This Avalanche team has what it takes to repeat

A few weeks ago, our panel of writers talked about the Colorado Avalanche aiming for third in the Central Division amidst an injury-riddled and rollercoaster start to the 2022-23 campaign. In the short time since they have greatly improved the outlook in Denver by winning seven of their last ten games and getting points in nine of the previous ten.

We have seen the return of Colorado's scoring touch, amplified by the scoring success of Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Goaltender Alexandar Georgiev looks comfortable, and the attention to detail defensively has been resurrected from the ashes left stale since last season's playoffs. In short, the repeat is on.

In this Mile High Hockey Lab episode, host Adrian Hernandez is joined by Evan Liu and Ezra Parter to discuss the latest in Avalanche news. The conversation began with assessing what the trade for Keith Kinkaid might mean for the return of Pavel Francouz. Ezra and Evan agreed that Kinkaid is likely an acquisition most destined for AHL depth and not someone they expect to see in an Avalanche sweater. As for Frankie, Jared Bednar reassured fans that he is still on track for a return.

The panel moved on to the trade between the Avalanche and Blackhawks that sent Andreas Englund in exchange for Jack Johnson. Everyone agreed that people may have overreacted slightly but shouldn't be shamed for liking Andreas Englund and Jack Johnson. Evan wonders if the Avs were better off trading MacDermid (if the hawks had an interest) rather than Englund and how that might have changed things.

Avalanche trade talks quickly turned into trades around the league, namely the Tanner Jeannot trade that most GMs and talking heads don't understand. Ezra is among those who think that Jeannot doesn't fit the profile of a player you make this trade for.

We also talked about the dichotomy between the approach in the East and the approach in the West. Adrian, Evan, and Ezra agreed it's an East arms race. Ezra coined a new term, "fingers race," when describing how the western powerhouses treat the deadline.

We ended things by previewing our Trade Deadline coverage on Friday. The Mile High Hockey Lab will host a marathon-style broadcast on the YouTube channel and cut up a highlight reel for a special episode. Coverage will begin at 8 a.m. MT and will be all about the trade deadline from the Colorado Avalanche point of view.

Don't forget to listen to this week's episode for even more Avalanche talk! Like, subscribe, and share! All episodes are broadcast live on our YouTube channel, so head over there and subscribe.