2013-14 record: 52-22-8 (112 points)
Lost to Minnesota in Conference quarterfinals
Captain: Gabriel Landeskog
Widely expected to finish near the bottom of the league last year, the Avalanche instead finished near the top of the league, though an early exit in the playoffs dampened things. Naturally, the question of whether they can do it again is going to be raised. Much will depend on whether Patrick Roy is indeed the real deal as a coach and whether the team can do better at keeping starting goalie Semyon Varlamov from facing too much rubber. Despite an ordinary blue line in front of him, Varlamov played his best hockey to date, earning a Vezina Trophy nomination in the process. 60 starts is a realistic expectation for him, and he will face much of the same obstacles that stared him down last year. For an ordinary blue line, the Avs were better than the sum of their parts, and for the Avs to make the playoffs again, they will have to exceed expectations. Erik Johnson leads a unit that can contribute good offense, but needs to play better in their own end. Offensively, scoring is not a problem, even with Paul Stastny heading to St. Louis. Jarome Iginla should more than compensate for Stastny's production, though finding someone who can win faceoffs could be an issue on special teams. Nathan MacKinnon is looking to build on a solid rookie season while the likes of Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog look to continue their maturation.
Prediction: 4th in the Central Division
The law of averages in the previous six seasons has seen the Avs alternate awful seasons with good seasons (the 2011-12 season saw them put up a respectable 88 points). The hope is that the Avs will put together consecutive playoff appearances for the first time since the 2003-04 and 2005-06 seasons. They have the tools, but a tough Central Division is not going to make it easy.
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