On November 1, 2025, the Colorado Avalanche took over the lead in the NHL and never looked back. They reigned at the top of the league for over 150 days, and are only the sixth team in NHL history to keep the lead for that long. The Avs closed out the regular season on Thursday with another win, finishing 55-16-11 and 121 points, a franchise record, and easily winning the President’s Trophy, awarded to the team with the most points in the regular season. The Carolina Hurricanes were second with 113 points.
This marks the fourth time the Avalanche have won the President’s Trophy, and is now tied with the Bruins and Rangers for second in the NHL to have captured the trophy as many times. The Red Wings lead the league with six; however, we can’t help but note the Wings have not qualified for the playoffs in ten years, the longest active playoff drought in the NHL.
The President’s Trophy was introduced to the NHL in the 1985-86 season. Before this, the team with the best record could hang a banner that said “NHL Champions.” Only eight teams who have won the trophy have gone on to win the Stanley Cup, one of those being the Avs in 2001. In recent years, the trophy hasn’t meant a thing in terms of actual playoff performance. Most notably, the Bruins in 2023 had a historic regular season with 65 wins and 135 points, only to have a horrific exit in Round 1 to the Florida Panthers. Nine of the last 10 teams have either lost in the first or second round, and the last time a team captured the President’s Trophy and the Cup was the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks. The only team to have done it twice, grudgingly, was the Red Wings in 2002 and 2008.
While reading all this is unsettling as the current trophy winner, it doesn’t concern me. More importantly, it doesn’t matter to the Avs. The Avs entered the regular season with the sole purpose of leading the Central Division to avoid another first-round match-up with our foes in the south, the Dallas Stars. In doing so, we have dominated the entire league and now have home ice throughout the playoffs. If we do meet Dallas in the Second Round, we won’t have to descend to the ninth circle of hell, AKA American Airlines Arena until Game 3.
The Avalanche are a veteran team and has not gotten this far by accident. It has been years of vigilance and the establishment of good habits. Its like running a marathon, it is the hours and miles logged before you even get to the starting line that get you to cross the finish line. The marathon the Avs have been training for are the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and in their preparation the team has benefited, and players have shone individually.
With 53 goals, Nathan MacKinnon led the league in goals and won the Rocket Richard Trophy, joining Milan Hejduk (2003) as the only player in Avalanche history to have done so. His linemate, Martin Necas, had his first 100-point season, and is only the 9th player in franchise history to accomplish the feat. Brent Burns has played in over 1000 games. Straight. He has not missed a game since Nathan MacKinnon’s rookie year in 2013. Brock Nelson is now a third-generation Olympic gold medalist for Team USA. We also welcomed back 2022 Stanley Cup Champion, Nazem Kadri, to the team in a last-minute trade deadline acquisition.
The 2025-26 regular season has been pure joy to watch. However, the most remarkable feat of all is the return of our beloved captain, Gabriel Landeskog. When he came back during the playoffs last year, we all held our breath to see how he would adjust after missing three seasons. The fact that we no longer even talk about his knee injury is proof of how triumphant a comeback it has been. Landeskog is a Nordic superhero, and his leadership has, without a doubt, been one of our strongest assets this season.
Unfortunately, none of these accolades will matter if the Avs have another early playoff exit.
The season we have been waiting for, well, all season, is finally here. The Avalanche will face off against the LA Kings on Sunday, where the Avs can prove to everyone that the President’s Trophy isn’t cursed; the other teams just weren’t good enough.
