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Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon celebrates his fiftieth goal of the season (Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images)

Avalanche’s Downfall Could Be Complacency

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Ryan Womeldorf | Last updated Apr 8, 2026 12:25 PM ET

In what felt like an inevitability, the Colorado Avalanche have officially clinched the Western Conference crown and will follow that up with the President’s Trophy as the league’s best team in the coming days. With those locked up, the focus can shift to the playoffs.

That being said, the Avalanche haven’t looked like the same killers that dominated the first few months of the season. Like all other great regular season teams, the Avalanche have to find a way to stay motivated going into the playoffs as heavy favorites. If they don’t, that complacency could wind up being their downfall.

The Curse of the President’s Trophy

The Avalanche have everything you need to be a champion. They have elite high-end talent. They have a potential Vezina Trophy candidate in goal. They also have the kind of depth that typically only comes together in EA Sports video games.

That said, the Avalanche also have one of the greatest challenges in hockey: the curse of the President’s Trophy. Since the award, given to the league’s best regular season team, was first handed out in 1986, just seven teams in eight total seasons have also managed to win the Stanley Cup.

It has been 13 years since the last dual winner, with the 2012-13 Chicago Blackhawks going wire to wire to win it all. While the “curse” is merely a talking point, it has become clear that it is a massive challenge to play your best from opening night all the way through the Stanley Cup Final.

Up-and-Down Recent Play

The Avalanche got out to such an incredible start that everyone was talking about breaking records. But the reality is that the Avalanche have simply been “pretty good” since the calendar flipped to 2026.

The Avalanche are 21-14-3 since Jan. 1, good for 45 points (13^th in the NHL). They’ve gotten back on track since the Olympic break ended, going 14-7-1, good for 29 points (fourth in the NHL). That said, they have a few confounding losses, dropping two to the Winnipeg Jets and giving up eight goals in a loss to the Vancouver Canucks.

The reality of the situation is that the Avalanche set such a torrid pace that it created massive expectations. They are now expected to steamroll everyone in their path when really they have settled into simply being a good team.

Health Will Be Critical

Just as the case with any team, health is crucial. The team got back Nicolas Roy but are missing all-world defenseman Cale Makar. Obviously, any team missing that caliber of player is going to take a step back overall, so getting him back is imperative.

Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche (Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images)

Losing depth pieces, as the Avalanche have throughout the season, can also have a hugely negative impact. Head coach Jared Bednar will likely rest guys for a game or two down the stretch in an effort to keep them healthy. Of course, it is a fine line as it can kind of take players out of their element.

Time to Find Another Gear

It can become all too easy to get complacent in the final games of a season or to even sleepwalk through a first-round playoff series. Against a team like the Nashville Predators or Los Angeles Kings, the Avalanche may be able to get away with it. Against a massive second-round test in the form of the Dallas Stars or Minnesota Wild, that isn’t going to fly.

The Avalanche have to find that second gear, that level of do-or-die intensity that hasn’t been there in a while. They have the leadership in place to find the answer, and will be the team to beat so long as they remain in the bracket.