Like any off season, there are 30 teams leaning on ‘Wait til next season’. Thirty-one will be lamenting a non-title season this time in 2022.
The Colorado Avalanche thought they had the pieces in place to make that run this spring, but came up short.
The planning this off season for the Avs is dealing with the departure of several key players, including Philipp Grubauer. The goalie was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy this season. Grubauer posted a record of 30-9-1 with a 1.95 GAA and .922 save percentage. He posted seven shutouts on the season. Grubauer signed a long-term deal with the Seattle Kraken as an unrestricted free agent.
Also lost this off season were Joonas Donskoi who was picked by the Kraken in the expansion draft. He had 31 points off 17 goals in the regular season.
Defenseman Ryan Graves was traded away to the New Jersey Devils. This past season he picked up 15 points off 13 assists.
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare was signed by the Tampa Bay Lightning to a two-year deal as a free agent. He had 11 points on the campaign off nine goals.
Brandon Saad signed a five-year deal with the St. Louis Blues. He had 24 points on the season with 15 goals.
Colorado added young talent with Dylan Sikura and Stefan Matteau. Sikura, 26, iced for the Vegas Golden Knights and their American Hockey League affiliate Henderson Silver Knights. Matteau, 27, skated for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
In need of some more talent and leadership, the Avs signed Darren Helm and Tyson Jost as free agents. Helm signed a one-year deal and Jost signed on for two years.
“Just the team they’ve been building for the past couple years, I think they’ve got a great squad and I just want to be a part of it,” Helm said on NHL.com.
“It’s a little bit of mixed emotions. I’ve been [in Detroit] for a long time, I raised a family here and I’m sure this will be home when we’re done. But when I heard the news that everything had kind of happened, I was extremely excited. I’m really looking forward to playing with the Avs.”
Jost, 23, had 17 points with the Nashville Predators off seven goals.
“Tyson took a big step last year and was a key contributor to our team,” Avs general manager Joe Sakic said at the time of the trade. “He has worked hard to improve his game and earn a spot in our lineup. Tyson is a guy with a lot of character who competes at a high level day in and day out. We are excited to have him under contract for another two seasons.”
With Grubauer’s departure, Colorado traded for the Arizona Coyotes’ Darcy Kuemper as his replacement in the crease. Kuemper, 31, was 10-11-3, with a 2.56 goals-against average and .907 save percentage. He had two shutouts in 27 games. Kuemper missed 19 games due to injury. The Avs sent defenseman Conor Timmins, a first-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and a conditional third-round pick in the 2024 NHL to Arizona in the trade.
The Graves trade brought forward Mikhail Maltsev, 23, to the Avs. He recorded nine points off six goals with the Devils. 
Online sports betting in Colorado will be active as the Avs prepare for the new season and retool for that deeper Stanley Cup Playoff run, and perhaps FInal appearance.
The question is whether or not the Avs have the answer in the nets. Kuemper will have a steamer trunk of hopes, dreams and expectations of the organization, players and fan base in Denver to carry into game each game of an 82-game schedule and post season run. Grubauer was solid in the regular season, but seemed to come up short over three post season stints. The Avs’ No.2 goalie, Pavel Francouz, will be expected to shoulder some of that weight.
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