The Avalanche fall to the Dallas Stars for a second consecutive season
Photo credit: Blue Shirt Banter
Though not quite as repetitive as the Los Angeles Kings' ongoing struggles against the Edmonton Oilers, the Colorado Avalanche are close, being eliminated two seasons in a row by the same team: the Dallas Stars.
Despite facing their own injury challenges, the Stars pulled off a seven-game series win over the Avalanche, a disappointing outcome for a team with Colorado's championship aspirations.
Rantanen and the Dallas Stars eliminate the Avalanche for a second year in a row.
After being ousted by the Stars in the second round of last year's playoffs, Colorado was aiming to advance further this season. In one of the biggest moves at the trade deadline, the Avalanche traded Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes as part of a three-way deal.
The Hurricanes received Rantanen and Taylor Hall (from the Chicago Blackhawks), while Colorado acquired Martin Necas, Jack Drury, a 2025 second-round draft pick, and a 2026 fourth-round draft pick.
That move marked the start of Colorado's roster changes this season, writes Chris Feldman of the Blue Shirts Banter. The Avalanche overhauled their goaltending by trading Justus Annunen to Nashville in exchange for Scott Wedgewood, and sending Alexandar Georgiev to San Jose to acquire Mackenzie Blackwood.
So what went wrong for the Avalanche this time? The answer to that question is Mikko Rantanen.
"Rantanen put up a third period hat trick against his former team to help send Dallas on to the second round with a 4-2 victory. After a bit of a slow start to the series, Rantanen completely stole the show against his former team for what became an incredible story line for any hockey fans who aren't Avalanche fans. Being eliminated from the playoffs always stings, but when it's a former teammate and friend that nets three to end your season, the sting is that much worse." -Feldman
Despite how it all ended, would you still say the season was a success?
When Nathan MacKinnon is the cornerstone of your team, anything short of a deep playoff run is bound to be viewed as a disappointment, especially from MacKinnon's own perspective. He's not just among the NHL's elite talents, he's arguably its most intense competitor.
Since capturing the Stanley Cup in 2022, the Avalanche have only managed one playoff series win, and back-to-back eliminations at the hands of the Dallas Stars, this time, against a depleted Dallas lineup, won't sit well with anyone in the organization.
"Still, the Avalanche have won recently enough where I can't imagine anything too drastic is going to take place. They have one of the top coaches in the league, a general manager that likely isn't going anywhere, and plenty of talent that will keep them competitive moving forward." -Feldman
So where does the team go from here?
The Avalanche are poised to lose a significant chunk of their roster to unrestricted free agency this offseason, many of whom were late-season or trade deadline additions. Key names like Brock Nelson, Ryan Lindgren, and Jimmy Vesey were brought in for the playoff push but are all set to hit the open market. Veterans like Jonathan Drouin, Joel Kiviranta, Erik Johnson, and Tucker Poolman are also without contracts for next season.
"I'd say the biggest question for Colorado moving forward has to do with Gabriel Landeskog and whether or not he can stay healthy for an entire season. His return was a great story for the Avalanche this postseason, but if he can't make a full recovery that allows him to play through a full season, mixed with the fact that they moved on from Rantanen, there are some massive holes in not just their lineup, but in their identity." -Feldman
The Avalanche are not in panic mode, at least not yet. With a strong foundation that includes one of the NHL's premier top-line centers in Nathan MacKinnon and an elite top-pair defenseman in Cale Makar, Colorado still boasts a core capable of contending. The blue line remains solid, and there's enough talent in the supporting cast to keep the team competitive.
| POLL | ||
MAI 15 | 9 ANSWERS The Avalanche fall to the Dallas Stars for a second consecutive season Do you think the Avalanche regret trading away Mikko Rantanen? | ||
| yes | 2 | 22.2 % |
| no | 7 | 77.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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