Problems mounting to alarming levels within Colorado Avalanche organization

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Daniel Lucente
October 18, 2024 (7:25 PM)

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The Colorado Avalanche are having one of the worst starts in franchise history this season, and combined with injuries and player feuds, it's getting worse.

The 2024-25 season of the Colorado Avalanche has gotten off to an underwhelming start, as this team seeks that first win. Coming in with high expectations and aspirations of a Stanley Cup, they were joining only two other teams yet to earn their first win. Up against the Anaheim Ducks, the Avalanche would seek to break through; several factors have prevented that from happening as of yet.

Injuries have indeed factored into the poor beginning of the Avalanche. The top forwards skating for the club include Jonathan Drouin, Artturi Lehkonen, and Valeri Nichushkin; all are out of the lineup at this time, although the extent to which each of them will be away is anyone's guess. Then there's captain Gabriel Landeskog, still out of commission after surgery on his knee cartilage performed back in 2022. Indeed, he has left a mark in terms of leadership. There is no doubt that the injuries have stretched the lineup of Colorado to its limits, but they are not the only problems this franchise presently faces.

The defensive problems are painfully obvious for the Avalanche, who have given up a league-worst 25 goals in their first four games. Goaltender Alexandar Georgiev has started all those and has been out of luck consistently; he's managed only a .802 save percentage and a 5.79 goals-against average. Capable in many ways, Georgiev has not found such form in service for the team to stabilize its defense, thus making its issues all the more acute.

Off the ice, the drama is heating up in contract form, too, for Colorado. One of its star players is Mikko Rantanen, who just started the final season of his six-year, $55.5 million contract and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. There's reportedly some tension about Rantanen's valuation around teammate Nathan MacKinnon, according to Nick Kypreos of the Toronto Star. The question of whether Rantanen deserves a raise on par with MacKinnon's salary reportedly is causing friction behind the scenes.

While it may be too early to say that Mikko Rantanen will leave Colorado, the confusion regarding his contract and free agency could indeed prove a distraction as the season wears on. If negotiations don't go in a positive direction, trade rumors will start to surface, adding another layer to the complex early-season struggles of the Avalanche.