Aarif Deen
Question from Btv
What happened to the Avalanche between the Minnesota and Vegas series? It felt like I was watching a completely different team.
Aarif’s Response
It’s a combination of things. I’m not sure how the team felt during those last days of the Minnesota series, but I think that during the week off between Minnesota and Vegas, they learned that their injuries are a lot more serious than they probably thought. I don’t believe that the Avalanche front office and coaching staff left Game 5 thinking Cale Makar wouldn’t be ready to play for the first two games of the Western Conference Final.
I don’t think they left that series with the thought that Sam Malinski and Artturi Lehkonen wouldn’t be able to practice most of the week. I also have heard that Brent Burns underwent a minor procedure the night before Game 1 against the Golden Knights. He was another guy that was probably injured throughout the series.
With that being said, I hate to say, injuries aren’t the only reason why they lost. And it might not even be the main reason. I’m not sure why things unraveled the way they did, but it felt like the entire team was defeated the moment Dylan Coghlan scored that opening goal in the second period of Game 1. It felt like they mentally unraveled and started to feel sorry for themselves right away. Like the thought of trying to overcome a deficit with the injuries they had was going to be too much.
It was the wrong mindset.
Think back to Nathan MacKinnon’s postgame presser after Game 1. I’m sure many of you saw the viral clip of him cutting me off when I wanted to ask a question entirely different from what he had already been asked. He was frustrated. He was way more frustrated than he should’ve been after just one loss. It wasn’t real adversity yet. It was one game. The way MacKinnon acted postgame felt like how the entire team felt. They lost it right away.
That can’t happen after one game.
Question from Avsfan1701
What do you believe the Avs need player-wise or need to change to compete against teams like Vegas and Dallas once the postseason comes? They are awesome during the regular season, but seem to come up short against these types of teams when the physicality ramps up in the playoffs.
Aarif’s Response
They definitely need to figure out some things around the main core of forwards. I go back to my thought from a previous mailbag about maybe refreshing some wingers like Valeri Nichushkin and Ross Colton with guys who are younger, faster, and more physical. They also need to rework the defense. If you bring back Brett Kulak, he should be on the third pair with Josh Manson. You should focus all your efforts and most of the cap space you make up from the hypothetical Colton and Nichushkin trades by bringing in a new second-pair LD who can also alternate with Devon Toews at times and play with Makar.
Having a full season of Nic Roy and Nazem Kadri will also help limit the ice time of both MacKinnon and Brock Nelson. Just by having Nelson for a full year, we saw MacKinnon’s ice time already drop for the first time in four years. But Nelson, at 34 years old, recorded a career high in average ice time. I don’t think you want to do that again this season. Having Kadri and Roy will mitigate some of that from both of the top two centers. And having a more fresh center group in the playoffs should help.
To answer your question, my general belief is that they shouldn’t try to overcorrect because of the Vegas series. Identify the main issues and make changes without going too far in the other direction. We saw the Toronto Maple Leafs do that last summer and it was the wrong move. After learning that Mitch Marner wasn’t coming back, they convinced themselves that players like Dakota Joshua, for example, would be a better fit for their skilled forwards in the top six because he plays a physical game. That was an overcorrection.
Carolina plays a tenacious game and most of that roster isn’t necessarily big. But they’re still skilled and buy in to the system. That’s the model Avs can follow best.
Question from ourpetsheadsarefallingoff
Looking at 2026-27, rank who you would prefer to be: Knights, Avs, Stars, Wild, Ducks, or Oilers?
Aarif’s Response
This is such a good question. If you’re looking at one season alone, I’d put the Avalanche, Golden Knights, and Stars in the top tier, and the Wild, Oilers, and Ducks in the second tier.
Considering Vegas is in the Stanley Cup Final, you have to pick them as the top team. But I don’t think it’s outrageous to pick the Avalanche or Stars, either.