Hockey Mountain High Podcast

The Avalanche won games three in a row heading into the second half of a back to back against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and then got the doors blown off in a 7-2 loss that unfortunately erases a lot of the slowly built up good will. Wins over Calgary and Chicago are able to cushion the blow and hold the Avs above the playoff line, but another tough to watch performance makes the issues with this team hard to ignore. Also, Nikita Kucherov wants out of Tampa Bay? What?
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7...

The Avalanche put out a nice bounce back performance in a 5-2 win over the New Jersey Devils, which is how a game is supposed to look against a team on the second half of a back to back. With the Nashville game in the rear view mirror, can the Avalanche start to string together some wins with a tired Calgary in town Saturday and a lighter schedule coming up?
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with everything on the site at HockeyMountainHigh.com
Follow the show: @HockeyMTNPod<...

The Avalanche faced a Nashville Predators team on a back to back and got their doors blown off in a 6-2 loss, a result that can ultimately be boiled down to effort and not trying hard enough at the NHL level to be successful. The Avs went 0/4 on the powerplay while allowing 4/7 to the Predators powerplay, and got beat in every facet of the game. After a great performance vs. Tampa Bay the game prior, this game becomes even more baffling. If the Avalanche want to be a serious team this season, they need to stamp out this effort...

If Nathan MacKinnon has more games like this road trip, the Avs are going to be in trouble. The Avalanche lost two very winnable games on their east coast back to back, losing 3-2 to the Philadelphia Flyers and 4-3 to the New Jersey Devils, two scores that really let them off the hook for their effort. The Avalanche have a record of 5-4-1 through their first ten games, historically in line with their past seasons, so where do they from here?

Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep...

The Avalanche overcame a 2-0 first period deficit to take down the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 on home ice, complete with a powerplay goal from the top unit in Brett McLean's first game as head coach, and four points from Nathan Mackinnon. Can the Avalanche keep up the powerplay improvements as they hit the road for a back to back vs. Philadelphia and New Jersey? Can TJ Hughes or Gavin Brindley lock down roster spots as the bottom six deals with injuries?
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with everything...

The Avalanche got the split in the home and home against the Dallas Stars, as well as an extra point with a 3-2 regulation win in Dallas and a 3-2 shootout loss on home ice. The split is great, but 4/4 was possible if not for the powerplay. But change is finally coming , as Dave Hakstol departs for a job at Arizona State and is replaced by Brett McLean. How much impact will this actually have on a powerplay that's been stuck in the mud for almost two years?
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1...

The Avalanche were let down by Mackenzie Blackwood and the powerplay in a frustrating 6-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, still dealing with some of the same issues they struggled with last season. After a year and a half, what is there left to say about this powerplay falling short? How much leash will Blackwood get this season if the inconsistency continues? Are they going to be able to iron out the flaws before a massive home and home series with the Dallas Stars?
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
...

The Avalanche ran the Flames out of the Saddledome for their first road win of the season, picking up a 7-3 win after dropping their first game of the season 3-2 in Winnipeg the day prior. Cale Makar, Devon Toews, and Jaden Schwartz all had a multi goal night, while the Avalanche once again had another offensive explosion for seven goals.. Meanwhile Sam Malinski was a healthy scratch against the Flames, how importnt will it be to keep an eye on that coming up?
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep...

The Avalanche are 2-0 following a dominant 6-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues, giving them 14 goals in just two games this season. As the Avalanche hit the road for the first time this season for a Canadian back to back against Winnipeg and Calgary, will they be able to sustain this offensive firepower? If they're able to ice O'Connor and L'Heureux, how will they manage a healthy lineup for the first time this season?
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with everything on the site at HockeyMountainHigh.com<...

The Avalanche's season opening victory had just about everything, as the Avalanche defeated the Los Angeles Kings 8-4 to start the season 1-0. The powerplay was nearly perfect, the penalty kill was perfect, and the Avalanche's offense looks as good as it ever has with a franchise record eight goals on opening night. Nathan MacKinnon also beat the brakes off of Brandt Clarke, while 13 different Avs players recorded a point. Man, we missed hockey a lot, that was a lot of fun.
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with...

