Colorado Avalanche needs to get better at late-round drafting to remain in Stanley Cup window

The Colorado Avalanche have made a Stanley Cup championship core from the top of the draft. Nathan MacKinnon. Cale Makar. Mikko Rantanen. Bowen Byram. All of them are first-rounders. But as they try to stay a serious Stanley Cup contender deep into the 2020s, one inarguable flaw could sap their chances: a poor history of discovering talent after Round 1.
Where is Colorado Avalanche lacking?
The Colorado Avalanche haven't drafted a player in a non-first-round pick who's played 300 NHL games since 2009—the year they chose Ryan O'Reilly (2nd) and Tyson Barrie (3rd). That's a long period for a team that's now feeling the financial pinch of a star-studded roster.
Since 2010, Colorado's performance after Round 1 has been disappointing:

• Will Butcher (2013): 275 NHL games
• A.J. Greer (2015): 248 games, but only 37 with Colorado
• Calvin Pickard (2010): 175 games, lost to expansion
• Sampo Ranta (2018): played 16 NHL games, now back in Europe.
• Matthew Stienburg (2019): Depth upside only.
• Alex Beaucage (2019) and Andrei Buyalski (2021): Out of the organization.

And it's not even that they didn't pan out as stars—too many of these selections failed even to become consistent AHL contributors, lessening their worth both on the ice and in trades.
There are glimmers of hope:

• Justus Annunen (2018, 3rd round): Now a potential NHL backup and already assisted in acquiring Scott Wedgewood
• Sean Behrens (2021, 2nd round): Remains in the organization and looks like an NHL defenseman if he can remain healthy and address size issues
• William Zellers (2024): Had his coming-out USHL season, though ultimately traded for Charlie Coyle

But with no selection in the opening three rounds of the 2025 or 2026 NHL Draft, the pressure is now firmly on Colorado's scouting and development staffs to find value late—or see their championship window evaporate.
Colorado's Cup core remains whole, for now. But MacKinnon's $12.6M cap hit is in effect, and Cale Makar's next contract won't come cheap. Having NHL-ready players on entry-level or cheap deals is no longer a luxury—it's a requirement.
Smart organizations plan their bottom six and bottom pair, not only their stars. The Avs got the first-round template right. Now they must identify their Rust, Murray, or Guentzel to keep this window open through 2028 and beyond.
Winning one Stanley Cup is difficult. Winning two is more difficult. The Penguins demonstrated that reloading via the draft, even past the glow of round one, is the way dynasties sustain themselves.
Also read: NHL trade rumor: Jonathan Toews reportedly choosing between Jets and Avalanche as decision nears
For Colorado to win another banner, they must begin striking on more Day 2 and Day 3 selections—because this core isn't getting any younger, and the cap isn't getting any more generous.