The Avalanche did not target Pierre-Édouard Bellemare to come in and be an offensive juggernaut. They signed him to help the penalty kill, anchor the fourth line, and to bring leadership to the locker room. The offense was a nice bonus, though. The 35-year-old center from France was having his best season in the NHL before the league shut down,…...

When the Avs traded for Andre Burakovsky in June of 2019, they were taking a bit of a gamble. The talented youngster was making good money coming off a season where he fell out of favor in Washington, and the Avs did give up some good value to get him, sending second and third round picks to acquire the then 24 year old winger.

Turns out, they knew what they were doing.

The Avalanche signed another of their top prospects on Thursday afternoon when they announced goaltender Justus Annunen had signed his entry-level contract. The standard three-year pact gets the 20-year-old Annunen under contract through the 2023 season. Annunen is coming off a season in which he was the top goaltender for the top Finnish league’s best team, Karpat, and finished the…...

Here on the Avalanche side of DNVR, we’re going to start doing something a little bit different. Today begins us tackling a daily question in which all three of the main contributors to DNVR Avalanche will chime in. With a committee now created to help facilitate a return to hockey, the wheels of progress towards a resumption of the season…...

Perhaps this is controversial, or perhaps it isn't, but let it be known: as of right now, Samuel Girard is the Avs #1 defenseman.

Still just 21 years old, Girard led the Avs in average time on ice at 21:19 a game, but where the staff trusted him more than any other player on the team is at even strength, where he averaged over a full minute more than the next closest player (Erik Johnson). While Jared Bednar and Nolan Pratt won't hesitate to put Girard on the ice with Cale Makar for offensive zone face-offs, they pretty consistently use him in defensive matchups against the other teams best players.

In what was a season full of fun Avalanche stories, the halting of the NHL season stole what might have been a memorable playoff run and overshadowed an important story that emerged during the second rash of ridiculous injuries for the Avalanche. That story was Martin Kaut. When the charismatic 19-year-old was called up, it was meaningful for several reasons.…...

There is no player on the Avs more frustrating to both fans and the coaching staff than Nikita Zadorov. Some nights, he looks like he can be a top-pairing defenseman capable of shutting down elite players in the NHL. Other nights, you wonder if the organization really doesn’t have six other defensemen they could be playing over him. The other…...

Pick any Cam Morrison season at Notre Dame and you would have a hard time telling which is which. https://youtu.be/JfeIH8MO8gQ Highlights: https://youtu.be/ylffax4snBg

Allie Monroy is joined by an All-Star panel of DNVR beat reporters to discuss a variety of sports topics in the Mile High City. With Andre Simone, Harrison Wind, AJ Haefele and Patrick Lyons, the squad goes over their favorite Opening Day memories, what best sports holiday is as well as some current events from the sports world. DON’T FORGET…

For many, Raymond Bourque lifting the cup is the greatest moment in NHL history. In a vacuum, the moment of complete joy is fantastic but so many factors played into this fairy tale. On this version of the tape, we look at what led up to this immortal moment in time. 1. The man. Raymond Bourque was a legend long before…...

My favorite grandparent was the youngest of the lot, born in 1918. Though the month of her birth was notable simply for the fact she was in it, she was also born in the same month the Allies forced the Germans back behind the Hindenburg Line in World War I. Because of the war, they also started the World Series…...

The two best skaters and the GOAT goalie from the Avs game six win over the New Jersey Devils. https://youtu.be/sSWdykvY1A4

The two best Avs and one awesome crowd from their game five loss to the New Jersey Devils. https://youtu.be/r2y3TSlPP9k

Both the CHL and KHL have announced the cancellation of their playoffs and with that, outside of a possible AHL return, Avs prospect seasons are over. Over the next few months, I will be doing full-season review videos for key Avs prospects but this will act as an overall summary for all of the Avs prospects and their season statistics.…...

Well, who saw this one coming? Picked up in a deadline day swap back in 2018, Ryan Graves was looked at purely as a depth defenseman who would hopefully regain some of that promise he had after putting up 30 points in the AHL as a 21-year-old. He didn’t exactly light the world on fire in Colorado, as he put…...

The three best Avs from their tough loss to the New Jersey Devils in game 4 of the Cup Finals. https://youtu.be/HoQ7vGlZ5fM

The three best Avs from their win over the New Jersey Devils in game three of the 2001 Cup Finals. https://youtu.be/01Jp0y-D4UI

The three best players from the Avs loss to the New Jersey Devils in game two of the ’01 cup finals. https://youtu.be/5T1w_ae0EWs

When the Avs signed Valeri Nichushkin on August 19 in the dead of the summer, it was met with a lot of skepticism (myself included). Why did the Avs, as deep as they had been in years, decide to take a chance on a struggling player? Why would they block younger players already in the organization? Why was this reclamation…...