Starting the 2022-23 NHL season as the reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Colorado Avalanche will certainly have their work cut out for them, albeit with strong expectations and plenty of ambitions. Repeating a title is never easy in the world’s premier ice hockey competition, but can they live up to the challenge of meeting this objective?
Key roster changes and early defeat
Heading into the 2022-23 NHL Regular Season campaign, two key elements needed to be resolved on the roster. Losing goalie Darcy Kuemper is obviously a big loss, although the Avalanche were unwilling to give him a five-year deal worth $26.25 million he got from the Washington Capitals, leading to the arrival of Alexandar Georgiev in a trade with the New York Rangers. Georgiev is clearly not the same calibre, so it will be interesting to monitor his form.
Salary spending also influenced the decision against keeping Nazem Kadri, who registered an impressive 28 goals and 59 assists in 71 games last season. He has moved on to sign a seven-year deal worth $49 million with the Calgary Flames, leaving a big hole to fil. The Avalanche opted not to make a direct replacement, which means it will be interesting to see who slots in behind Nathan MacKinnon on a regular basis.
Not without some irony, the Flames beat the Avalanche 5-3 in their season opener, presenting ESPN with an interesting anecdote. Not only was this a notable defeat for Colorado, but for Calgary, this was their first opening game victory since back in 2009. Of course, the Avalanche had already started their own campaign with a victory, having beaten Chicago Blackhawns 5-2 just a few days earlier.
Challenge of matching a special 2021-22 campaign
Early form during the regular seasons can quickly shape opinions, especially if the favourites make a sluggish start to their NHL campaign. However, it’s not how a team starts the season that matters with so many Regular Season games to play, as new players are settling in and find their place within the roster. What matters is the consistency of production towards the end of the regular season, mindful of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Frequently over the years in the NHL, there are teams who have dominated throughout the Regular Season, only to fall far short of their expectations in the Playoffs. There’s a different kind of pressure at that stage of the campaign, which can sometimes prove too much for some, while others can also thrive and achieve unexpected progress. Nevertheless, last season there was nobody to touch the Colorado Avalanche from start to finish.
Simply put and excusing the obvious pun, the 2021-22 campaign was a landslide victory for the Avalanche, comfortably leading the Central Division of the Western Conference standings throughout, before skating their way through the Playoffs with relative ease. There would be no third time lucky for the Tampa Bay Lightning, as Colorado went on to crush any resistance, including a thumping 7-0 victory in game two of their 4-2 Stanley Cup Finals triumph.
How the bookies view an Avalanche repeat
One win and one defeat is certainly mixed form to start the 2022-23 NHL season, yet confidence remains high when it comes to the Colorado Avalanche, and the bookies genuinely don’t see any other challengers to their title at this early stage of the campaign. They are outright Stanley Cup favourites by quite a wide margin, with odds valued at anywhere between 4.50 shortest and 5.50 longest, using the decimal format.
By comparison, the Toronto Maple Leafs at 8.00 are seen as the most likely contenders, followed by the Florida Panthers at 10.00 and Carolina Hurricanes at 11.00 shortest odds. But before backing any of the likely challengers, getting solid comparisons for the latest odds and offers will clearly make good sense, making the latest betting site reviews from SBO a great place to start looking. This includes advice on free bet opportunities and how to use them.
Given the weight of expectation surrounding the Colorado Avalanche, they are clearly expected to dominate again, although that additional pressure could also prove telling as the Regular Season campaign unfolds. They do still have the roster strength and depth to achieve consecutive Stanley Cup triumphs, yet some doubts do remain regarding the key positions, making their quest for the iconic trophy all the more intriguing this time around.
