Kiz: After the victory parade ended and the Avs took the Stanley Cup on a world tour, very little went according to plan for the defending champs. This whole season has felt wonky, off-kilter and a little cursed. But well, well, well. Look at the Avs now, with a real chance to steal first place in the Central Division as the regular season comes down the stretch. Who is the team’s most valuable player during a challenging year?
Durando:Â Say what you want about the inconsistencies that have made this season feel blemished at times, but there’s one constant that still separates the Avalanche: Their three best players are better than your team’s three best players. If the NHL shared the same hot-take TV space as the NBA, there would be a constant debate of where Cale Makar, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen rank among other generational Big Threes. All three are playing out of their minds this year. None would be a wrong answer. I lean Rantanen for carrying Colorado through its worst injury stretch, but MacKinnon is third in the NHL in points per game (1.52). He might finally crack 100 despite missing 11 games.
Kiz: This is an easy choice for me. After the Avs traded for Alexandar Georgiev, nobody doubted he had skills, but I wondered if he was ready to play goalie on a night-in, night-out basis for the defending champs. Silly me. Georgiev has often carried Colorado’s banged-up group of blueliners. While his save percentage (.919) and goals-against average (2.54) have been extremely solid, it’s the 34 victories, which rank second in the league, that have made his heavy workload all the more impressive.
Durando: That’s out of left field. I like it. Just relative to preseason expectations and salary, Georgiev is the winner. He’s still top-three in even-strength save percentage (.928) among goalies with a minimum of 35 games played, which is resounding given his lack of starting experience. But if we’re going to talk heavy workload, we can’t ignore the NHL leader in average ice time. At 26:32, Makar is a full 20 seconds ahead of second place. That’s more than two minutes over his own career average. Don’t look now, but Makar is in second place among all NHL defensemen in points per game (1.12) despite his “slow start” compared to last season. MacKinnon and Rantanen are also way above their career averages in ice time, by the way.
Kiz: While Makar figures to be a candidate for the Norris Trophy from now until he retires from a career that seems certain to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame, I’d like to see Georgiev recognized as nothing less than a Vezina finalist. Maybe Boston goalie Linus Ullmark and Igor Shesterkin, the guy who stood in Georgiev’s way from shining with the New York Rangers, have enjoyed more stellar seasons between the pipes than Georgiev. But not by much.
Durando: It’ll be difficult for Georgiev to find space on a Vezina ballot occupied by a dozen more recognizable names. The analytics love Ilya Sorokin, who might topple Ullmark. Jusse Saros, Connor Hellebuyck and Jake Oettinger are deserving candidates. But I wouldn’t balk at a top-five finish for Georgiev, the darkest of horses before the season.
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