2014-15 record: 39-31-12 (90 points)
Missed the playoffs
Captain: Gabriel Landeskog
A year after making the playoffs as the Central Division champions, the Colorado Avalanche took a step back and ended up missing the playoffs. The culprit? Their less than sterling defense. This time, their offense also took a step back, as it was largely inconsistent for most of the season and only got back on track towards the end of the season. In a division where every team is good enough to make the playoffs, the Avalanche will have a hard time making headway even with the new additions. Gone is Ryan O'Reilly and taking his place is Carl Soderberg. Meanwhile, the Avs added Blake Comeau to provide responsible two-way play, Nikita Zadorov and Francois Beauchemin to bolster a blue line unit that lost its way more so when Erik Johnson went down with an injury, and Mikhail Grigorenko as a reclamation project for coach Patrick Roy, who should be able to do something for his former pupil in Quebec of the QMJHL. The offense, on paper, should be better than the 59 points that leading scorers Jarome Iginla and Gabriel Landeskog put up, but a large part of the offense's success hinges on players getting hot at the same time more often. The blue line figures to be better, but by how much remains to be seen. Beauchemin is no longer a top-flight option while Zadorov is still developing, and there's also how Johnson will feel after missing the second half of the season. The only truly sure thing here is Tyson Barrie, who has proven to be a solid offensive option from the blue line.
Semyon Varlamov fought injuries last year and wasn't the same player that was a Vezina finalist the previous season. The result was Reto Berra proving to be a disaster while Calvin Pickard showed he was ready for NHL duty, The quandary here what to do with Berra, who is still under contract.
Prediction: 7th in the Central Division
Anything can happen in the Central Division, as all seven teams are better than what their records indicated, and that includes the Avalanche. However, that also means the Avs will have a harder hill to climb, as they still have defensive concerns. Of course, getting Nathan MacKinnon to overcome his sophmore slump last year would help immensely.
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