The Colorado Avalanche were a wagon last season as they dominated the NHL en route to the 2022 Stanley Cup Championship. The team was as consistent as a team could be as they rarely showed signs of struggle throughout their playoff run, and now the biggest question faces them, can they repeat their success?
The Avalanche return their core that helped lead them to Lord Stanley’s Cup, and according to one player, it’s theirs for the taking once again.
According to the 2022 Norris Trophy winner, Cale Makar, who appeared on the Canadian talk show ”Tim & Friends”, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that the Avalanche will repeat as champions.
When asked about why he believes Colorado has a chance to repeat, the defenseman had this to say regarding the team’s competitiveness:
‘We have so much of that on our team, especially (Nathan MacKinnon). … Any time you have competitive guys together, it makes you want to play even better, and that’s kind of the way our team rolled.”
Makar also gave the nod to management and their ability to add more talent to the club at the 2022 Trade Deadline:
‘I think for us this year, one of the key things was our trade-deadline acquisitions,” he said. “Bringing in (Artturi) Lehkonen, (Andrew) Cogliano, (Josh) Manson, and (Nico) Sturm, just absolutely incredible pieces that, honestly, helped us bring home the championship.”
The 23-year-old Makar is coming off an incredible season that saw him tally 28 goals and 58 assists for 86 points that helped him take home his first of many to come Norris Trophies. Makar was even more impressive in the playoffs as he had 29 points in 20 postseason games earning himself the Conn Smythe Trophy. Makar will play a major part if the Avalanche wants a chance to repeat, as he is a massive part of the offense from the back end.
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