The Avalanche Are Dead Last In One Nhl Ranking — And They Shouldn't Care

The NHL didn't always operate this way.

Before the 2004-05 lockout, there was no salary cap. The league's financial structure was changing, competitive balance had become an increasing concern and the NHL ultimately lost an entire season while the owners and players fought over a new collective bargaining agreement.

When hockey returned, the sport looked different.

The introduction of a salary cap created a new reality for NHL teams. You could still build a powerhouse. You could still keep a championship window open for years. But eventually, difficult decisions would come. Good players would become too expensive. Veterans would age. Draft picks and prospects would become currency.

In other words, success could only last for so long before something had to give.

That is the nature of the modern NHL.

There are ebbs and flows. Some organizations spend years near the bottom, accumulating draft picks and young talent before finally emerging as contenders. Others reach the top and do everything possible to stay there, often sacrificing pieces of their future for a better chance to win in the present.

The San Jose Sharks are a perfect example of the first path.

After several difficult seasons, San Jose has begun building one of the NHL's most exciting young cores through the draft. Macklin Celebrini has already emerged as one of the league's brightest young stars, while Will Smith and Michael Misa give the organization even more elite talent to build around.

The Colorado Avalanche are on the opposite end of that cycle.

They haven't had the luxury — or perhaps more accurately, the need — to think like a rebuilding team.

When you have Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar in their prime, the future can wait.

The only thing that really matters is whether the roster in front of you is good enough to win the Stanley Cup.

And sometimes, that means paying for today with tomorrow.

That brings us to the Avalanche being ranked last in the NHL by The Athletic's Corey Pronman in his recent evaluation of each organization's under-23 talent.

On the surface, 32nd out of 32 teams sounds alarming.

For Colorado, though, the ranking is both understandable — and not necessarily something that should keep anyone up at night right now.

The Avalanche have spent years operating in win-now mode. They have moved first-round picks. They have traded promising prospects. They have prioritized players capable of helping them compete for a Stanley Cup today rather than simply stockpiling talent that might be ready three or four years from now.

That's what happens when your championship window is open.

And while I don't necessarily agree that Colorado's prospect situation is truly the worst in hockey, it's also difficult to argue that the Avalanche possess one of the league's stronger pipelines.

They don't.

The question is whether that actually matters right now.

And for the Avalanche, the answer is probably no.

The concern isn't necessarily that Colorado is ranked 32nd today. The concern is what happens when the championship window finally closes.

For now, though, the Avalanche still have an opportunity to win.

And when you're staring at a Stanley Cup window that may only remain wide open for another year or two, worrying about the prospects who might help you five years from now probably shouldn't be at the top of the priority list.

Tomorrow will eventually come.

The Avalanche can worry about rebuilding when it does.