If you aren't looking to learn something from the teams that are playing deep into the playoffs, you aren't doing it right.
Like most teams, Chris MacFarland and the Avalanche have kept a close eye on the NHL postseason that's rolling on without them. It looks like we're headed for a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Final -- Oilers vs Panthers.
There's plenty the Avalanche could learn from the teams that are still alive:
Size actually does matter
Make it three straight Stanley Cup finals for the big, bad Florida Panthers.
The first year they reached the final, they lost to a Vegas Golden Knights team that didn't have a defenseman on its roster smaller than 6-foot-1. Size matters a heck of a lot when the playoffs roll around, unless you're so much deeper and more talented than everyone else like the 2022 Avalanche. A team like that is rare, though.
Colorado seemed to acknowledge the importance of size with some of its deadline additions, particularly down the middle. It didn't work, but they just so happened to run into a very good team in the Stars.
Colorado's defense in Game 7 against Dallas consisted of five defensemen listed at 6-foot-1 or smaller. You aren't going to replace a Devon Toews or a Cale Makar just to find someone with more size, but is it fair to say the blue line might have been a little too small? Probably.
Colorado is built to play a certain way. If the Avalanche get bigger, it must be with players who can keep up with the Avalanche attack. Given the success of the Panthers and even the Oilers, who only have two defensemen 6-foot-1 or shorter, it's something Colorado may need to address.
Superstars give you an advantage
No matter what the Avalanche do this summer, they'll still have Makar and Nathan MacKinnon. That gives them an advantage over 95% of the league. Edmonton's success the past two seasons shows that if you build the right team around your superstars, you can go far.
Those stars must hold up their end of the bargain, of course. Makar had a series to forget against the Stars, but you bet on a talent like that getting it done most of the time. Colorado still has the high-end talent to go on a run. They must find the right mix around them.
Depth down the middle is still essential
Afforded a mulligan, MacFarland probably would have signed Nazem Kadri after winning the Cup and figured out how to navigate the salary cap afterwards. Mulligans don't exist in the NHL, unfortunately. Since then, Colorado's GM has tried to solve the void at second-line center for three years and still hasn't found the permanent solution. There's a reason he keeps trying.
It really matters.
Look how Florida is built. Aleksander Barkov, Sam Bennett and Anton Lundell have driven that team for three seasons. Edmonton has rolled with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Adam Henrique each of the last two seasons and that's worked out well for them. If you aren't strong down the middle, your odds of going far in the playoffs decrease dramatically.
Colorado has moved significant assets to find the right solution and is feeling the effects of that right now. You just can't stop trying, though. Without strength down at the center position, you can't win in the NHL postseason.
Dumpster diving can pay off
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Navigating the salary cap isn't about to get easier for MacFarland, so he must continue to search for bargains in both the free agent and trade market. They won't always hit, but when you're in the Avalanche's position without many trade assets, you must keep trying.
Edmonton signed Kasperi Kapanen on July 1 last summer for $1 million. The Oilers signed Connor Brown for next-to-nothing two summers ago and re-signed him again last summer. They gave up a measly fourth-round pick to acquire a former top-10 pick in Vasily Podkolzin last summer, a brilliant move. Corey Perry is 39 years old but continues to provide value on a contract paying him close to league minimum.
Shoot, Florida's entire fourth line is made up of players they acquired for next-to-nothing -- either by trade or in free agency.
Not every move is going to work. See: Jeff Skinner. You must trust your pro scouts, though. That's why you pay them. And when you're up against the cap with limited assets to move, that's when you need to really rely on them.
What I'm hearing
-- I've been told by a source close to the situation that Colorado's top goaltending prospect Ilya Nabokov will make a decision on his future soon. His KHL contract expires this week and the Avalanche would love to get him to North America to develop behind Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood.
The Avalanche have made their offer and are waiting to hear if Nabokov will start his North American career now or in 2026.
-- Jonathan Toews has notified his agent he wants to return to the NHL next season. He's a 37-year-old who hasn't played hockey in over two years, making him an unlikely solution at second-line center for the Avalanche.
But they will show interest. Toews put up 31 points in 53 games during his final season with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2022-23.
What I'm seeing
-- Face-offs matter, but not as much as you'd think. Sure, you'd rather win more than you lose but there's data out there that shows they don't make a huge impact on the game over the course of 60 minutes. Both Edmonton and Florida are well below 50% in the face-off dot this postseason and are still alive and well.
-- That's six years in a row a team from Florida has made it to the Stanley Cup final. That means the income tax debate is about to crank up again. Here's my 2 cents.
Yes, it does help, but where it helps is when it comes time to keep your team together -- if they're good. And that's the key. You have to be a well-run organization to take advantage of these tax breaks.
Players weren't hankering to join the Panthers organization when they made the playoffs only twice between the years 2000 and 2019. Same with Dallas when it made the postseason only twice between 2008 and 2018. You must have the right people running your organization before you can take advantage of having no income tax.
That's part of the reason Nashville and Seattle aren't good right now, because the Predators and Kraken have those same advantages.
What I'm thinking
-- The NHL doesn't love it when teams make trades during the playoffs, but when there's a week off between the conference finals and the Stanley Cup final, you can't expect teams to sit around. Expect there to be some movement before the Stanley Cup final begins.
-- TV ratings are in the dump this postseason. I don't expect a rematch of last year's final to get the casual fan any more excited.