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December 17, 2025
Oct 11, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Dallas Stars right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) battles for the puck with Colorado Avalanche left wing Gabriel Landeskog (92) and defenseman Cale Makar (8) in the third period at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

The third and final part of the December Avalanche Mailbag is here! This one has questions about the struggling PP, the Central Division’s top teams, and another potential series against the Dallas Stars come the postseason. Enjoy.

READ MORE: Avalanche Mailbag 1.0: Burns’ Cap Hit, The Futures of Girard and Malinski, & Bednar’s Jack Adams Bid

Question from Scott Redman

How do we make the Power play at least average? Split up 88 and 29? There is a wealth of talent and nothing but disappointment.

Aarif’s Response

I thought about them possibly splitting up Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas in the past, but I no longer believe that’s the best approach. The most significant adjustment for Colorado has been having three righties on the same unit. MacKinnon, Necas, and Cale Makar. That’s something you don’t often get in this league.

It’ll take time for them to figure this out, but I’m still confident they will, simply because of their skill. I can’t imagine having those three guys and not finding a way to make it fit. Winning this much without a strong PP helps buy them more time to get it right.

I do appreciate that they’re trying new things, which Bednar references after Nashville’s game. If I had a say, I would love to see MacKinnon stapled in his spot on the left flank and firing one timers again. I think Necas needs to find a new role that works. From time to time, they can switch spots, but right now they both move around so much that neither of them are set up for that one timer as often.

I loved seeing Necas score on that type of shot against Florida, even though it was called back after a coach’s review. But it just isn’t happening often enough.

Question from Brandon

With the looming Olympic break ahead and the possibility of the Avs having 6-9 players attend, how will the break impact those not playing, and what’s the risk of burnout with the top guns going? An already condensed season is worrisome for injuries coming out of the break during crunch time, with so much parity around the league.

Aarif’s Response

The best way I can answer this is that all teams will be dealing with this, not just the Avs. For example, the Dallas Stars are sending a ton of their top guys to the Olympics, too. Most of them will play for Finland. Minnesota has three big pieces of Team USA with Matt Boldy, Brock Faber, and now Quinn Hughes.

The teams with a lot of superstars going will have to face the possibility of someone getting injured overseas. The teams without guys going will have to deal with the rust of not playing for almost a month. And the teams like Colorado, Minnesota, and Dallas will have a combination of both.

I will say, winning as much as the Avs are now will only benefit them. The bigger the gap between them and the rest of the teams, the more freedom they’ldd have to sit guys and rest guys who are playing hurt. They won’t need to fight until Game 82 for a playoff spot or home-ice advantage. Let the other 31 teams deal with the parity.

Question from Jason

What is being done at the GM and ownership levels to ensure the video reviews are consistent? The system is wildly inconsistent, so I assume the team owners who pay the league office would be demanding changes.

Aarif’s Response

This is where the Board of Governors meetings come in handy. This is the type of stuff they’ll likely keep bringing up, given the number of coaches (Bednar included) who have openly bashed the officiating over video reviews.

If it becomes a big enough issue to them, then changes will follow. I think we’re inching closer to them wanting a change, but we’re not quite there yet.

Question from ourpetsheadsarefallingoff

Despite a crazy start, the Avs have not pulled away from Dallas. Avs’ underlying numbers seem to be a lot better, and yet Dallas finds ways to win – just like last playoffs against. How does an Avs vs Dallas 7-game series next playoffs stack up?

Aarif’s Response

If we get this series again, I would expect nothing less than another hard-fought battle that likely goes down to the wire. I also expect both teams to look quite different from what they are right now — both in their trade-deadline acquisitions and, for Colorado’s sake, in fixing the PP.

Question from Joe Cerwinski

Are you concerned at all about how strong the Central Division seems right now, or that the Avs have yet to look impressive against any of them yet?

Aarif’s Response

I’m not, simply because it hasn’t been many games. They’ve played Dallas and Minnesota once, each, and both were shootout losses. That doesn’t concern me. They also haven’t played Winnipeg yet, which they’ll finally do on Friday.

I’m not concerned about Nashville (2-0-1), Chicago (1-0-0), Utah (1-0-1), or St. Louis either.

I actually like that most of their games against Dallas, Minnesota, and Winnipeg are later in the year because it’ll give them a better look at those teams around the trade deadline and right before the playoffs.

0What do you think?Post a comment.