Whenever hockey resumes, the Avs will still be sitting pretty – now, and for years

Just like the back-nine at Castle Pines, Joe Sakic is driving this club up the middle of the fairway. By this I mean, the direction is clear and he’s clear of any hazard. Again, what do I mean? The way Joe Sakic is building this team IS THE RIGHT WAY. The patience and control shown to not overspend in free agency and make unnecessary trades is setting the Avalanche for what will be a looooong cup window.

If you look back at the league for several seasons now, many teams have ‘gone for it all’ in free agency and at the deadline, with very little success. The cost, of both, can sink you.

Hitting All The Fairways

The Avs can count themselves somewhat lucky. Much like Boston, and to an extent, Pittsburgh. For several seasons now, they’ve had star players that have had very team-friendly deals penned over the longer term. I mean, MacK was still a kid when he signed his six-year deal at just 8.8 percent of the cap, that deal is now arguably the best bargain in league. Sure it was relevant to performance-based numbers then, but you can’t help but think, did team MacKinnon push for a bridge-deal?