Bob Frid-Imagn Images It's not rare to see good NHL teams struggle less than two weeks into the season, but it is surprising to see how some of these squads are doing. Already this year, we’re seeing teams at or near the bottom of their respective divisions who few, if any, observers believed would be there at any point. In alphabetical order, let’s take a look at five of those NHL teams: The Avalanche quietly lost much of their depth from their 2021-22 Stanley Cup-winning squad, even if they've attempted to get it back.
This year, with captain Gabriel Landeskog and sniper Valeri Nichushkin both sidelined for different reasons – and with goaltending proving to be an immediate problem – . The Avalanche's offense is average at 3.25 goals-for per game, but their defense and netminding have been ugly.
They currently have the NHL’s worst goals-against average at a shocking 6.25. Considering the Avalanche have what, on paper, are solid top four blueliners, it’s quite surprising the team as a whole is this brutal in its own end.
Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland has already dipped into the waiver wire to bring in goalie Kaapo Kahkonen, who will join the team once the immigration process is settled, . Time will tell whether he’ll be ready on Friday against the Anaheim Ducks or Sunday against the San Jose Sharks, but if the Avalanche are still winless after then, it’s definitely time to press the panic button. While some suspected the Avs would be more challenged to win th.