Hockey Mountain High Podcast

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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: htt...

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 q...

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 off...

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...

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...

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 questio...

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 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...

The Avalanche had a chance to tie the Western Conference Final at one game a piece, but let it slip away in the third period and now have to head to Vegas down 2-0 after a 3-1 loss. Nothing to feel good about after the first blown third period lead of the season, and it's time for some soul searching from the Avs before it's too late. Will Cale Makar be back for Game 3 or 4? Is a comeback possible...

The Cale Makar-less Avalanche drop Game 1 of the Western Conference Final to the Vegas Golden Knights, and trail the series 1-0. Despite a late comeback attempt for the Avalanche, trailing 3-0 was too much to overcome this time after a lackluster first two periods. What can they adjust to tie the series in Game 2, and will Cale Makar be back? Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7...

The Avalanche and the Golden Knights are set to clash in the Western Conference Final, but what about the Golden Knights perspective heading into this series? Jason Pothier of Sin Bin Vegas joins us to provide light on the Golden Knights run up to this point, and how they match up against the Avalanche. Who has the edge in this series and where? Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gl...

The Avalanche have advanced to the Western Conference Final for the first time since 2022, and find themselves facing off with old foe, as they take on the Vegas Golden Knights in a long awaited rematch. With a trip to the Stanley Cup Final on the line, what do the Avalanche against Vegas to advance? Where do their biggest advantages lie? Will they be healthy enough to get through this series? Sen...

THE AVALANCHE COMPLETE ONE OF GREATEST COMEBACKS IN FRANCHISE HISTORY AND ARE MOVING ON TO THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL, WINNING GAME 5 4-3 IN OVERTIME AFTER BEING DOWN 3-0 TO KNOCK OUT THE MINNESOTA WILD! 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 Fol...

The Avalanche have taken a 3-1 series lead over the Minnesota Wild with a dramatic and a well earned 5-2 win on the road in Game 4, and it's their depth scorers that came through when they needed it most. With the Avalanche a win away from the Western Conference Final, can they find a way to wrap up this series in Game 5 and advance? Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr...

The Avalanche lose their first game of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, falling 5-1 to the Minnesota Wild in Game 3 to cut their second round series lead to 2-1 heading into a critical Game 4. How can the Avalanche bounce back and take a 3-1 series lead, and who needs to step up the most to make it happen? Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6 Keep up with everythin...

The Avalanche just put on their most complete game of the playoffs so far and take a 2-0 series lead with a 5-2 win over the Minnesota Wild in their second round series, getting ready to hit the road for Games 3-4 in Minnesota. The Avs dictated play, got a superstar game from Nathan MacKinnon, converted on the pwoerplay, and locked it down defensively in response to a sloppy Game 1. Can they keep...

We just watched a game for the ages as the Avalanche win a barnburner 9-6 over the Minnesota Wild to take a 1-0 series lead in their second round series. We might never see another game like that ever again, but the Avalanche found a way to win. What can we expect as this series goes to Game 2? Send questions to the mailbag here: https://forms.gle/7ytuJfsiTr1x3VDt6 Keep up with everything on the s...

The second round is here for the Colorado Avalanche, and on the other side will be their first matchup with the Minnesota Wild in 12 years, and it couldn't be coming at a better time. How do the Avalanche match up with the Wild after each of their first round series, and where do the Avalanche have the greatest advantages? Who needs to have biggest series for the Avalanche to advance to the Wester...

The Colorado Avalanche advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and have swept the Los Angeles Kings with a 5-1 victory in Game 4! The Avs got better and better as this series went on, and saved their best for last with their best game of the series to advance. How good does this series sweep feel, and who will the Avalanche face in Round 2? Send questions to the mailbag here: http...