley and a third-round pick in 2029 to the Nashville Predators on Wednesday for Zachary L’Heureux and Fedor Svechkov.

Svechkov was also a first-round pick in 2021. Listed at 6-feet and 187 pounds, Svechkov had four goals and 17 points in 70 games for the Predators this past season. Both players are currently 23 years old and have spent time in the NHL in each of the past two seasons.

L’Heureux had four goals and an assist in 25 games for the Predators this past season. He was a first-round pick in 2021. Listed at 5-foot-11 and 197 pounds, he has a history of playing a physical brand of hockey — and also going beyond the boundaries of legality. He’s been suspended once in two years in the NHL, twice in the AHL, and nine times during his junior career in the QMJHL, for a total of 34 games.

He was once suspended for 10 games in the QMJHL for assaulting a fan with his stick. His NHL suspension came in January 2025 for slew-footing Minnesota defenseman Jared Spurgeon. L’Heureux missed some time early in this past season with injury and also played 30 games for the Milwaukee Admirals.

L’Heureux was the No. 27 pick in that draft — one spot before the Avalanche selected Oskar Olausson. Svechkov went six picks before L’Heureux. Both players mostly played in fourth-line roles for the Predators.

Both players have two years remaining on their current contracts. Svechkov’s cap hit for this coming season and next is $1.25 million. L’Heureux will cost $875,000 against the cap both years. Both players will still be restricted free agents at the end of these deals.

L’Heureux was 10th among Nashville forwards in average ice time per game (13:23) while Svechkov was 13th at 12:05. L’Heureux was a regular on the penalty kill when he was available this season, while Svechkov was not.

Drury, 26, is a restricted free agent in a week. He spent most of his time with the Avs as the No. 4 center. He was a favorite of coach Jared Bednar for his defensive work, but didn’t show enough offensive impact while playing in the middle of the third line to stick there.

The Avs had a little less than $7 million in cap space before this trade, and still need to sign somewhere between two and four defensemen to fill out that part of the depth chart. Given the contracts that fellow depth centers Michael McCarron and Jason Dickinson signed in recent days, it’s certainly plausible that Drury will sign with Nashville for more than what Colorado can afford to pay its No. 4 center — even if he is one of the very best in the league at that role.

This is the second trade between the two clubs since MacFarland left Denver to be the president and general manager of the Predators earlier this month. Sakic and the Avs also sent Ross Colton and minor-league goaltender Isak Posch to Nashville for a pair of third-round picks and former University of Denver goalie Magnus Chrona, who is a pending unrestricted free agent and has already signed a deal with a Swedish club for next season.

Now that the Avs have traded Colton and Drury to the Predators, there are two openings in the lineup up front. Svechkov and L’Heureux could fill those roles, though they would need to beat out Gavin Brindley, Taylor Makar and TJ Hughes.

Bradley, 24, signed with the Avs as a college free agent in July 2024 after three years at the University of Connecticut. He played two games for the Avs in 2024-25, but has mostly been a solid player for the Colorado Eagles in the AHL.

Goaltenders | Defensemen | Wings

There are only two NHL teams besides the Colorado Avalanche who are in the conversation for best collection of centers and those clubs have combined for five Stanley Cup Final appearances in the past four seasons.

Center talent and depth was undeniably one of the reasons Colorado stormed through the regular season as the league’s top team and breezed by Los Angeles and Minnesota in the first two rounds of the playoffs. It’s also a valid reason for Avs fans to be frustrated.

Florida has two championships and a third Cup Final appearance with Aleksander Barkov, Sam Bennett and Anton Lundell. Edmonton has two trips to the Cup Final with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

But the Avs stalled out in the Western Conference Final this past season with Nathan MacKinnon, Brock Nelson, Nazem Kadri and Jack Drury at center, not to mention Nicolas Roy and others capable of moving to the middle when needed.

Those guys are obviously a big reason why the “Cup or bust” expectations will remain next season.

