LOS ANGELES — Being one of the best teams of all time halfway through the season changed the expectations externally for the Colorado Avalanche.
The Avs went from a Stanley Cup contender to the obvious favorite after a 31-2-7 start. Internally, did the historic start alter the outlook, or heighten the sense of urgency for this group to win a second championship?
Eh, not really, says general manager Chris MacFarland.
“I don’t think so,” MacFarland said Monday night. “Obviously, that was an incredible start. But if we would have mixed in a few more losses in November and had a few more wins in January, I still think our expectation would be to try and make the team better for the playoff stretch drive and then ultimately the playoffs. We’ve got a lot of guys that are in the primes of their career here. They put in the work on and off the ice all year round.
“The fact that they got off to such a great start was what put us in this position to be sitting where we are today. So if we can help, I think they deserve the help.”
Shortly after MacFarland spoke, the Avalanche became the first NHL team to reach 40 wins this season. Colorado dominated Los Angeles for much of the game, but still needed a late goal from Devon Toews and also lost Artturi Lehkonen to an upper-body injury.
The Avs play Tuesday night in Anaheim, holding a six-point lead on the Dallas Stars for first place in the Central Division, Western Conference and the overall NHL standings. The Minnesota Wild, who already made one balance-of-power-shifting trade this season by acquiring Quinn Hughes, are nine points back of the Avs.
Two of the top teams in the Pacific Division, Vegas and Edmonton, have already added defensemen Rasmus Andersson and Cory Murphy, respectively. Colorado made a trade last week as well, sending Samuel Girard and a second-round pick to Pittsburgh for Brett Kulak.
MacFarland called it a trade to change the mix of the defense corps, adding size and defensive play with Kulak. Still, there could, and probably should be, more work done by the Avs to bolster the roster between now and the Friday afternoon deadline.
“We’re going to leave no stone unturned, like we usually do, if it makes sense,” MacFarland said. “We’ve got some cap space to play with, and we’ll see if there’s the right fit. It’s got to make sense from the asset acquisition cost, but if we can improve the team, we’d like to try to do that.”
There has been plenty of outside speculation about the Avs pursuing another center to play behind Nathan MacKinnon and Brock Nelson, one of the league’s best 1-2 punches at the position this season. Coach Jared Bednar said earlier this season that the one thing on his wishlist, even at the time when the Avs were bulldozing their way through the schedule, was a No. 3 center.
Jack Drury, Ross Colton and Parker Kelly have all spent time there. Bednar likes Colton and Kelly on the wings more — Kelly is having a breakout year playing mostly on the wing. Drury has been fine in the role and is one of the club’s most trusted role players, but Bednar would like to have him center the fourth line come playoff time.
“I don’t think we’re looking at any sort of particular 3C or fourth-line wing,” MacFarland said, despite various reports of the Avs’ interest in multiple players who would likely fill the No. 3 center role. “If something makes us better, whether it’s a winger, a center or another defenseman, then we’ll certainly look at it over the next few days.”
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But, after sending the guy who spent the first part of the year as the club’s No. 7, Ilya Solovyov, to Pittsburgh in a separate trade, none of the top 2-3 insurance options currently playing for the Colorado Eagles in the AHL have ever appeared in a Stanley Cup Playoffs contest.
“If we’re not able to do anything, I think it’s still a very good hockey team,” MacFarland said. “I think we’ve got a lot of the tough-to-check boxes checked. We got off to a great start. We’re sitting here in a good spot, but there’s still 20-something games to go.
“If we can improve in any area, we’ll try and do that. But it’s a good hockey team, and they’ve done a great job to this date.”
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