The right summer could kickstart an Avalanche dynasty

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I’ve always been a big fan of history. It’s taught me plenty of interesting things over the years. Nazis are bad, beware of Greeks bearing gifts, there’s a treasure map on the back of the Constitution, etc.

You know, the usual.

And yet when watching the recent run of the Colorado Avalanche to a Game 7 loss to the San Jose Sharks in the second round of the postseason, I couldn’t shake the sense that I was watching history repeating itself.

Colorado’s desperate push in the third period to tie the game ultimately fell short and the veteran-laden Sharks advanced against the plucky upstarts from Colorado. It was the result most expected around the league but it capped a surprising run from one of the team’s most intriguing young teams led by superstar talent coming into its own.

It felt like 2009 all over again.

While the Avalanche were saying goodbye to Joe Sakic and preparing to welcome Matt Duchene to the organization later that summer, the Chicago Blackhawks were in the final year of their rebuild.

Led by young stars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews (among several others), Chicago worked its way through two rounds of the playoffs before running into the veteran Detroit Red Wings on the last legs of a championship run.

The Red Wings won the series in five games but three of them went to overtime, including the series-clinching Game 5 in Detroit. Chicago lost, but the league knew they were just getting started.

Chicago went out that summer and used their available salary cap space to add future Hall of Fame forward Marian Hossa to its team, solidifying the core of the forward group that would go on to win three Stanley Cups together.

With approximately $36 million in cap space this summer, Colorado has an opportunity to continue following in the footsteps of that Chicago team and do something similar. There may not be a Hall of Fame talent coming to Colorado but they can still target players in their primes who are very good.

Colorado’s biggest weakness is its forward depth. The free agent market this summer is flush with talent at forward and even with the expected grip of re-signings, there will be plenty of players on the market who could make a difference with the Avalanche.

The big fish of the market are Artemi Panarin and Jeff Skinner and while Colorado will do its work to try to convince either of them this is the place for them, they are considered outsiders on both players for different reasons. That doesn’t mean they don’t have plenty to offer potential free agents.

Getting to this point is arguably the easy part of rebuilding. You use a couple of top-10 picks to build an intriguing group of players to get back to being competitive but taking the next steps to compete for the Stanley Cup are the hardest.

Every year we see teams go from also-rans to playoff competitors. Colorado has accomplished that. The real challenge facing them now is finding a way to take the next step and let a Nathan MacKinnon-led onslaught rule the Central Division with an iron fist.

Colorado’s talent is still so young they currently are slated to have as many 21-year-olds (three) as players over 30 next year. All three (Sam Girard, Cale Makar, Tyson Jost) should be significant contributors with only Jost’s ultimate upside being questioned and even then he’s already proven he belongs in the NHL.

The aggressive foray into free agency by the Avalanche should primarily seek to address the forward spot and add to a group that already includes the NHL’s top line, led by MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen.

Captain Gabe Landeskog rounds out the trio but his versatility and two-way excellence open him up to hopping on other lines and helping prop them up if the Avalanche are successful in bringing in an impact player to take his spot on the top line.

The possibilities are vast and they don’t end with just free agency. Colorado’s prospect pipeline has been top-heavy the last few years and with the graduation of Cale Makar, it’s looking for a new face to lead the next wave.

With the fourth overall pick this summer, it’s a fair bet whoever Colorado takes with that selection will take Makar’s vacated throne. The Avalanche also have the 16th overall pick for the second straight year and that selection likely slides into the top five of their prospects as well.

Assuming none of their 2019 picks make the NHL roster in September, the Avalanche could conceivably start the regular season with a prospect pipeline led by four first-round selections (the two they take in June plus Martin Kaut and Shane Bowers).

As Colorado’s cap sheet blows up with raises over the next few seasons, the entry-level contracts attached to that much younger talent is going to be an extremely valuable resource down the road.

Chicago’s descent into salary cap hell the last couple of years has cost it valuable depth throughout its roster, driving home the importance of the Avalanche finding cheap role players who can develop into larger roles in time.

Throw the addition(s) from free agency into a blender with the prospect pipeline Colorado is building now, mix in the ingredients already found on the NHL roster (elite top line, quality defense, starting goaltender in his prime), and it’s clear to see this summer is the linchpin to Colorado baking the perfect future.

We saw it in Chicago in 2009 and we’re seeing it again today with Colorado. The lessons have been learned.

It’s time to make some history.