3 burning Avalanche questions entering 2026-27 NHL season

The Colorado Avalanche made history this summer with the Cale Makar contract extension. Makar is the first $20 million player in league history, earning $20.4 million a season beginning in 2027-28. The Colorado star is signed for eight years, as well, making the total contract value $163.2 million.

To be clear, no one expects Makar to fall off a cliff following this contract. He has been one of the best offensive defensemen in the NHL since he debuted in the league. At the same time, he is going to be the highest-paid player in the league next season. That title comes with inherent scrutiny.

If Makar does struggle for whatever reason, it’s going to cast storm clouds over this contract. The Avalanche wouldn’t move him after one bad season, but it could certainly make them sweat a little. Again, a complete fall off is not expected by any means. But that won’t stop his performances from being put under a microscope this coming season.

Can Avalanche power play figure it out?

One of the more surprising aspects of the 2025-26 campaign for Colorado was its struggles on the power play. The Avalanche boast one of the most elite offenses in the NHL. They have the talent to score almost at will against many teams in this league.

When it comes to the man advantage, though, they struggled hard. They finished 27th in power play percentage last season with a 17.1 percent clip. In 2024-25, they had the eighth-best power play in the NHL with a 24.1 percent success rate.

Colorado did sign Jaden Schwartz in free agency this summer. He could be a benefit to the unit this coming season. However, historically, he has been rather inconsistent when on the power play.

The Avalanche are going to need to figure this out in 2026-27. Can Schwartz help this ailing unit? Or will Colorado have to fight its special teams demons again this coming season?

Will Scott Wedgewood, Mackenzie Blackwood be elite again?

Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood are not household names by any means. In fact, they were career journeymen before joining the Avalanche. But in 2025-26, one could reasonably argue that they were the best goaltending tandem in the league.

Wedgewood was snubbed from Vezina Trophy consideration last season. Blackwood turned in one of the best seasons of his career. Colorado finished the season with the best team save percentage in the league, sporting a .914 mark. This was the only team save percentage north of .910.

The question here is whether this tandem can do it again. Both players played exceptionally well a year ago. At the same time, those performances are outside their career norms. And it helps that the Avalanche allowed the fifth-fewest shots on goal per game in 2025-26.

For as strong as Colorado’s goaltending was last year, the veteran duo still has something to prove this upcoming season.