The regular season is finally here for the Colorado Avalanche as they prepare to take on the Los Angeles Kings in Wednesday's season opener. After a disappointing playoff exit last season, what are the expectations for this years Avs team, and where can they be expected to finish in the regular season? With O'Connor and L'Heureux out, can TJ Hughes earn a full time spot on the team? Finally, where will everyone in the NHL finish this season?
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with everything on the site...

The regular season is less than a week away as training camp already begins to wind down, and the Avs roster begins to take shape with more cuts after a preseason loss in Winnipeg. What are the biggest storylines to watch for the Avalanche during this regular season, and who will have the most expectations on them? What will the opening day roster look like?
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with everything on the site at HockeyMountainHigh.com
Follow the show: @HockeyMTNPod
Follow Griffin: @GRYoungs
...

Training camp and the preseason has begun for the Avalanche, picking up a 4-1 victory over the Utah Mammoth that nobody could actually watch, but all of the players you would want to see impress did just that. With the regular season under two weeks away, who currently has the inside track to win the opening night roster spots? What other stories have emerged from the first handful of days from training camp?
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with everything on the site at HockeyMountainHigh.com
Follow...

It's been a long offseason but training finally begins on Thursday for the Colorado Avalanche, with the regular season opener against Los Angeles just two weeks away. Furthermore, Joe Sakic is here to stay as the GM of the Avs for the long haul, as extensions roll in en masse around the league before training camps open.
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with everything on the site at HockeyMountainHigh.com
Follow the show: @HockeyMTNPod
Follow Griffin: @GRYoungs
Follow Christian: @Christian_Bolle

Hosted...

Training camp is suddenly just under a week away for the Avalanche after a long offseason, and the regular season three weeks away. Who will be competing for a roster spot for the Avalanche this training camp, and who will ultimately win the opening night jobs? Who will the Avalanche get the most out of for the whole season?
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with everything on the site at HockeyMountainHigh.com
Follow the show: @HockeyMTNPod
Follow Griffin: @GRYoungs
Follow Christian: @Christian_Bolle

It's officially September, and hockey finally starts this month. Training camp begins in just a few weeks, and news is slowly trickling in as the league begins to ramp up again. For the Avalanche, what does the future look like with Cale Makar staying in Colorado for the next 9 years on the richest contract in NHL history? What will they be able to do to maximize their championship window as soon as next season when the deal kicks in?

Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with everything on...

The saga is over. Cale Makar is now locked in for the long haul with the Colorado Avalanche with an 8 year extension, but it took the richest contract in NHL history in order to get the job done. With the best defenseman in the world in the locked up for the forseeable future, how are the Avalanche going to move forward building a team around a $20.4M player? What does Makar have to do to live up to that number?
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with everything on...

Joe Sakic broke the silence on the Cale Makar negotations, by ultimately not providing much of an update beyond confidence that a deal will be done before the season starts. With just over a month to go before the regular season begins, how long until a Makar deal comes through?. Is the dream of signing Makar for 8 years over based on recent speculation? Will Jared Bednar or Artturi Lehkonen get an extension before next season as well?
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with everything on the site at...

It's time for the most August episode of all time, as the NHL has ground to a complete halt with no news to speak of or seemingly on the horizon. As incredibly biased Avalanche fans, what other teams around the league do we like or dislike the most? How has our lists changed from last season? How soon until we can start talking about some hockey news again?
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with everything on the site at HockeyMountainHigh.com
Follow the show: @HockeyMTNPod
Follow...

The Avalanche have made the playoffs for nine straight years in the MacKinnon/Makar era, with a Stanley Cup to show for their efforts, but how much longer will this championship window remain open after four straight playoffs dissapointments? How much will Makar's new contract affect their ability to contend, and how much longer of prime MacKinnon are we getting in his 30s? What moves can be made to extend the window?
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with everything on the site at HockeyMountainHigh.com
Follow the...

