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2025-26 Colorado Avalanche Predictions and Odds to Win Stanley Cup Finals

by Ryan Cobbett - 9/23/2025

Colorado Avalanche predictions Mackenzie Blackwood

The Colorado Avalanche put together one of the best regular season performances in the NHL last season as they finished third in the tough Central Division with 102 points. They finished with a +43-goal differential and mustered 47 of their season points on the road. They faced the Dallas Stars in the first round of the playoffs last season and fell victim to their old friend Mikko Rantanen after he solidified a series victory for the Stars in Game 7 of the first round.

Colorado ranked sixth in the league in scoring as they averaged 3.33 GF/G. Their special teams were also amongst the best in the league as they ranked 8th in PP% as they cashed in on 24.8% of their man advantages. Nathan MacKinnon finished 2nd in the league with 116 points despite playing in only 79 games. MacKinnon’s 84 assists were tied for the most in the league while he also tallied 32 goals. Cale Makar finished second on the team with 92 points and he was the only other Colorado player to score 30 goals. Despite only playing 49 games with Colorado, Rantanen was third on the team with 64 points. Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin were the only other Colorado players to reach the 20-goal mark, though there were seven other players who reached double digit goals.

As for the goaltending, Colorado ranked 11th in GA/G as they allowed just 2.82 GA/G while maintaining a .900 SV%. Mackenzie Blackwood came over from San Jose and totally changed the trajectory of this team. He allowed just 2.33 GA/G through 37 games with the Avalanche. Scott Wedgewood also joined up with Colorado, and he allowed just 1.99 GA/G across 19 appearances in a Colorado uniform. Before the Blackwood and Wedgewood tandem Colorado had Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen who combined to allow 3.31 GA/G.  

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Seasons come and go, so now it’s time to take a look at what we can expect from the Colorado Avalanche in 2025-26:

Colorado Avalanche Key Additions/Losses

The losses were minimal for Colorado though they lost a few key role players. Jonathan Drouin (37 points in just 43 games) signed with the New York Islanders and Ryan Lindgren signed with the Seattle Kraken.

As for the additions, the Avalanche brought in blueliner Brent Burns to replace Lindgren. Burns had 29 points during the regular season for Carolina while the team also signed Victor Olofsson who recorded 29 points in 56 games for Vegas last season.

Colorado Avalanche X-Factors

The Second Line- The Colorado Avalanche has arguably the best second line in hockey. A full season of Brock Nelson, Gabriel Landeskog, and Lehkonen would be huge. The only issue here is whether or not the three of them as well as top liner Nichushkin can stay healthy for the whole season. This is the depth needed to win playoff games as they keep the pressure on and with little cap space left, the Avalanche will be fully reliant on their health in order to make a deep playoff run.

Colorado Avalanche Goalie Outlook

Blackwood and Wedgewood are also back for a full season in a Colorado uniform. Wedgewood has been a valuable backup netminder for the last three seasons as he has allowed 2.63 GA/G over his last 68 starts. As for Blackwood he had a career year last season while also dominating in the playoffs. Despite the series loss, Blackwood allowed just seven goals over the first four games of the opening round against Dallas. The big question is whether or not Blackwood has elevated himself to another level of play, or if he just played out of his mind and he is more likely to return to what he showed us over the last six seasons. If he can continue his dominance, Colorado is in great shape, but the numbers may be pointing to last season being an outlier.

Grade: B-

Colorado Avalanche Key Schedule Stretch

Their games against Dallas, Minnesota, and Winnipeg: Last season Colorado went 2-1 against Dallas in the regular season but went just 3-5 against Minnesota and Winnipeg. This season, all three teams look to rival Colorado in the toughest division in hockey where all three teams could take the division and be a real threat to bring home the Stanley Cup. Controlling the tiebreaker in these scenarios is critically important for the quartet as the division standings will likely be incredibly tight all the way down to the last game of the season.

Colorado Avalanche Notable Odds

Stanley Cup Champions: +950

Conference Winner: +500

Division Winner: +230

Hart Trophy- Nathan MacKinnon: +430

Hart Trophy- Cale Makar: +2700

Norris Trophy- Cale Makar: +145

Colorado Avalanche Prediction

The Avalanche play in the toughest division in hockey which makes their point total interesting. Winnipeg is expected to regress, but Minnesota and St. Louis remain wild cards and could steal some of the available points that Winnipeg loses. However, I do expect Dallas and Colorado to be the teams to beat in Central thanks to their battle tested experience and depth. Colorado and Dallas will be near the 110-point mark on the season. At +500 to win the conference, there is some value to like as well as the +230 to win the division as it will come down to the wire with Dallas once again this season. Makar continues to churn out Norris Trophy worthy seasons and Mackinnon is one of the Top Three players in the NHL. There is a lot to like with Colorado heading into the season.

Over 104.5 Team Total Points

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