The Avalanche open the season against the Kings, the same team they swept out of the playoffs just four months ago.
DENVER — The wait is over.
The Avalanche are back at Ball Arena, the Stanley Cup is still the goal, and their first opponent of the new season just happens to be the team they swept out of the playoffs four months ago.
Colorado opens its 31st season in Denver on Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Kings, giving the Avalanche a chance to start a new season in a building that should be buzzing from the opening faceoff.
And there’s no shortage of familiar faces or interesting storylines.
Nathan MacKinnon is coming off a 53-goal, 127-point season and has continued to produce against Los Angeles. He has two goals and five assists in his last four regular-season games against the Kings, along with four points in Colorado’s four-game playoff sweep.
Cale Makar is fresh off signing an eight-year, $163.2 million extension to remain in Colorado. He has one goal and five assists in his last four regular-season games against Los Angeles and scored once in each of Games 3 and 4 of last season’s playoff series.
Then there’s Martin Necas.
Necas opened last season’s matchup against the Kings by firing a wicked wrist shot past Darcy Kuemper for the first goal of Colorado’s 4-1 win. He scored twice that night and finished with four goals and four assists in seven games against Los Angeles when combining the regular season and playoffs.
So, yes, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about seeing this group back on the ice.
But the Kings have some players Colorado will have to keep an eye on, too.
Adrian Kempe led Los Angeles in goals, assists and points last season, finishing with 36 goals and 73 points. He had three assists in the three regular-season meetings against Colorado before adding a goal and two assists in the playoff series.
Quinton Byfield finished second on the Kings with 24 goals and 49 points. He was held without a point in the regular-season meetings with Colorado but picked up two assists in the playoffs.
Alex Laferriere scored 21 goals and finished with 44 points last season. He also failed to register a point against Colorado during the regular season, but found another gear in the playoffs with four assists.
Colorado managed to keep Byfield and Laferriere quiet during the regular season. The Avalanche will get an early look Wednesday at whether that trend continues.
The goaltending matchup could be another interesting part of the night.
Mackenzie Blackwood, who is expected to start for Colorado, has a 5-3-2 career record against the Kings with a 2.12 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage.
Scott Wedgewood has been even better statistically. He is 6-2-0 in eight career games against Los Angeles with a 2.00 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage.
Wedgewood also played a big role the last time these teams met. He stopped 24 of 25 shots in Game 4 as Colorado completed the sweep, finishing the series with a .950 save percentage.
Los Angeles has a familiar option of its own.
Anton Forsberg appears likely to be part of the Kings' crease rotation after putting together a strong 2025-26 season. He started all four games of the playoff series against Colorado and was arguably Los Angeles' best player in the matchup.
Darcy Kuemper is also back, although the Kings' goaltending situation remained unsettled coming out of training camp. Kuemper struggled after returning from a midseason injury last year, while Forsberg emerged as the team's postseason starter.
There’s a pretty good Colorado connection as well.
Forsberg won the Calder Cup with Jared Bednar and the Lake Erie Monsters in 2016. Kuemper, meanwhile, was part of the Avalanche team that won the Stanley Cup in 2022.
And Bednar signed a four-year contract extension Wednesday morning, keeping him behind the Colorado bench through the 2030-31 season.
Tonight will also mark the highly anticipated NHL debut of T.J. Hughes, the former University of Michigan standout who has been one of Colorado’s most impressive players throughout training camp. Hughes capped his preseason with a four-point performance in Saturday’s 5-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets at Ball Arena, scoring a hat trick in the process.
The Avalanche and Kings have plenty of history, but that doesn't matter now. The playoff series is over, the slate is clean, and the Avalanche are back.
The Kings get the first crack at them — again.