We've got too much time to kill in August while waiting for the next NHL season to begin, so what better way to spend it by giving some way too early prediction for where every team is going to finish next year? Who will be the biggest surprises and disappointments in a league that feels closer than ever? Most importantly, where will the Avalanche finish after last years Presidents Trophy?
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with everything on the site at HockeyMountainHigh.com
Follow the show: @HockeyMTNPod<...

August is here to officially mark the deadest time of the year for hockey fans, but we are officially under two months until the regular season kicks off on September 30th. Who on the Avalanche will have the most to prove this coming season, in both the regular season and playoffs? What will the team as a whole have to prove after last season?
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with everything on the site at HockeyMountainHigh.com
Follow the show: @HockeyMTNPod
Follow Griffin: @GRYoungs
Follow...

It's almost the halfway point of the NHL offseason, news is still scarce but the NHL season is regular season is just over two months away. However, that means the conference final loss to Vegas was just over two months ago now. Does that loss feel any differently now after so much time has passed? Also, rumors about NHL expansion are still floating around, with potentially 4 more teams in the near future? Finally, answering your mailbag questions!
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with everything on the site at...

The offseason marches on for the Avalanche, but still without an extension quite yet for Cale Makar or Artturi Lehkonen. How soon can we expect an extension for Makar, and will we see one for Lehkonen this offseason at all, and for how much? How does Jason Robertson's one year extension in Dallas affect the Avalanche, and will Dallas be able to keep him beyond next season?
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with everything on the site at HockeyMountainHigh.com
Follow the show: @HockeyMTNPod
Follow Griffin...

The full 2026-27 season schedule for the Avalanche has been released, and the countdown is officially on for the regular season on September 30th vs. the Los Angeles Kings. What parts of this schedule stand out the most this time around for the Avalanche? What matchups and stretches will proves the most challenging to deal with? Did the NHL actually start doing some things right with this years schedule?
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with everything on the site at HockeyMountainHigh.com
Follow the show: @HockeyMTNPod
...

The offseason has begun to wind down, and the picture is becoming clear how each team is going to look heading into next season. With the Avalanche essentially done, how do they matchup with the rest of the Central Division after a whirlwind of moves across the division? What other moves are yet to drop across the division?
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with everything on the site at HockeyMountainHigh.com
Follow the show: @HockeyMTNPod
Follow Griffin: @GRYoungs
Follow Christian: @Christian_Bolle

...

This offseason has been one of the craziest in recent memory across the league with star players on the move, massive free agency contracts, and offer sheets that are changing the future of the league. Now that the dust is settling, where do the Avalanche stand with the rest of the league? Will the Cale Makar contract add to that craziness? Did they make a play at Connor Hellebuyck like the rumors suggest?
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with everything on the site at HockeyMountainHigh.com
Follow...

The Avalanche stayed busy on Day 1 of Free Agency, signing Jaden Schwartz, Noah Juulsen, and Vinnie Hinostroza to essentially wrap up their offseason and give us a pretty clear idea of what the team will look like in training camp. Do these moves actually make the Avalanche better? Did they get good value for Schwartz? With no cap space left, is that it for the Avs offseason?
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with everything on the site at HockeyMountainHigh.com
Follow the show: @HockeyMTNPod
Follow Griffin...

It's a busy, busy episode as the Avalanche stay busy before, during, and after the 2026 NHL draft, re-signing Brett Kulak for 5 years and Brent Burns for 1 to run back their defensive core from last season. Not to mention, drafting nine players in this years draft and using both picks acquired for Nichushkin and Colton. Finally, free agency is right around the corner, who will the Avs target with what's left of their salary cap space?
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with everything on the site at HockeyMountainHigh.com<...

The Avs busy offseason continues as Val Nichushkin is traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets for three draft picks, and giving the Avalanche $10.9M in cap space before the tomorrow's draft and free agency next week. Joe Sakic clearly has some moves up his sleeve, what comes next with the extra draft capital and cap space?
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with everything on the site at HockeyMountainHigh.com
Follow the show: @HockeyMTNPod
Follow Griffin: @GRYoungs
Follow Christian: @Christian_Bolle

Hosted by...

