The Colorado Avalanche have had a full season’s worth of drama in just 16 games this season. That said, Monday’s 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators has everyone feeling positive. There are plenty of things to talk about, but here are the biggest talking points from the season so far.
How Ya Doin’, Georgiev?
The single most talked about topic of the season so far has been Alex Georgiev‘s performance. Even a surface look at the stats tells the story: 3-5-0, 3.76 goals-against average, .862 save percentage. Granted, his last handful of starts have been better, but he has been unreliable.
The Avalanche have limited options in net, especially after recently claimed Kakko Kahkonen was placed on waivers and claimed by the Winnipeg Jets. Fortunately, the team has been able to turn to Justus Annunen, who has slid into the starter role and done well. If anything, it has given Georgiev time to collect himself.
Before the season began, it was uncertain that Georgiev would re-sign in Denver. Given his play and losing the starting job, it seems like a lock that he won’t return. At this stage, just getting through the season competently will be an achievement for the goalie unaffectionately nicknamed “Four-giev.”
The Great NHL MVP Race
Having one player near the top of the NHL scoring list would be an achievement. The Avalanche have three, and Mikko Rantanen’s contributions have barely been acknowledged outside of Colorado, which underscores how special the early-season achievements of Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar are.
Starting with MacKinnon. He’s the reigning Hart Trophy winner after breaking the single-season franchise record with an otherworldly 140 points in 2023-24. This season, he joined Wayne Gretzky as the only players to start multiple seasons with a point streak of at least 13 games. His 23 assists and 30 points lead the NHL, putting him on pace for an absurd 153 points.
Makar is also making an early case for MVP while chasing a bit of history of his own. He also started with a 13-game point streak, becoming the second defenseman ever to begin a season with a point streak longer than 10 games (Bobby Orr had points in 15 straight to start 1974-75). He is tied for third in the NHL in scoring with 24 points and is vying to become the first defenseman since Orr to win the Art Ross.
If both continue at this pace, it is going to make for an interesting MVP discussion. Kirill Kaprizov, Sam Reinhart,…
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