After winning a Stanley Cup in St. Louis, Jaden Schwartz returns to Colorado with a unique connection to the state and a belief that the Avalanche are still within striking distance of another championship.
Jaden Schwartz's connection to Colorado began long before he knew where his hockey career would take him.
At around 15 years old, Schwartz and his family made the trip to watch his older brother, Rylan, play for Colorado College. The visit eventually led to Jaden committing to the Tigers, giving him an early connection to a place that would remain meaningful long after he left for the NHL.
Schwartz spent two seasons at Colorado College, recording 32 goals and 56 assists for 88 points in 60 games before the St. Louis Blues selected him 14th overall in the 2010 NHL Draft.
More than 15 years later, Schwartz is back in Colorado.
Only this time, he's returning as a Stanley Cup champion.
After building a career that included 10 seasons with the St. Louis Blues, a Stanley Cup in 2019 and several seasons with the Seattle Kraken, Schwartz signed a three-year, $9.75 million contract with the Avalanche in the offseason. He battled injuries last season in Seattle but still produced 11 goals and 15 assists for 26 points in 50 games.
“Obviously, Colorado was very high on my list,” Schwartz said.
When Colorado reached out this offseason, he was excited by the possibility.
“There’s so many good players, good organization, like I said, very good guys,” he said. “When they reached out, obviously, I was pretty excited.”
He also believes he's joining a team that is much closer to another championship than its most recent playoff exit might suggest.
Schwartz watched the Avalanche from the other side last season and saw a fast, talented team capable of competing with anyone in the league. Colorado ultimately came up short against Vegas, but Schwartz doesn't believe the result necessarily reflected how close the Avalanche were to advancing.
“I think the Avs are definitely in a win-now mode,” Schwartz said. “Which is awesome to be a part of.”
That's precisely what attracted him.
Schwartz already knows what it takes to win a championship. He knows the long regular season is only preparation for the much smaller margin that exists once the playoffs begin.
And he doesn't believe the Avalanche need to make wholesale changes to get back there.
When The Hockey News asked what Colorado was missing after its postseason run, Schwartz didn't point toward an obvious deficiency. Instead, he emphasized just how small the margin can be once the stakes rise.
“I don't think they're lacking much,” he said. “The difference between winning and losing the playoffs is very, very tight, very narrow.”
Schwartz didn't watch much of Colorado's series against Vegas because he was traveling, but he was aware the Avalanche dealt with injuries. From his perspective, that can be enough to change an entire series.
“So, a bounce here or there in whatever game, two or three, I think it probably could have been a different series,” Schwartz said.
Exactly where he fits into the lineup remains to be determined.
“We'll see,” Schwartz said. “I'm not sure. Different guys are going to slide and we'll just see how camp goes. Just excited to be a part of it.”
That excitement was evident before camp even arrived.
Schwartz was one of the first players to show up for optional skates, using the extra time to look at houses, meet people throughout the organization and get settled into his new surroundings.
He was also getting to know some of his new teammates, albeit some of them weren't complete strangers.
Schwartz has spent years playing against them, crossing paths internationally and through mutual friends. Now, after all those years on opposite sides, they're finally on the same side.
“A lot of guys that I've just played against for a long time,” Schwartz said. “Seems like an awesome group. Everyone kind of reached out, so I'm looking forward to getting started with that.”
He arrived as a teenager to watch his brother play. He left Colorado as a highly touted prospect and went on to build a career that included a Stanley Cup in St. Louis.
Now he's back as a veteran, with another championship opportunity in front of him.