The Avalanche offseason keeps moving along as Jack Drury has been traded to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Fyodor Svechkov and Zachary L'Heureux. Will Svechkov and L'Heureux make the team to open the season, and what do the bring to the Avalanche to replace Drury? Are these the younger, higher upside options we've been asking the Avalanche to get? What moves do the Avalanche have left in the tank ahead of the draft free agency?
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with everything on the site at HockeyMountainHigh...

Free agency is right around the corner in the NHL, even though action around the league is starting to pick up in a big way with Brady Tkachuk being traded to the Florida Panthers. Who will the Avalanche go after on the free agent market on July 1st, and what will they be able to do with the cap space that they have? Do they still need to clear more space?
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with everything on the site at HockeyMountainHigh.com
Follow the show...

The Avalanche have already made their first move of the offseason with the Ross Colton trade to Nashville, but with the draft less than a week away and free agency not far behind, what can the Avalanche do to regain some of the trust that's been lost following the sweep in the Western Conference Final? What can they do with their cap space and draft capital?
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with everything on the site at HockeyMountainHigh.com
Follow the show: @HockeyMTNPod
Follow Griffin: @GRYoungs<...

The offseason is officially underway, and Ross Colton is the first man out the door after being traded to the Nashville Predators for draft picks. With the cap space opened up, what dominos are next to fall for Joe Sakic and the Avs this offseason. Also, the Carolina Hurricanes are Stanley Cup champions after beating Vegas, what can the Avalanche learn from them to bring home another title?
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with everything on the site at HockeyMountainHigh.com
Follow the show: @HockeyMTNPod
Follow...

The end of season press conference for Joe Sakic and the Avalanche might not have been the most informative, but it still revealed some interesting tidbits about the Avs future. The coaching staff will remain the same, and the Avs are pretty much going to run this back as best they can going into next season, with the same coaching staff. How do we feel about the Avs direction heading into the offseason.

Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with everything on the site at HockeyMountainHigh.com
...

The Avalanche have some questions to answer about their roster this offseason, and some salary cap issues to sole in order to field a competitive team next season. Who will be staying and who will be going from this Avalanche team right now? Will there be any surprise names on their way out the door?
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with everything on the site at HockeyMountainHigh.com
Follow the show: @HockeyMTNPod
Follow Griffin: @GRYoungs
Follow Christian: @Christian_Bolle

Hosted by Simplecast...

Chris MacFarland will no longer be the General Manager of the Colorado Avalanche, after accepting a role with the Nashville Predators as their new President of Hockey Operations. In the mean time, Joe Sakic will oversee the duties of General Manager, but for how long? Jared Bednar will also be returning next season as the Head Coach of the Avalanche, with one year left on his contract. Is this the Avalanche's final chance to win another Stanley Cup in this era?
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with everything...

The Avalanche season ended in baffling fashion in the Western Conference Final, getting swept with a whimper by the Vegas Golden Knights after a record setting regular season and only loss through the first two rounds of the playoffs. What went wrong, where do they go from here this offseason, and what changes need to be made for next season?

Finally, answering your mailbag questions!
Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6
Keep up with everything on the site at HockeyMountainHigh.com
Follow the show: @HockeyMTNPod
Follow Griffin...

The Avalanche's season is over, and they have been swept by the Vegas Golden Knights with a 2-1 loss in Game 4. The Avs played like they were ready to go home, and they will be, with a lot of questions to answer this offseason. After an uninspired performance in a series like this, change is coming for a Colorado team that has consistently fallen short every year after the Stanley Cup in 2022.

For the latest in Denver Sports, stay tuned here at Mile High Sports where you get daily coverage on your favorite teams, boots on the...

The Avalanche blew a 3-0 lead in Game 3 to the Vegas Golden Knights and now face down one of the worst series defeats in franchise history, down 3-0 in the Western Conference Final and on the verge of being swept. After a great first period, the Avalanche stopped playing. Makar returns injured, Mackinnon goes down with injury, and nobody steps up as a hero. The season will be on the line in Game 4.
Keep up with everything on the site at HockeyMountainHigh.com
Follow the show: @HockeyMTNPod
Follow Griffin: @GRYoungs
Follow Christian: @Christian_Bolle