The Colorado Avalanche's 2025-26 regular season is shaping up to carry several notable storylines, from early-season rivalry games to a historic arena farewell, as the organization prepares to return to the ice next month.
A month out, the Avalanche's prospects are set to play in the annual rookie tournament, with veterans reporting to training camp shortly after. Under the current NHL format, Colorado is guaranteed to face every team at least twice and will see each divisional opponent four times across the 84-game schedule.
Among the most eye-catching early-season fixtures is a compressed clash with the Dallas Stars. Games six and seven of the Avalanche season will see them take on Dallas twice within a span of 28 hours, a scheduling quirk designed to build early-season edge between the two clubs. The teams will then meet again in a second home-and-home series at the end of January, with the points expected to carry playoff-race significance — all four matchups between the clubs were extremely close last season.
December brings a stretch that few NHL teams enjoy. Colorado will play a five-game homestand from Dec. 9 to Dec. 23, allowing the entire roster to spend all 14 days at home in Denver before the league's Christmas break — a rarity in the middle of an NHL season. Opponents during that stretch include Carolina and Utah.
New Year's Eve adds another highlight. The Avalanche are slated to play in the Winter Classic on Dec. 31 against the Utah Mammoth, who bolstered their roster this summer with veteran additions and are pushing to contend for their division — making the two points at stake particularly meaningful.
The post-All-Star slate presents an immediate test. Coming out of the All-Star break, Colorado will travel east to face arguably the three best teams in the Eastern Conference, opening in Carolina before closing with back-to-back games in Florida.
Down the stretch, a week after the March 1 trade deadline, the Avalanche will play 10 games between March 9 and March 27, eight of which are scheduled for Ball Arena. Three of Colorado's final 13 games will come against the Minnesota Wild — including the season finale on April 10 — matchups that could carry significant weight for postseason seeding.
The season also carries a sentimental moment at its close. On April 8, the Avalanche will play what is expected to be the final game ever held in Calgary's Saddledome, as the Flames are set to move into a new, modern arena the following season.
Off the ice, Avalanche goaltending prospect Ilya Nabokov spoke to Russian media about his transition to North America, expressing an understanding that he may need time in the AHL while noting a desire to eventually work his way into NHL games — a possibility given incumbent Mackenzie Blackwood's injury history.
The Avalanche's preseason rookie tournament and the opening of full training camp will offer the first public look at the roster before the regular season gets underway.