Cole, who signed a three-year contract with the Avalanche on July 1, said those three factors mean Colorado's return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season is just the start for this group.
"I love the playoffs; gotten a taste of that just about every year I've been a pro. And that team in Colorado, we could certainly be in that situation every single year," Cole, 29, said at the Chicago Charity Classic on Saturday. "For the most part, they have a fantastic young core of players. High speed, high skill level. Certainly, in my mind, they're on an upward trend of getting better. It was a situation that I really thought that I could thrive in, help with, and hopefully help win games."
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After finishing last in the Western Conference with 48 points in 2016-17, the Avalanche finished with 95 points (43-30-9) last season, earning the second wild card in the Western Conference. The Avalanche lost to the Nashville Predators in six games in the first round.
Cole, who had 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) in 67 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets last season, felt Colorado was perfect fit.
"Two years ago, they were obviously in the basement," Cole. "But playing against them, looking at their lineup, I never thought, 'this is the worst team in the League.' Obviously, you saw last year how they bounced back.
"I'm just hoping I can come in and try to help out where I can. They had a ton of success last year, so not trying to re-invent the wheel or anything, but just trying to help out wherever I can and hopefully get better."
Center Nathan MacKinnon scored 97 points (39 goals, 58 assists) in 74 games and was a finalist for the Hart Trophy, given to the NHL's most valuable player. Right wing Mikko Rantanen scored 84 points (29 goals, 55 assists) in 81 games and rookie defenseman Samuel Girard had 20 points (three goals, 17 assists) in 68 games. Coach Jared Bendar was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award, given to the NHL coach of the year.
Last year's playoff appearance should help the Avalanche. So should having players who have gone on long playoff runs like Cole, who played for the Pittsburgh Penguins when they won the Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017.
"You have experience and try to relay that as best you can," Cole said. "At the same time, you don't want to come in and say, 'listen to me, I know everything, I've been there before.' If there are times when you can try to impart a little wisdom here and there, you try to do that. But you don't try to come in and tell people what to do. There are great hockey players in every locker room, especially in this Colorado Avalanche locker room I'm going into."
Cole is adjusting to the higher elevation and thinner air on the ice in Denver.
"The first day I was out there, it was bad," he said. "After about a week you're feeling better. Now I'm pretty used to it, I think. When we could come in as a visitor, it's something you're cognizant of. You know that when stay out there for 45 seconds, a minute, you're going to hit a wall pretty soon and it's going to take a couple of minutes to recover. You get stuck out for a minute and a half shift in the D zone, you're not going to bounce back like you can here at sea level. You're very aware, taking short shifts."
