Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we maintain and update our existing Top 50 lists annually.  As such, we are delighted to present our pre-2025/26 revision of our top 50 Colorado Avalanche.

As for all of our top 50 players in hockey, we look at the following: 

1.  Advanced Statistics.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Hockey League.

3.  Playoff accomplishments.

4.  Their overall impact on the team and other intangibles that are not reflected in a stat sheet.

Last year, the loaded Avalanche team cruised into the playoffs but was eliminated in the first round.  There were no new entrants but multiple elevations..

As always, we present our top five, which remain unchanged. 

1. Joe Sakic
2. Nathan MacKinnon
3. Peter Forsberg
4. Michel Goulet
5. Peter Stastny

You can find the entire list here.

Nathan MacKinnon, who was fourth in Hart voting last year, was #2 last year, and still has years to go to overtake Joe Sakic.

Mikko Rantanen, who was shockingly traded to Carolina (and then to Dallas) was not able to advance past #8.

Two-time and defending Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar, moved from #12 to #10.

Defenseman Devon Toews went up six spots to #24.

Another Defenseman, Samuel Girard, climbed two rungs to #34.

Right Wing Valeri Nichuskin went up three spots to #37.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

The New York Islanders used a Fourth Round Pick to select Devon Toews in 2014, but it would be four years before he played a game for the Isles.  After two years of service on Long Island, New York unloaded the Canadian Defenseman to Colorado for two Second Round Picks, and history is quickly showing that the Avalanche knew exactly what they were doing.

A good end-to-end player, Toews saw more ice time in Colorado was primarily paired with Cale Makar, the young superstar and future Norris Trophy winner.  Toews himself was able to show off his offensive skills, scoring 31 Points in the COVID-shortened 2021/season and was 11^th for the Norris.  Over the next two seasons, Toews broke the 50-Point threshold the next three seasons, and received Norris votes (8^th and 14^th)  in 2021 and 2022, and he played a large part in the 2022 Stanley Cup win.  He has also finished in the top four in Defensive Point Shares four times.

Toews begins this season with a sparkling +178 and 232 Points as a member of the Avalanche.