Is Avalanche’s Current Core Enough for Future Success?

The Colorado Avalanche were the toast of the NHL for most of last season after a historically hot start to the regular season culminated in a Presidents’ Trophy win by eight points over the next-closest team. Nathan MacKinnon finished third in the voting for the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP, while Cale Makar came in second place for the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenseman. But in the playoffs, with MacKinnon and Makar battling through injuries in the Western Conference Final, a historic season came to an unceremonious, and even embarrassing, end with the Avs getting swept by…