What Makes the Colorado Avalanche a Top Hockey Team?
Published Date: 05 Mar, 2022 Updated date: 05 Mar, 2022
By
Phil
If you were to ask hockey fans which team they believe to be the very best in the world right now, many would answer back and tell you that the Colorado Avalanche is far beyond anyone else at the moment.
The majority of people would put the Colorado Avalanche inside their top three, and probably everyone inside their top five at the very least.
But what is it about the Colorado Avalanche that makes them so special, and why are fans falling in love with their current roster?
No Weak Part of the Roster
Look at the Avalanche roster, and you will find no weak part of it. This is why the online betting for the Stanley Cup has the Avalanche as +450 favorites to lift the famous trophy in June. They started the season as favorites and remain there now. This puts them above the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are +750 joint-second favorites, and they are the team that has won the last two editions of the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021.
Look back at those winning rosters and there are no holes to pick at when you dig deeper. Looking at the Avalanche in 2022, you could say the same thing about what they have on the ice right now, with the potential for them to add more before the trade deadline.
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Superstar Defensive Unit Led by Cale Makar
On the back end, the Colorado Avalanche has arguably the best defense in hockey when everyone is healthy and available to play. They are led by a potentially generational talent in Cale Makar, who is already making waves in the NHL, at the tender age of just 23-years-old, and is showing no signs of lack of experience thus far.
While every team in the NHL envies what the Avalanche have with Makar, and what they will likely achieve in the future, it’s not just him that makes this team stand out. Devon Toews and Samuel Girard would arguably be the top defenseman on some teams in the league, however, they have to settle for being the second and third best on this impressive roster.
Then there is Bowen Byram, a youngster coming through the ranks, who has been most unfortunate with injury troubles so far in his short career, but one that could prove to be better than Girard and even as good as Toews.
Forward Group Led by Nathan MacKinnon
It is not only the backend where the Avalanche shine. Their offensive group is led by the impressive Nathan MacKinnon, a former 1st round draft pick who is a top 5 forward in the league. MacKinnon plays alongside Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog to combine for one of the best lines in hockey, one that every team in the NHL fears and one that is likely to propel them to the very top in the coming years.
Again, just like with Makar, the fact the team is led by MacKinnon is a strong positive, but when you add in the players behind them, to provide depth, the Avs become even more impressive. The likes of Landeskog and Rantanen would be the center of attention if they played for some of the other teams in this league yet have to take a backseat with this club.
The Colorado Avalanche are Stanley Cup favorites, envied by many around the league and when you look at their roster, it is easy to see why.