Even with free agent questions, Avalanche are built to last

Chew on this scary thought: the Colorado Avalanche are built to last. In other words, this might not be the only instance where the Nathan MacKinnon – Cale Makar era Avalanche hoist the Stanley Cup.

Now, that’s not to say this will be easy. They very well may only win one. Most obviously, future Avalanche Stanley Cup wins are threatened by free agent questions, the salary cap as a whole, and a competitive NHL.

Yet, when you think of the building blocks of a contender, the Avalanche could flirt with repeats much like the Lightning franchise they just dethroned.

And, honestly, the Lightning still have enough of a foundation to treat the hockey world to a Stanley Cup rematch with the Avalanche. You never know.

During the offseason, PHT will take deeper looks at what the Avalanche need to do to keep as much of this Stanley Cup core together as the salary cap will allow.

One can ponder possible free agent exits for Nazem Kadri, Valeri Nichushkin, Darcy Kuemper, and others like Josh Manson.

Here’s the thing, though. The Avalanche’s savvy, analytics-leaning front office already left opponents in the dust by identifying talent before it blossomed. After a Stars buyout, Nichushkin was a reclamation project. Nazem Kadri was basically run out of town in Toronto. And the Islanders could barely get anything for an elite defenseman in Devon Toews.

So, even if the Avalanche let most of their biggest free agents (Kadri, Nichushkin, Kuemper) go, they could still be a force. Just a different-looking one.

Consider all the key pieces they boast, and how many of them are in or around their prime years:

Pretty impressive, huh?

With all of those strengths in mind, Avalanche free agent situations feel less do-or-die, and more “what should I