“The core guys are still here, so we’re going to shoot and try and win another Cup next year, and make it two,” Avalanche president and general manager Joe Sakic said. “But I will tell you, it’s a tough league. We’re not the only team that is trying to win the Stanley Cup. I mean, it’s a deep league. There’s a lot of great teams, and there’s only one team at the end of every year that’s happy.

“With our group, their goal is to try and win another Stanley Cup, and that’s what they’re going to shoot for, and that’s what we’re going to try and hopefully do.”

What just happened

MacKinnon led the NHL in goals for the first time and finished third in the Hart Trophy voting. His 127 points are third-most in franchise history, and he now owns the two best seasons since the club moved to Denver. When MacKinnon was injured blocking a shot with the Avs up 3-2 in Game 3 of the conference final, the season effectively ended in that moment.

Nelson had a great regular season — netting 33 goals, scoring 65 points, and finishing third in the Selke Trophy voting. When he and Valeri Nichushkin were paired together, it was the best 1-2 punch in the NHL at controlling possession and one of the league’s top penalty-killing duos as well. Nelson struggled throughout the postseason, most frustratingly when he failed to convert several great chances against Vegas.

Kadri arrived at the deadline to much fanfare. His production improved with Colorado despite moving down the lineup. He helped the power play surge in March and look competent in the first two rounds. He also sustained a broken finger in April, which kind of got lost among all the other injuries Colorado players were dealing with during the Vegas series.

Drury was OK as the club’s No. 3 center, but was excellent when moved back to his No. 4 role. He’s one of the very best 4Cs in the league and a strong penalty killer.

Roy arrived one day before Kadri, and spent most of his time on the wing. He was strong in a supporting role during the playoffs. Both Parker Kelly and Ross Colton spent some time at center, but coach Jared Bednar liked both more on the wing. Rookie Zakhar Bardakov also spent some of his limited ice time at center and looked like a player who might fit better in the long term as a wing.

“When I look at their team, I guess I lean towards not making a whole bunch of changes,” ESPN analyst Ray Ferraro told The Denver Post. “But I would wonder if there’s a way they can spruce up the middle of the ice with a little more speed? So maybe Kadri needs to go to the wing, and if you do that, can you find a centerman that can play there?

What¶¶Òõap next

The Avs’ center depth and talent looked formidable before the stunning results against Vegas.

Will Nelson bounce back after a tough postseason? He was a consistent playoff performer with the Islanders.

Kadri is a slightly different case because of his history in Denver, but Nelson was much better in his first full season after the trade. Could Kadri, given the unsettling aspects of a trade and the finger injury, find a bump in play next year?

To further Ferraro’s point, Kadri turns 36 years old on Oct. 6. Nelson turns 35 nine days later. MacKinnon will be 31 in September, though he obviously remains one of the fastest, most dynamic players in the sport. Roy turns 30 in February.

It is an interesting idea, trying to find a younger center with more pace to join the group. Kadri had mixed results on the wing when he spent some time there for the Avs.

Drury is a restricted free agent and is one of the keys to this offseason. With Colton off to Nashville, the Avs have nearly $7 million in cap space. They also need to sign at least two NHL defensemen.

While Colorado views Drury as a No. 4 center and would certainly like to keep him, there is probably a team or six out there that would like to have Drury as an option for its No. 3C role. If the two sides can’t find the middle ground on a contract, the Avs could hold their ground and see what an unpleasant arbitration process yields.

That would likely lead to a one- or two-year contract and more than likely a new team in the near future. If Drury won the arbitration case, that could cause salary-cap-related problems for the club. Or the Avs could explore a trade for Drury’s rights before it ever got to that.

If everyone is here on opening night, the Avs still have a very strong 1-4 up the middle with Roy and Kelly as solid options in reserve. High-profile college free agent addition TJ Hughes can also play center. He’s been an offense-first player, but his college coach believes he can help an NHL team in the near future in any role.

Future depth chart

*Unrestricted free agent in 2027; + Restricted free agent on July 1; # RFA in 2027