The Avalanche Have Built An NHL Juggernaut On Speed

The Colorado Avalanche have built their identity around speed for years. Now, the NHL Edge data puts just how fast they are into perspective.

According to NHL.com Senior Director, Fantasy Pete Jensen, the Avalanche were in a class of their own when it came to high-end skating speed during the 2025-26 season. Colorado led the NHL with 2,643 speed bursts of at least 20 mph during the regular season — nearly 1,000 more than any other team — while also producing the league’s highest total of 22-plus mph speed bursts during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

That kind of speed isn’t simply something that looks good on the eye test. It is a defining element of how the Avalanche attack.

And perhaps the best way to understand Colorado’s speed is to look at the three players who put it on display most often.

Nathan MacKinnon recorded 455 bursts of at least 20 mph last season, second-most in the NHL, while Martin Necas ranked sixth with 348. Necas was even more dominant in the 18-to-20 mph range, leading the entire league with 1,030 bursts.

MacKinnon also recorded the second-fastest maximum skating speed in the NHL during the regular season at 24.78 mph, trailing only Beck Malenstyn’s 24.94 mph.

But the most impressive part of MacKinnon’s season wasn’t necessarily how fast he was skating. It was what he continued to produce once he got there.

MacKinnon is coming off his fourth consecutive 100-point season, joining an exclusive group that includes Tampa Bay Lightning star Nikita Kucherov and Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid. Kucherov has also reached the 100-point mark in each of his last four seasons, while McDavid has done it six straight times.

McDavid, however, raised the bar again this season, capturing his sixth Art Ross Trophy after finishing with 138 points.

MacKinnon wasn’t far behind.

The Avalanche superstar finished the regular season with 53 goals and 74 assists for 127 points in 80 games, good enough for third in the NHL. He also captured the first Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy of his career as the league’s leading goal scorer.

For the first time in his career, MacKinnon also represented Canada at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games, adding another significant chapter to what was already an exceptional season.

Necas, meanwhile, is just getting introduced to the 100-point club.

After being acquired by Colorado, Necas put together the best offensive season of his career, finishing with exactly 100 points — 38 goals and 62 assists — in 78 games. It was his first time reaching the century mark, and he didn’t slow down once the postseason began.

Necas produced at a point-per-game pace in the playoffs for the first time in his career, showing that his regular-season breakout wasn’t simply a product of playing alongside one of the league’s most dangerous offensive teams.

His skating helps explain why.

Necas can hit another gear almost instantly, and his ability to generate speed without needing much room makes him particularly dangerous when Colorado gets moving through the neutral zone. His 1,030 speed bursts between 18 and 20 mph were the most in the NHL, a remarkable number that helps illustrate just how frequently he operates at a high-end pace.

Then there is Cale Makar.

For Makar, the 2025-26 regular season could reasonably be described as an off year — at least by the absurd standards he has established for himself.

He finished with 79 points in 75 games, including 27 goals and 59 assists. For virtually any other defenseman, that would be an outstanding season.

For Makar, it was a step back.

When healthy, Makar has generally operated around the 89-point mark over a full season, which is almost difficult to comprehend for a defenseman. His ability to create offense isn’t limited to his passing or his vision, either. His skating allows him to turn what looks like a routine defensive possession into an offensive opportunity in a matter of seconds.

The NHL Edge numbers reinforce that.

Makar led all NHL players with a maximum skating speed of 23.92 mph during the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs and finished second among defensemen in 20-plus mph speed bursts during the regular season with 223.

That combination of skating and skill is what makes Makar so difficult to defend. He doesn’t need to wait for a play to develop. He can create one himself.

And if Colorado can get more from him on the power play next season, where the Avalanche struggled for stretches, the impact could extend well beyond the regular season.

Because that is ultimately what makes Colorado’s speed so dangerous.

It isn’t just that MacKinnon can fly. It isn’t just that Necas can accelerate through a gap before a defender has time to close it. And it isn’t just that Makar can join the rush with the speed of a forward.

It’s that all three can do it at the same time.

When the Avalanche are at their best, there is very little time for an opponent to make a mistake. A missed assignment can become a MacKinnon breakaway. A loose puck can turn into a Necas rush. Makar can suddenly appear as the fourth attacker before the defense has even had a chance to reset.

That combination helped Colorado become the only team in the NHL with two 100-point scorers last season and one of the most dangerous offensive teams in the league.

The Avalanche ultimately fell in the Western Conference Final, leaving plenty of questions about what needs to change before they can take the final step.

Speed isn’t one of them.

The numbers now back up what opponents have experienced firsthand for years.

Colorado isn’t merely one of the NHL’s fastest teams.

It may be the fastest.

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