The opening 10 games of the 2025–26 Colorado Avalanche season have come and gone. Head coach Jared Bednar has said time and time again how he enjoys looking at stretches of games when determining how his team is doing.

So, now is the time to do the same from a journalistic standpoint! We are going to assess the Avalanche, considering its good, bad, and ugly aspects. These first 10 games have had plenty to offer.

The good

Compared with last season, the Avs have started the season much better. Sitting at a 5–1–4 record, Colorado has gotten a point in nine of its first 10 games. Last season, they opened the season 0–4, barely edging out a win against the Anaheim Ducks to get their first win of the season.

This time around, a solid win against the Los Angeles Kings ensured they wouldn’t repeat their effort this season. They dropped points for the first time on Saturday afternoon against the Boston Bruins. With 14 points, they sit second in the division behind the Utah Mammoth, whom they’ve already beaten once and forced OT with.

Usual players have lived up to the hype as well. Nathan MacKinnon leads the way, with seven goals and assists for 14 points. Martin Necas has started his contract year on a high note, with six goals and assists. Also, averaging over a point a game are Artturi Lehkonen (4G, 7A) and Cale Makar (3G, 8A).

Without Mackenzie Blackwood, a lot was going to be put on Scott Wedgewood to start the season. Until the last two games, he has answered the call brilliantly. In nine starts, he has a 2.42 GAA and a .904 save percentage. Trent Miner appeared in two games, one as a relief appearance and another in a start. He’s been fine, but most certainly the third choice in net.

Finally, another pleasant surprise has been the use of younger players. Gavin Brindley has surprised the masses and come out of nowhere to play in all 10 games. He scored his first career goal against the Dallas Stars. Meanwhile, it took five games and an injury to Joel Kiviranta for Zakhar Bardakov to break into the lineup, but he has stuck since then with an assist.

The bad

However, injuries are where the bad starts to creep in. Kiviranta is out long-term, as is Samuel Girard. Their absences have exposed the depth of the Avalanche and shown too much reliance on the top guys.

Other injuries include Blackwood, but he should be back soon. Logan O’Connor continues his recovery from offseason hip surgery and has made occasional appearances in a red non-contact jersey. His season debut will also be a welcome sight.

On the ice, issues have persisted with the Avs’ depth as described. Particularly, though, the second line has had its issues. Nichushkin has been solid, but Brock Nelson and the fully healthy Gabriel Landeskog have been lackluster.

Combined, the second line of Landeskog, Nelson, and Nichushkin has 11 points. Four players on the team alone have equal or more points than the entire line. Changes made against the New Jersey Devils saw the likes of Ross Colton and Victor Olofsson rotated up the lineup, but not much success has come yet.

The ugly

Is anyone surprised to see the power play in this section? After scoring on the man advantage in its first three games, they went stone cold until last Thursday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes.


Those are the only four power play goals scored all year long in 39 opportunities, sitting at 10.3% and 30th out of 32 teams. After the firing of Ray Bennett and last season’s disastrous man-advantage in the playoff loss against the Dallas Stars, changes had to be made with Dave Hakstol at the helm.

However, a slow start to the power play shouldn’t be a surprise with a new system. The concern is the continued struggle and trauma stemming from power play issues. Colorado is getting chances, but not converting. At a certain point, not finishing is not an excuse. The talent is there, and the opportunities are there for the taking. And the missed opportunities have cost the Avs at least a few more points on the board.

The good news, however, is that they can only go up from here. They’ve seen what not to do and have already made adjustments to combat it. If things can start clicking, this team will only continue to thrive and climb up the standings.

Looking ahead

A nice set of games is ahead for the Avalanche to continue putting some points up on the board. Tougher opponents include road visits to the Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers, and Vancouver Canucks. But games against the San Jose Sharks, New York Islanders, and Buffalo Sabres can see them really start gelling as the season commences.