DENVER — Every now and then during Colorado’s all-too-short summer of love — at the parade or at a Stanley Cup party or after a summer skate — the core members of the AvalancheWe sat and chatted incessantly about the long and winding road to glory and all the milestones along it.
Nathan MacKinnon’s leap into superstardom in 2017-18, when he went from 53 points to 97. Cale Makar’s arrival for the 2019 playoffs and the heralding of a weapon unlike any other in the league. The additions Artturi Lehkonen, Andrew Cogliano Josh MansonHow they filled the remaining roster gaps at the trade deadline of 2022
But they also talked about rock bottom — a season that ranks among the worst the modern NHL has ever seen, and the undisputed worst season of the 21st Century. 48% of the points were scored in just 82 games. Only 22 wins. The league’s 14th-highest number of losses was 56. All while bumping up against the salary cap, with franchise icon Joe Sakic’s plan seemingly in shambles.
To get from there to here, it only took four seasons.
“It came around quick,” said Mikko RantanenThis was a rookie with the 2016-17 miserable squad.
